Can Christians
Have Demons?
Mark 16:17-18 "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Christians and Sin
Before we answer the question if Christians can have demons, let's explore the topic of sin in the world and sin in the Christian's life. The number one argument that Christians will give as the reason Christians cannot have demons is that light cannot dwell with darkness.
2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
All Christians agree that the Holy Spirit is present everywhere on earth and the Universe. All Christians agree that there is sin throughout the earth even though God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is throughout the earth.
All Christians agree that when Jesus walked on the earth as fully God and fully man that there were demons in the very presence of Jesus.
All Christians agree that Christians can be worshiping God and at the same time have lustful or other evil thoughts.
All Christians agree that individuals can be truly born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and yet capable of doing heinous evil.
All Christians agree that Christians can be unequally yoked with unbelievers even if the Bible says they should not.
All Christians agree that sin and Satan have no power over the spirit of a born again Christian, but Satan can certainly have influence over the soul and body of a Christian.
All Christians agree that even though Satan has no power over the spirit of a Christian a Christian can have mental illness and/or physical ailments and disease. Almost all Christians, if not all, acknowledge that mental illness can at times be caused by Satan and Satan can physically afflict Christians. To deny this would be to deny the fact that in Scripture there are cases of mental illness and sickness being caused by Satan.
Clearly light can dwell with darkness.
Question-If all of the above is true, where in Scripture does it say that Christians can have mental illness, sickness, and blatant sin (all from the devil) in their mind and body but not have a demon in the in their body? There is no passage.
What Fellowship Does Light Have with Darkness
2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
This passage is specifically in regard to Christians being unequally yoked to unbelievers in marriage or business. Are Christ followers and unbelievers going to have the same spiritual goals? Absolutely not! So how can they partner together if they do not have unity in spiritual matters? They are not. Just because light and darkness cannot and should not be united, clearly it can happen. There are Christians married to unbelievers and there are Christians that are in business relationships with unbelievers. Thus, they are coexisting when they should not be.
Can a Christian be in bondage to pornography? Is that not light and darkness coexisting?
Is a Christian capable of committing sin? If so, then how can that kind of darkness (sin), which God absolutely repels, dwell in a body where the Holy Spirit is located? Why doesn't the Holy Spirit immediately leave the person when they walk in unrepentant sin?
Are God and demons going to work together in the life of a Christian? No. But the two can coexist in the life of the Christian opens the door to Satan in their soul or body.
Thus, nothing stops a Christian from making sinful decisions in their life that can open them up to a demon(s).
The Soul versus the Spirit
The spirit of man is where the Holy Spirit dwells, but the soul or mind of a man is where the dirt (sin) can still remain long after a person accepts Christ. Our spirits are instantly made new the moment we are saved, but our souls can take time to renew and 'clean up'.
Where do demons do their work? In the mind (soul) and body of a person. Demons can try to get our spirits overwhelmed, worn out, or tempt us to sin, but their way of operating in the lives of people is through their minds (souls) and by troubling their bodies.
If sin can dwell in the mind and in the body of a Christian, then a demon can certainly dwell within a Christian.
Possession, Oppression, Demonized
We have covered the concepts of Possession, Oppression, and Demonized previously. Here we will summarize and state that there is no Greek word for possession in regard to ownership. Bible translations use the word daimonizomal which means to be under the power of a demon. In Scripture there were times individuals were daimonizomal, possessed with a devil, but the person was only being harassed with a demon, or coming under the influence of a demon, or had a sickness caused by a demon. These individuals were perfectly sane. Ezekiel 18:4 says Behold all souls are mine... thus no person can be possessed by a demon. But anyone can have an unclean spirit, have a demon, be vexed or oppressed. The best word to cover all the various types of demonization is the word DEMONIZED. It really becomes immaterial if the demon is inside someone's flesh, sitting on their shoulder, speaking in their ear, or legions covering their body-they need delivered.
Saying that a Christian can be possessed, is like saying that a person’s body is owned by an infection on that person’s finger. The infection may “influence” the body, but it does not mean that it “owns” the body. The same is true here: while a Christian can have a demon and be in bondage (influenced), it does not mean that the person is owned by the demon.
Semantics
While Christians are debating about if a person (or a Christian) can be demon possessed, oppressed, demonized there are multitudes of people bound up that could be set free through the Name of Jesus. Jesus commanded followers of Christ to cast out demons, not to debate on semantics.
How Can Christians become Demonized?
Paul warned the believers in Ephesians 4:27, “Neither give place to the devil.” Also, 2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Obviously a Christian can give place to the devil and a Christian can allow Satan to take advantage of them.
A demon(s) may have come into a person's life before they came to Christ (past lifestyle, generational curse, bondages they previously came under, vows they made with the enemy, etc.), or entered since they became a Christian. The way demons gain access into a believer’s life, is through open doors. There are certain sins and things we can do that will defile us (make us unclean). For example, having unholy sex can create unholy soul ties, which serve as demonic bridges, and can pass bondages from one person to another. Another example is being bitter or unforgiving; both those are closely related and can defile a person (Hebrews 12:15).
In no way are we saying that willful sin 'guarantees a person will be demonized'.
Deliverance is Part of the New Covenant
Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Look at Matthew 8:16-17
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”
All would agree the prophecy of Isaiah 53:5 is a promise for followers of Christ.
Do Christians Need Deliverance?
Some will argue that if a person has demons before they are born again that all the demons will leave them once they are born again. Can this happen? Absolutely! Does it happen to all who become born again? No. What is the proof of this?
If demons leave people as soon as they are born again then there would have been no need for Jesus to cast out demons out of people who were demonized. If demons leave people as soon as they are born again then those who had infirmities caused by demons would not have needed Jesus to cast the demons out of them. Jesus could have just said "Follow me" and the demons would have left. If demons leave people as they are born again then those who were insane because of demons would not have needed Jesus to cast the demons out of them. Jesus could have said "Follow me" and the persons would have immediately become sane. (Certainly, there are times that individuals come to Christ and their lives are dramatically changed beyond imagination. But that certainly is not the case always.)
If demons leave people as soon as they are born again, why the following: Mark 16:17 "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons. There would not be the need for followers of Christ to have the ability to cast out demons, just lead people to Christ.
Casting out Demons/Deliverance is Only for Non-Christians?
The Bible makes it clear that if demons are cast out of an individual and their life does not change, that seven more demons can come into them. A lost person who does not get saved after having demons cast out of them will be in worse shape than before you casted the demons out of them. Why would God want that to happen to them? It should be clear that most of the time it is best that a person is born again before demons are cast out of them. But can God use the casting out of demons as a means to prepare individuals to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior? Absolutely! But the truth is for many they will need to have Christ in them before they will have a sincere desire to be set free from demonic possession. Are we God, or do we allow God to set people free the way He desires?
Balance
Sadly with every truth there is the counterfeit. Sadly with every truth there are the extremes. Sadly with every truth there will be those who abuse and twist the truth. That does not mean we 'throw out the baby with the bath water'. Not everyone has a demon(s). We should not look to demons as always the cause for sin, even willful, ongoing sin. There is not a demon in every chair. Not every mental illness, sickness, abhorrent behavior is caused by a demon. Human beings can be very evil without the help of a demon.
Consider the Following
Assume that a person does not have a demon. Instead assume they have a sin problem. If they have a mental or physical illness, assume it is a health issue, not a demon. If a person has an emotional issue, assume they may need counseling or inner healing. However, if speaking against the sin, (discipling them) is not working; if medical treatment is not working; if counseling is not working, cast it out. Some say, some things cannot be counseled out, they need cast out.
Seek the Holy Spirit. Ask God to give you discerning of spirits, ask God to give you a word of knowledge, ask God to reveal to you if demons are involved. If He gives you revelation demons are involved understand you as a follower of Christ have authority to cast them out.
Summary
Light and Darkness
Certainly, at the end of the day light and darkness should not dwell together but light and darkness dwells within our earth and even the universe. Light and darkness dwells in each of us until the day we receive our glorified bodies.
Soul and Spirit
Demons do their work not in the spirit of a person (they certainly try to torment the spirit). They do their work in the mind (soul) and the body of a person. Thus, demons cannot inhabit our take possession of a person, rather they are lost or saved.
Demonization
There is no such thing as full demon possession but anyone, Christian or not can be demonized. Demonization occurs in a person's life through open doors-willful, blatant, unrepentant sin. In no way are way saying that willful sin guarantees demonization.
Deliverance
Deliverance is part of the New Covenant promise found in Isaiah 53:5. Thus Christians can experience deliverance. Deliverance from demons can be one of the means that God uses to prepare individuals to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior.
Balance
Do not fall into the extremes in the realm of deliverance, not everything is caused by a demon. Seek God. Walk in the Spirit, walk in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If it cannot be counseled out, prayed out, doctored out, cast it out.
Cast Out Demons
If the Church today is going to be the Book of Acts Church, if the Church today is going to be the Church Without Walls, we are going to need to be about the business of CASTING OUT DEMONS.
When was the last time you saw a demon cast out of a person in church, rather they were saved or not? When was the last time you saw a demon cast out of someone outside the church. For most, the answer is never. Does any true follower of Christ believe that there are not people walking into churches with demons. Does any true follower of Christ believe that there are not people walking on our streets that have demons? We need to start CASTING OUT DEMONS.
Look at our world today. Look at the hunger for the supernatural. Look at the obsession to the demonic realm. Look at how influential and bold the demonic realm is in our culture. Satan has had free reign in our culture, sadly even in our churches, and even worse, in the lives of some Christians. Isn't it time we start CASTING OUT DEMONS?
REMINDER
Mark 16:17-18
"These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
If you are a born again devoted follower of Jesus Christ you have the authority to cast out demons in the Name of Jesus. It is not a unique spiritual gift only available to a unique few, it is accessible to all followers of Christ. Is it helpful to be equipped with spiritual gifts including the gift of discernment? Absolutely! You can trust God to provide you with whatever you need to go forth CASTING OUT DEMONS.
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