“Angels” (angelos in Greek – literally “messengers”) are primarily referred to as celestial beings in Scripture, which is how we commonly think of them.  (There are cases, however, when the term angelos is used to refer to human messengers of God’s message; the angels of the seven churches in Revelation are one such case – Rev. 2-3).

 

In 1 Corinthians 6:3, it seems Paul is referring to angels as celestial beings.  He is in the process of rebuking the church at Corinth for not having the spiritual maturity to settle disputes among themselves over trivial cases within the church rather than “airing the church’s dirty laundry” before unbelievers by taking each other to court.  In verse 2 he tells the church that the saints – Christians in general – will judge the world.  Exactly how will Christians in general judge the world?  Consider how the Hebrew writer said that Noah’s faith in God, expressed in his obedience to God’s commands, “condemned the world” (Heb. 11:7), or how the men of Nineveh and the queen of Sheba will “rise up at the judgment” with Jesus’ generation “and condemn it” because they repented at Jonah’s preaching and recognized the wisdom of Solomon…whereas Jesus’ generation had the actual Son of God among their midst and was not willing to listen to him.  In like manner, we Christians – by our faithful, penitent obedience to God – will stand out in comparison above the world’s rebellious disobedience and lack of faith and thus “judge the world.”

Since Paul immediately says in the next verse that we will judge angels, then there’s a good chance he means that by our faithful, penitent obedience to God we will stand out above those disobedient angels who rebelled against God (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) and thus “judge” them.