One major Bible theme from beginning to end is the conflict between good and evil, between God and the devil. It begins with the serpent in Eden (Gen. 3) and concludes with the devil cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20). So it is not surprising that today Christians are becoming more aware of the battle against demonic forces. Satanic worship is on the rise, increasing numbers of teenagers are experimenting with witchcraft, and new-age bookstores, resource centers concerning the dark world of the occult are springing up everywhere.
The Church is also experiencing a growing interest in combating demonic forces. Teaching on spiritual warfare is in great demand. A proliferation of books, with titles like Bondage Breaker and Victory Over the Darkness, spill over the shelves in Christian bookstores. The doctrine that Christians can be inhabited by demons is popularly taught by respected teachers across diverse theological lines, from Charismatics to fundamentalists.
Can a Christian have a demon? The question is not merely academic; the answer will determine our views on God’s sovereignty, the Bible’s authority and whether experience supersedes doctrine.
For many who teach that Christians can be possessed by a demon, the repeated experience of the demonic phenomena is held up as the most significant factor. Numerous cases are cited of people who, by all appearances seem to be genuinely manifesting characteristics of demon possession.
Unger writes,
In Biblical Demonology I stated “to demon possession, only unbelievers are exposed.” Later I wrote, “Since the first publication of Biblical Demonology in 1952, I have received many letters from missionaries from all over the world who question the theory that true believers cannot be demon-possessed…The claims of these missionaries appear to be valid.1
However, personal experience must submit to the authority of Holy Scripture. Where the Word of God clearly speaks, experience, irrespective of its persuasiveness, must remain silent. Many of these occurrences may be attributed to mental illness and also to the power of suggestion. In other occurrences it may be that the individuals in question were not truly regenerate. How can one determine with 100% accuracy those who are genuine believers (2 Tim. 2:19)? We must conclude that to base biblical doctrine on personal experience is dangerous.
How is demon possession of a Christian defended in light of the teaching of Scripture? Within recent years it has become popular for many to translate the Greek verb “to be possessed by a demon” with the phrase “to be demonized.” 2 Opponents contend that this change is due to the fact that the word “demonization” is unfamiliar to many Christians and less emotionally charged than the older term “demon possession.”
Proponents argue that this is a proper translation because it is based on the verb’s etymology. Etymology is the study of the root components of a word. To base the doctrine of demon possession solely on a word’s root meaning is to wrest the Scriptures. Many Greek authorities warn against this danger. D. A. Carson, a professor at Trinity Evangelical Seminary, writes,
One of the most enduring of errors, is the etymology fallacy that supposes that every word actually has a meaning bound up with its shape or its components. All this is linguistic nonsense…Any specification of the meaning of a word on the sole basis of etymology can never be more than an educated guess. 3
Obviously this is a more attractive translation to those who believe a demon can inhabit a believer. This term avoids the controversy associated with demon-possession, blurring the biblical distinction between possession and demonic influence.
There is a two-fold reason to understand and translate daimonizomai, the Greek verb, as “to be possessed by a demon.” First, the translation of “to be possessed by a demon” fits the context better in the passages where this verb is found. In the thirteen occurrences of this participle, all in the Gospels, in each case it refers to an individual who is possessed with a demon; or when it refers to the person rather than the condition of being possessed, the person is called a “demoniac.”
Secondly, this word is commonly translated in most lexicons and dictionaries as “to be possessed by a demon.” W. E. Vine, translates this word as follows:
“DAIMONIZOMAI signifies to be possessed of a demon, to act under the control of a demon. Those who were thus afflicted expressed the mind and consciousness of the demon or demons indwelling them.” 4
Demons can influence and attack Christians from without, but a comprehensive study of the Scriptures should lead us to conclude that a true believer cannot be possessed by a demon. The Word of God lays down certain principles which support this teaching.
First, a believer is kept by the power of God, “The Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3); also “He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him” (1 Jn. 5:18). One commentator writes,
The word rendered haptomai “toucheth,” here signifies “to lay hold of.” The evil one assaults, but he cannot sever the vital connection between the believer and Christ. 5
Although a believer is subject to the attacks of Satan, his status as a child and possession of God sets limits as to what demonic forces can do.
Secondly, a believer is called the “temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16). At conversion the Holy Spirit indwells the believer. In this temple, light has no agreement with darkness; there is no concord between Christ and Belial. John further adds, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4). How then would God, who is greater than Satan, allow a demon to reside along with Him in this sanctified temple?
Although many proponents of “demonization” on the one hand pull back from the idea of “demon possession” of believers, they bring forth specious arguments in defense of demons controlling believers. One argument says that demons can reside within a believer’s soul, but not within the spirit.6 A close scrutiny of the Scriptures reveals that while there is a fundamental distinction between the soul and spirit, many times these terms are used interchangeably (Mt. 20:28; 27:50; Jn. 12:27; 13:21). But the Hebrew epistle reminds us that for every believer, Christ Himself is the “anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” (Heb. 6:19). But the issue is not with soul or spirit, but whether or not Satan and God can co-exist in the believer’s body.
Another argument states that God allows demons to enter the bodies of believers as a form of discipline. Proponents explain, in the case of continued sin in the life of a believer, that God will use demons as agents of divine chastisement. 7 Matthew 18:34-35 is marshalled to buttress this theory.
In this parable of the unjust debtor, verse 34 states that because of unforgiveness, “he was delivered to the tormentors.” The “tormentors,” it is asserted, are a picture of demons. Then verse 35 follows, “so likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye, from your hearts, forgive not everyone his brother.” 8 Are these “tormentors” truly a picture of demons? One commentator writes, “the jailers, here called the ‘tormentors,’ have instructions not merely to keep him safe in prison but to make his life as miserable as possible, by the place of imprisonment, instruments of pain, diet, sleep, etc.” 9
By such an interpretation, the proponents of demon possession are stretching Scripture to fit their point of view. The majority of commentators agree that there is nothing in this passage that even remotely suggests demonic activity or possession.
Increasingly, Christians are getting caught up in preoccupation with Satan and demonic forces. Sensational-istic teachings are replacing sound biblical doctrine concerning the Christian’s spiritual battle. True spiritual warfare is primarily focused on the world and the flesh, not on a preoccupation with Satan. The spiritual battle emphasizes the preaching of the cross, the believer’s victory through growth in sanctification, and the irresistible power of God in protecting every child of God against Satan. The clarion call today should be to allow the Bible to direct our battle plan. As His soldiers, we must be submissive to the Lord Jesus and His Word.
The Scriptures teach that a believer cannot be inhabited by a demon. We can trust in God’s resources for our warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Endnotes:
1. Merrill F. Unger, Demons in the World Today (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1986), 117
2. C. Fred Dickason, Demon Possession and the Christian: A New Perspective (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1987), 38-39,
Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1990), 174
Merrill F. Unger, Demons in the World Today (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1986), 101
3. D. A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies (Grand Rapids, Ml: Baker Book House, 1989), 26,32
4. W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Wordss (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1981), 291
5 W. E. Vine, The Epistles of John (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, ND), 107-108
6 Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1975), 88-89
7 Timothy M. Warner, Spiritual Warfare (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991), 104-105
C. Fred Dickason, Demon Possession and the Christian: A New Perspective (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1987), 140-142
8 W. L. McLeod, Demonism Among Evangelicals (Saskatoon, Sask.: Western Tract Mission, 1975), 106
9 A. B. Bruce, Expositor’s Greek N. T.: Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman Publishing Co., 1967), 244