Do Guardian Angels Exist? What the Bible & Christian Tradition Say

No one will deny that every believer has an angel that accompanies him, acting like a kind of pedagogue and shepherd and directing his life, if he calls to mind the saying of the Lord: Do not despise one of these who are least of all, for their angels continually behold the face of my Father in heaven [Matt 18:10].1 With these words, the great fourth-century theologian Basil of Caesarea affirms what had become by his time a consensus doctrine: Every believer has a guardian angel, as Jesus himself seems to teach in Matthew 18:10. But is this interpretation correct? Do guardian angels exist?2 Table of contentsWhat are angels?What are guardian angels?What does the Bible say about guardian angels?What does church history say about guardian angels?Should we believe in guardian angels today? What are angels? Let us begin with the most basic question: What is an angel? The English word “angel” is a transliteration of the Greek word ἄγγελος (angelos), which simply means “messenger” (the Hebrew equivalent is מַלְאָךְ). In the Bible, these terms could be used to describe human messengers (such as John the Baptist, e.g., Matt 11:10), but they were also used to describe supernatural beings sen...