Can a Christian have a Demon?
by Pastor Tim Williams
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Can a Christian have a Demon?
by Pastor Bob Larson
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When I first became involved in
exorcisms, I assumed that
a Christian was immune from the torment of demons. I based that
assumption on
the influence of other Christian leaders who convinced me of this. I
had perfected
the logic explaining my position: "The Holy Spirit and an evil spirit
can't dwell in the same vessel." "Light and darkness cannot
co-exist." "Those who cast demons out of Christians are making
excuses for sin problems." I had given messages to large audiences,
boldly
declaring that the very idea of a Christian having a demon was heresy.
I
insisted that Christians claiming to have demons were making excuses
for
problems of carnality or personal lack of discipline; they were
avoiding the
tough part of growing in grace and maturing in a deeper understanding
of
Scripture.
When
I began searching the Word of God
more diligently about the matter of demons influencing Christians, I
discovered
that the issue wasn't as conclusive as I had thought. Gradually I
understood
that my error was based on a narrow understanding of demonic phenomena,
and a
predetermined reading of Scripture. In my honest moments of
contemplation, I
realized that those pastors and Bible teachers who had repeatedly
reinforced
the "Christians can't have a demon" outlook had very little practical
experience with the phenomenon. I concluded that, while doctrine is not
based
on experience, the lack of experiential testimony about such a crucial
area of
spiritual deliverance was a glaring weakness.
As
I began to discuss the subject with
others, I learned that theological sentiments are often based on
extreme
examples. Almost everyone opposed to the idea of Christians having a
demon
could relate one or more horrific stories about exorcism sessions in
which
Christians were encouraged to think of their spiritual failures as
having a
demonic root. They were then told to vomit up demons of everything from
morning
sickness to nasal congestion-seriously! I had witnessed some of these
deliverance
sessions. Highly manipulative evangelists preyed on distraught and
gullible
people who were looking for a quick solution to their spiritual and
physical
misery. I have since learned the simple truth that when you belong to
God, what
Satan cannot invade is your spirit. The moment a person is born into
the
kingdom of God by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9),
the spirit is eternally reborn and belongs to God. Jesus
declared in John 10:28 that no one has the power to "snatch" us out
of God's hand. However, man is a tripartite being (1 Thessalonians
5:23), and
there are aspects of the human condition that Satan can afflict. While
he is
prohibited from touching the spirit of God's saints, nothing prevents
him from
tormenting the body and soul-if the disobedient conduct of a Christian
allows
him to do so.
Much confusion about
this issue exists because of the use
of the word possession. The term doesn't appear in the original Greek
language
of the New Testament. Bible scholars say those who translated the King
James edition
added this word in order to classify varying degrees of demonic
control. More
correctly, the word translated "possession" should simply be rendered
"demonized," that is, under the influence of a demon. Attempting to
be verbally precise about such a supernatural phenomenon is pointless.
You
can't take something enshrouded in a mystical context and reduce it to
a
paradigm of human language. That's why we must cautiously use terms
associated
with demons.
By
possession I mean that the spirit is
internalized and claims certain legal rights to invade the person's
body.
Demonic "possession" never means a Christian's regenerated spirit has
been invaded or that the demon owns the human being. It means that his
or her
soul or body is influenced by a demon. The demon can manifest through
the
host's faculties-that is, see with the eyes, speak through the vocal
cords, and
even subject the person to a trance state of mental oblivion.
Deliverance comes
when the demon inside is cast outside.
What
about those instances in which a
demon manifests in a Christian? In most cases the demon entered before
the
believer's conversion to Christianity, and the evil spirit continued to
control
some part of the person's life because the specific occult sin was
never renounced.
The demon claims squatter's rights.
The
metaphor of what happens when
territory is conquered in a war applies here. Even though the conflict
may be
officially ended, enemy snipers refuse to surrender, so they must be
hunted
down. Their right to remain may be technically voided since the
territory is
under new control, but that doesn't mean they leave automatically or
give up
easily. An offense must be mounted to enforce the terms of victory. The
exorcist must diligently pursue every avenue of deliverance to be
certain that
every demonic influence has been conquered.
CAN
DEMONS PHYSICALLY AFFLICT A CHRISTIAN?
To
answer the question of whether a
Christian can be physically afflicted, we must first explore the means
by which
demons influence Christians. Do Christians sin? Of course! First John
1:8-9
says we do. We cannot continue to abide in sin because of the
indwelling nature
of Christ. Note, however, that in Ephesians 4:23 Christians are
admonished to
"be renewed in the spirit of your mind." If the mind of the Christian
needs renewal, then it stands to reason that when our minds are not
renewed,
they may be, to some degree, under the control of the ungodly forces.
"Present your bodies a
living sacrifice," we
read in Romans 12:1. This means our bodies may not be completely
sacrificed to
God, and could therefore be influenced by Satan. The lack of
spirituality in
the life of a Christian doesn't necessarily mean he or she is
possessed. But it
does mean that some part of the Christian's nature is open to evil
forces.
In Luke 13:16, Christ
cast a demon out of a 'daughter of
Abraham'. It's true she wasn't living under the covenant of grace this
side of
the cross, but as an Old Testament devotee to God, she was spiritually
protected by the best that God could offer that side of Calvary. Yet a
spirit
of physical infirmity demonized her. In fact, the first demon that
Jesus cast
out came from an apparently devout Jew in the synagogue on the Sabbath.
Christ's first exorcism was in a church! The man in Luke 4:33-35 was
certainly
"possessed" because the demon spoke through his body. Christ told the
unclean spirit to "come out of him" (Verse 35).
CAN SATAN
CONTROL A CHRISTIAN'S THOUGHTS AND WORDS?
Let
me explain how Satan can also
control the thoughts and speech of a Christian. In Matthew, chapter 16,
Jesus
had just concluded His explanation to His disciples on the true nature
of His
earthly mission-that He
must suffer and die (verse 21). Peter immediately spoke up in an effort
to
dissuade Christ from going to the cross: "Far be it from You, Lord;
this
shall not happen to You!"
(verse 22). The response
of Christ was abrupt and stern. "Get behind Me, Satan!" Jesus said to
Peter (verse 23). I'm not suggesting that Peter was demon possessed. I
am
proposing that Peter, while standing in the presence of Christ, was
sufficiently influenced that he literally spoke the words Satan wanted
him to
say. Even more astounding is the fact that earlier in verse 16 of that
chapter,
Peter had given the confessional statement of faith on which Christ
said He
would build His church!
In
Acts chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira, members of the early church, lied to the
apostle Peter. They
had sold some possessions to give to the church, and then had second
thoughts and
conspired to keep back a portion for themselves. When Peter asked them
what
amount they had received for the sale, Ananias
and Sapphira lied. What was the source of that lie? The
apostle Peter said,
"Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit" (verse 3). In
judgment, God struck them dead. If we accept the assumption that Ananias
and Sapphira experienced the new birth in Christ, then
how can we explain
away the fact that their hearts were filled by Satan to such an extent
that
they were capable of committing a sin worthy of such abrupt and severe
divine
judgment?
Satan
can, in some instances, take over
a Christian's mind and speak through his lips. Demons are in certain
instances
able to place Christians in a trance state so that the unclean spirit
controls
psychomotor functions and conscious mental processes. I have dealt with
scores
of cases with people who were undeniably followers of Christ and yet
demons
spoke through them and even violently attacked me. It is disingenuous
to
suggest that they somehow lost their salvation long enough to let a
demon in
and then thereafter resumed their Christian walk. If Satan can control
our
speech when we are disobedient and fill our hearts with evil when we
are
rebellious, he may be able to do a lot more to Christians than we would
like to
admit. What scriptural lessons can we learn from this startling
information?
A
Christian can be born again and have
spiritual victory over the original Adamic
sin that eternally separates mankind from God and still have
besetting sins (Hebrews 12:1). Uncontrolled thoughts, resentment,
anger, and
bitterness are some examples. Salvation must not be confused with
sanctification. The Holy Spirit's continuing work of grace is a
progressive act
of God's desire to draw us closer to Him. Those who, yet saved, resist
this
scriptural plea (1 Thessalonians 4:3) may find they have harbored
demonic
pockets of activity from their pre-conversion lives. This message needs
a
greater emphasis in our churches so that we may set free any of our
brothers
and sisters in Christ who are suffering the "hangover" of Satan's
influence from their former lives of sin.
As
kindly as I can say it, those who
underestimate what Christians can suffer at the hand of Satan are doing
a
disservice to the body of Christ. They are consigning sincere
Christians to a
life of continued demonic influence and causing needless suffering in
the lives
of those whom the Lord wants to set free. Let no one misunderstand me.
A
Christian cannot be demonized if by "possession" you mean
"ownership." The child of God is owned by the Lord. But I will
testify that a Christian can be severely influenced by demons and even
be
inhabited by them. I will also do all that I can in Jesus' name to see
that
those who are "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans
8:17) will experience the hope of freedom from demonic bondage.
Written
by Bob Larson