I CORINTHIANS 6:3 - JUDGING ANGELS

“Do you not know that the saints will judge angels?”

This verse is one of Paul's most obscure statements and appears to come out of the clear blue with no prior antecedent. And to make it worse, he says that the Corinthians already know this fact. Since it doesn't appear in the Old Testament or the Gospels, it must be something that Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had told them earlier. The only hints we get of this revelation outside of this passage are found in Jude 6 and II Peter 2:4 where we are informed that the angels who sinned will be judged on “the great day.”

A few things can be said for certain concerning this verse if we look at the surrounding context of Paul's words. He has been criticizing the Corinthians for resorting to the civil courts to decide disputes among themselves. He then uses an argument from the greater to the lesser – If they are considered capable of judging the world and the angels, shouldn't they be competent enough to settle their own disputes? But beyond this point, there is a mystery hanging over I Corinthians 6:3 concerning the nature of the judging, the identity of the angels involved, and the timing of this event. I was hopeful that knowledgeable commentators would be able to shed more light on the situation, but what I found was not exactly definitive.

    Horsely says, without reference or further clarification, that this is “Paul's variation on a Jewish apocalyptic belief that the faithful righteous would participate in the divine judgment at the end of days.”

    Hillyer suggests that this “is based perhaps on Dn. 7:18, where sharing the kingdom would involve sharing the king's authority.” That particular passage reads, “The holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever and ever.” But the phrase “holy ones” could conceivably refer to the angels themselves rather than believers.

    Fee notes that the apocalyptic book I Enoch is sometimes claimed to be the basis for Paul's belief. However, he adds that “the text in I Enoch 91:15 that is often cited here is corrupt: it is not clear whether the angels are being judged or doing the judging.”

    Hodge: As kings were always judges...to rule and to judge are in Scripture often convertible terms. So the case before us may mean to be exalted above the angels, and preside over them...This explanation avoids the difficulty of supposing that good angels are to be called into judgment and is consistent with what the Bible teaches of the subordination of angels to Christ and to the church in him.” This explanation may possibly eliminate one problem, but even there Paul is not saying that we will judge all angels good and bad. But Hodge's reasoning involves at least two big assumptions and must remain unproven.

The above does, however, bring up the question as to which category of angels will be judged. And the jury is still out on that question, as you can see from the comments below:

Orr and Walther say that the whole background to this passage comes from “the Jewish apocalyptic notion that some angels rebelled against God and were cast out of heaven along with Satan.” On the other hand, Grosheide states, “These must be the good angels for Paul always means them when he speaks of angels without qualification.” And finally, we have Reid's non-committal reading: “While it is not certain whether the angels to be judged are good or evil, the more likely interpretation is that Paul was referring to the judgment of evil powers.” Elsewhere, Reid notes that the angels “appear to be in some sense culpable.”

As to our qualification to serve as judges over angels, whether good or bad, this has been expressed variously by different scholars, who, however, are in basic agreement with one another:

    Orr and Walther: “Paul elevates the saints to a position that is of almost the same dignity as that of Christ undoubtedly because the church is the habitation of the Spirit. The community of believers is therefore no mere human society.”

    Grosheide: “Believers will participate in that judgment. That implies that they are above the angels, they will have been acquitted already and participate in the judgment of angels.”

    Concerning when this judging will take place, Payne places the event in either the millennium, as part of the final judgment, or after it. Walvoord is more certain and confidently places it within the millennial period on earth. Much depends on one's particular eschatological view.

    Hockema issues a final warning to the reader: “Herman Bavinck, in commenting on this passage, says that we must not weaken this statement to mean a mere approval by the saints of the judgment of Christ, but must understand it as teaching that the saints shall indeed take part in judging the world and the angels.”