God "Tipped His Hand" in the Incarnation

I’ve recently read Gwen Shaw’s Our Ministering Angels and will be distilling some of her notable teachings in an article or two, but am not yet ready.  Meanwhile there is another author, Paul Billheimer, in his book Destined for the Throne , p. 34, who speaks of the gulf between angels and men in a most exciting way.  Here goes.

“Created originally in the image of God, redeemed humanity has been elevated by means of the new birth to the highest rank of all created beings.  ‘He took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham’ (Hebrews 2:16).  However else he might manifest himself in nature, God could not become incarnate in angels because they were not created in the full image of God.  No other created being approaches the capacity of the human being to “contain God”.  Only human beings have a nature in which God can become incarnate.  God tipped His hand, so to speak in the incarnation.  By this He dignified the human race and elevated redeemed humanity beyond the highest ranking angelic star in the radiant canopy of the firmament.

“Because angels were not made in the full image of God and God could therefore not become incarnate in them, the fallen angels cannot be redeemed.  No angel can ever become a member of the family of God.  They are created, not birthed from above; therefore, no angel can become a blood-born son of God.  Angels can never be partakers of the divine nature.

“None can ever become a member of the Bridehood.  These marks of privilege and rank have been reserved for redeemed humanity alone.”

So, quit being envious of the angels and learn to walk in all your redeemed state.  That means to jump into the pursuit of holiness with all your might, making absolutely no excuse for sin, being ruthless with your flesh (the self principle), actually crucifying it (Galatians 5:24) and then get on with the race that God has set before you (Hebrews 12:1).  Then give your angel something to talk about!