Can a Christian be possessed by a Demon?
“If you’re a Christian and you don’t think you can have a demon - You have a demon,” said one deliverance minister. This minister went on to list a bunch of symptoms to check and see if you have a demon. “Do you have a problem with swearing? You have a demon.”
While this is certainly the extreme end of deliverance ministry, most deliverance ministries would affirm that Christians can be seriously oppressed by demons. It’s no doubt that the adversary is real and is mounting an assault against Christians – but it is important to understand the extent of the enemy’s abilities. Paul maintains that the church is not “ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). It is important to understand what the devil can do, but we should never give him more credit than he deserves. This only results in fear.
Some teachers will go so far as to say that yes, Christians can be possessed by demons. To support this idea, one minister quoted Lamentations 1:8,10 “Jerusalem sinned greatly, therefore she has become an unclean thing… The adversary has stretched out his hand over all her precious things, for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, those whom You commanded not to enter Your assembly.” To this teacher, nearly everything in the Old Testament is a spiritual symbol for something else. Obviously the sanctuary refers to Christians, who are the temple of God. The nations who are commanded not to enter refers to demons – and they have entered the sanctuary – they have entered into God’s people. It is hard to know when the metaphors start and stop with this model of interpreting the Bible. Certainly the Old Testament is given as an example for us today, but does that mean that everything in the OT holds a double meaning? What about the following verse – Lamentations 1:11? It talks about the people of Jerusalem. These are the people who should be in the sanctuary. So the sanctuary represents God’s people and the people represent God’s people? And so you have people inside people? That can get confusing.
Those who advocate for demon possession of Christians bring up some of the “common objections” Christians have to this doctrine. One minister brought up the objection that demons can’t live where God lives? His response: “God is omnipresent, so if a demon can’t live where God lives, he can’t live.” Booya! Smashed that objection. Another minister brought up the objection that some Christians have apparently levied at him: “Christians can’t have demons, because demons can’t cross the bloodline.” The minister replied, “Where in the Bible does it say that demons can’t cross the bloodline. Lookup the term 'bloodline' in your concordance and you won’t find any scriptures that say that.” Awe snap! You got me there – I thought it said that in the Bible.
One particular ministry does not specifically say that Christians can be demon possessed, but rather demon oppressed. The reason they say this is that possession implies ownership and a Christian is owned by God, not by the demon. The problem with viewing demon possession through this lens is that if demon possession simply implied being owned by Satan and his demons, then every non-believer in the world would be demon possessed. There are only two kingdoms in operation: the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God. If you are in the kingdom of Satan you belong to him. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You belong to your father, the devil.” (John 8:44) However, demon possession is something beyond this. Even unbelievers in the Bible recognized when someone was possessed by a devil because of the affects it had on the person. Typically, the person was either stricken with a disease or lost some control over their body. In the case of the possessed slave girl who worked as a fortune teller for her masters (Acts 16:16), she may not have exhibited wild external signs of being possessed, but when the demon was cast out from her, her masters evidently noticed a physical change. Otherwise, how did the girl’s owners realize the demon was gone in the very moment it was cast out. In summary, demon possession seems to be marked by extreme negative changes to the physical body or to personality or to both.
While this particular ministry affirms demon oppression of Christians instead of demon possession, their description of the affects of oppression are near identical to the affects of possession. In addition to the emotional pains caused by oppression, their definition of oppression is that the demons are actually residing in the Christian’s body. The tactics proposed for treating this oppression are near identical to the tactics used by Jesus in casting demons out of people who were possessed. According to this ministry, the demons are commanded to leave and go to the dry and arid places. Those being ministered to are encouraged to breathe deeply because “demons usually leave through the breath – through yawns, coughs, sighs, burps, hiccups, or laughter.” Other ministries insist that demons leave people (including Christians) through vomit. I have yet to hear an explanation of why demons supposedly leave through the breath, or where this idea first came from. Did the demons sneak in while you were burping in the first place?
Proponents of this type of demonic oppression/possession cite stories where specific demons are being commanded to leave Christians – and they often include experiences where the demon takes control of the person in the midst of the deliverance, often causing the person to get violent - or the demon will begin to speak through the person. These examples are given as “proof” that Christians can be possessed by demons. When it comes down to it, the Bible must be our guide to determine whether this doctrine is true or false. Examples of people can never be the standard for determining spiritual truth. If the Bible implies that Christians cannot be possessed by demons, than these personal examples must be viewed in light of the revealed truth – no matter how uncomfortable the implications might be.
So, what does the Bible say about demon possession and the potential susceptibility of a Christians? Examples from the Bible suggest that a demon truly must “own” a person to take possession of their body. The body is often referred to as a house or a temple in the Bible. Jesus explained what demon possession is like in Matthew 12:28,29, 43-45. It is like a strongman dwelling in a house – the house is the person. Jesus is able to cast out the strongman because Jesus has more authority. Jesus puts up the eviction notice. Jesus warns that if the house remains unoccupied after the demon leaves, the demon might gather a few of its buds and return to the house. Those who advocate demon possession of Christians realize the principle of this teaching. They encourage Christians to fill their “house” with Jesus so that a demon can’t return after it has been kicked out. However, they miss the point of the teaching. If Jesus has removed the demon and has moved in himself, THE HOUSE IS OCCUPIED! Reading your Bible and praying aren't going to fill the house with more of Jesus. By Jesus’ own words, this implies that the demon can’t return to the house because the house is no longer his - it is occupied by Jesus. Luke’s account of this teaching says that when Jesus overpowers the strongman, he “takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied” (Luke 11:22). The demon has protection inside the body of a non-Christian – but in a Christian, the demon is stripped of its protection – stripped of any legal right to be there.
Salvation does not solely include a person’s inner spirit. When you are a Christian, you’re body is owned by God – “you are not your own, you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your body.” Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you (I Cor 3:16). Proponents of Christian possession warn of giving “legal ground” to the enemy, allowing devils to inhabit your body. You apparently give legal ground through “sins of the flesh, occult involvement, or a trance state of mind.” I’m not sure which law permits these legal loopholes, but it sure isn’t the Law of the Spirit of the new covenant. If we belong to God He holds the deed to our house. We don’t have the legal right to let in a stranger. Whereas in the past Satan preyed on humans because of the legal opportunities within the Law, we are now dead to the Law (Romans 7:4). It no longer has legal hold over us. When we are born again we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light – where sin, the devil, and the law don’t have dominion over us. Jesus said any house divided against itself shall not stand (Matt. 12:25). Even, if a person could be occupied by both a demon and the Holy Spirit, that person would have such a massive internal war going on that it would manifest itself externally and the person would crumble. I can’t see how a Christian could go for years having a demon in their body without ever knowing it, as some imply.
As far as the argument that a demon can’t live where God lives – I agree that the sentiment does not carry a whole lot of meaning – but Christians have got it much better than that. Not only does God live in us, but we are also joined with Christ and are one spirit with Him (I Cor. 6:17). So yes, a demon can stand before God, but a demon cannot be joined with Christ and be united with Him. Our present spiritual condition is as Christ now is (I John 4:17). Even though demon possession affects a person’s body, it is foremost a spiritual condition. Spiritually we are united with Christ. Physically we are his body on earth. It is no mistake that John wrote “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (I John 4:4) John was specifically referring to evil spirits. What John didn’t say is “greater is He who is in you than he who is in you.” No, the clear implication is that the Spirit of Christ is in the Christian and the spirit of the anti-christ is not. Christians struggle with sin from time to time. If sinning provided such an open door to let demons in, you’d think one of the apostles would hint at the need to continually cast out demons from Christians, especially considering some of the ugly immorality occurring in some of the churches Paul wrote to. Instead, instructions were give to resist the devil. The devil's attacks against Christians are arrows hurled from afar, not daggers and treason from within. Instead, encouragement was given that “the Lord is faithful (even when we are not faithful), who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess 3)
“If you’re a Christian and you don’t think you can have a demon - You have a demon,” said one deliverance minister. This minister went on to list a bunch of symptoms to check and see if you have a demon. “Do you have a problem with swearing? You have a demon.”
While this is certainly the extreme end of deliverance ministry, most deliverance ministries would affirm that Christians can be seriously oppressed by demons. It’s no doubt that the adversary is real and is mounting an assault against Christians – but it is important to understand the extent of the enemy’s abilities. Paul maintains that the church is not “ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11). It is important to understand what the devil can do, but we should never give him more credit than he deserves. This only results in fear.
Some teachers will go so far as to say that yes, Christians can be possessed by demons. To support this idea, one minister quoted Lamentations 1:8,10 “Jerusalem sinned greatly, therefore she has become an unclean thing… The adversary has stretched out his hand over all her precious things, for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, those whom You commanded not to enter Your assembly.” To this teacher, nearly everything in the Old Testament is a spiritual symbol for something else. Obviously the sanctuary refers to Christians, who are the temple of God. The nations who are commanded not to enter refers to demons – and they have entered the sanctuary – they have entered into God’s people. It is hard to know when the metaphors start and stop with this model of interpreting the Bible. Certainly the Old Testament is given as an example for us today, but does that mean that everything in the OT holds a double meaning? What about the following verse – Lamentations 1:11? It talks about the people of Jerusalem. These are the people who should be in the sanctuary. So the sanctuary represents God’s people and the people represent God’s people? And so you have people inside people? That can get confusing.
Those who advocate for demon possession of Christians bring up some of the “common objections” Christians have to this doctrine. One minister brought up the objection that demons can’t live where God lives? His response: “God is omnipresent, so if a demon can’t live where God lives, he can’t live.” Booya! Smashed that objection. Another minister brought up the objection that some Christians have apparently levied at him: “Christians can’t have demons, because demons can’t cross the bloodline.” The minister replied, “Where in the Bible does it say that demons can’t cross the bloodline. Lookup the term 'bloodline' in your concordance and you won’t find any scriptures that say that.” Awe snap! You got me there – I thought it said that in the Bible.
One particular ministry does not specifically say that Christians can be demon possessed, but rather demon oppressed. The reason they say this is that possession implies ownership and a Christian is owned by God, not by the demon. The problem with viewing demon possession through this lens is that if demon possession simply implied being owned by Satan and his demons, then every non-believer in the world would be demon possessed. There are only two kingdoms in operation: the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God. If you are in the kingdom of Satan you belong to him. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You belong to your father, the devil.” (John 8:44) However, demon possession is something beyond this. Even unbelievers in the Bible recognized when someone was possessed by a devil because of the affects it had on the person. Typically, the person was either stricken with a disease or lost some control over their body. In the case of the possessed slave girl who worked as a fortune teller for her masters (Acts 16:16), she may not have exhibited wild external signs of being possessed, but when the demon was cast out from her, her masters evidently noticed a physical change. Otherwise, how did the girl’s owners realize the demon was gone in the very moment it was cast out. In summary, demon possession seems to be marked by extreme negative changes to the physical body or to personality or to both.
While this particular ministry affirms demon oppression of Christians instead of demon possession, their description of the affects of oppression are near identical to the affects of possession. In addition to the emotional pains caused by oppression, their definition of oppression is that the demons are actually residing in the Christian’s body. The tactics proposed for treating this oppression are near identical to the tactics used by Jesus in casting demons out of people who were possessed. According to this ministry, the demons are commanded to leave and go to the dry and arid places. Those being ministered to are encouraged to breathe deeply because “demons usually leave through the breath – through yawns, coughs, sighs, burps, hiccups, or laughter.” Other ministries insist that demons leave people (including Christians) through vomit. I have yet to hear an explanation of why demons supposedly leave through the breath, or where this idea first came from. Did the demons sneak in while you were burping in the first place?
Proponents of this type of demonic oppression/possession cite stories where specific demons are being commanded to leave Christians – and they often include experiences where the demon takes control of the person in the midst of the deliverance, often causing the person to get violent - or the demon will begin to speak through the person. These examples are given as “proof” that Christians can be possessed by demons. When it comes down to it, the Bible must be our guide to determine whether this doctrine is true or false. Examples of people can never be the standard for determining spiritual truth. If the Bible implies that Christians cannot be possessed by demons, than these personal examples must be viewed in light of the revealed truth – no matter how uncomfortable the implications might be.
So, what does the Bible say about demon possession and the potential susceptibility of a Christians? Examples from the Bible suggest that a demon truly must “own” a person to take possession of their body. The body is often referred to as a house or a temple in the Bible. Jesus explained what demon possession is like in Matthew 12:28,29, 43-45. It is like a strongman dwelling in a house – the house is the person. Jesus is able to cast out the strongman because Jesus has more authority. Jesus puts up the eviction notice. Jesus warns that if the house remains unoccupied after the demon leaves, the demon might gather a few of its buds and return to the house. Those who advocate demon possession of Christians realize the principle of this teaching. They encourage Christians to fill their “house” with Jesus so that a demon can’t return after it has been kicked out. However, they miss the point of the teaching. If Jesus has removed the demon and has moved in himself, THE HOUSE IS OCCUPIED! Reading your Bible and praying aren't going to fill the house with more of Jesus. By Jesus’ own words, this implies that the demon can’t return to the house because the house is no longer his - it is occupied by Jesus. Luke’s account of this teaching says that when Jesus overpowers the strongman, he “takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied” (Luke 11:22). The demon has protection inside the body of a non-Christian – but in a Christian, the demon is stripped of its protection – stripped of any legal right to be there.
Salvation does not solely include a person’s inner spirit. When you are a Christian, you’re body is owned by God – “you are not your own, you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your body.” Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you (I Cor 3:16). Proponents of Christian possession warn of giving “legal ground” to the enemy, allowing devils to inhabit your body. You apparently give legal ground through “sins of the flesh, occult involvement, or a trance state of mind.” I’m not sure which law permits these legal loopholes, but it sure isn’t the Law of the Spirit of the new covenant. If we belong to God He holds the deed to our house. We don’t have the legal right to let in a stranger. Whereas in the past Satan preyed on humans because of the legal opportunities within the Law, we are now dead to the Law (Romans 7:4). It no longer has legal hold over us. When we are born again we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light – where sin, the devil, and the law don’t have dominion over us. Jesus said any house divided against itself shall not stand (Matt. 12:25). Even, if a person could be occupied by both a demon and the Holy Spirit, that person would have such a massive internal war going on that it would manifest itself externally and the person would crumble. I can’t see how a Christian could go for years having a demon in their body without ever knowing it, as some imply.
As far as the argument that a demon can’t live where God lives – I agree that the sentiment does not carry a whole lot of meaning – but Christians have got it much better than that. Not only does God live in us, but we are also joined with Christ and are one spirit with Him (I Cor. 6:17). So yes, a demon can stand before God, but a demon cannot be joined with Christ and be united with Him. Our present spiritual condition is as Christ now is (I John 4:17). Even though demon possession affects a person’s body, it is foremost a spiritual condition. Spiritually we are united with Christ. Physically we are his body on earth. It is no mistake that John wrote “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” (I John 4:4) John was specifically referring to evil spirits. What John didn’t say is “greater is He who is in you than he who is in you.” No, the clear implication is that the Spirit of Christ is in the Christian and the spirit of the anti-christ is not. Christians struggle with sin from time to time. If sinning provided such an open door to let demons in, you’d think one of the apostles would hint at the need to continually cast out demons from Christians, especially considering some of the ugly immorality occurring in some of the churches Paul wrote to. Instead, instructions were give to resist the devil. The devil's attacks against Christians are arrows hurled from afar, not daggers and treason from within. Instead, encouragement was given that “the Lord is faithful (even when we are not faithful), who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thess 3)
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