It is objected, however, that other beings are sometimes mentioned together with the Father and the Son, yet we certainly do not glorify them together with God. Paul, for example, charges Timothy “before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels.” We do not separate the angels from the rest of creation, the objection goes, yet we do not number them together with the Father and the Son.
The argument is so obviously unsound that it hardly deserves an answer. Still, before a gentle and merciful judge—especially one whose kindness toward those brought before him displays the perfect fairness of his judgment—a person may properly call even a fellow servant as a witness. But for a slave to be made free, to be called a child of God, and to be made alive from death can be accomplished only by one who has entered into natural kinship with us while himself being free from the condition of slavery. How could one who is alien to God make us God’s kindred? How could one who is himself under the yoke of slavery set us free?
The Spirit and the angels are therefore mentioned under entirely different conditions. The Spirit is invoked as Lord of life; the angels are summoned as fellow-servants who assist and faithfully witness the truth. The saints commonly deliver God’s commands in the presence of witnesses. Paul himself tells Timothy, “What you have heard from me before many witnesses, entrust to faithful people.” Here too he calls the angels as witnesses, knowing that the angels will be present with the Lord when he comes in the glory of his Father to judge the world in righteousness.
For the Lord says, “Whoever confesses me before men, the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” Paul likewise says that “the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his angels.” The Apostle therefore bears witness already before the angels, preparing for himself a good testimony at the great tribunal.
Paul is not alone in this. Those entrusted with any ministry of the word constantly call witnesses, even heaven and earth, because every deed is done within them and they will in some way be present when the actions of life are examined. Thus Scripture says, “He will call to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people.” Moses, preparing to deliver God’s words to the people, says, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today”; and in his song, “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” Isaiah says, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth.” Jeremiah even calls heaven to amazement at the people’s impiety: “The heavens were astonished at this and shuddered exceedingly, because my people committed two evils.”
In the same way the Apostle, knowing that angels are appointed over human beings as guardians and overseers, calls them as witnesses. Joshua son of Nun even set up a stone as witness to his words, just as Jacob had earlier named a heap as witness. Joshua said, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against you ... when you deal falsely with the Lord our God.” Perhaps he believed that by God’s power even stones could speak to convict transgressors; or at least that each person’s conscience would be pierced by the force of the reminder.
Those entrusted with the stewardship of souls therefore secure witnesses of every kind so that they may be produced in the future. But the Spirit is ranked together with God for a completely different reason: not because the situation happens to call for a witness, but because of natural communion. We do not drag the Spirit into the divine rank; the Lord himself summons him there.