Can Christians Become Demon-Possessed?
May 22nd, 2008
(By John MacArthur)
We must remember, first of all, that God’s Word is our only reliable source of truth about Satan and demons.
Princeton theologian and scholar Dr. Charles Hodge rightly warned:
No amount of learning, no superiority of talent, nor even the pretension to inspiration, can justify a departure from the . . . truths taught by men to whose inspiration God has borne witness. All teachers must be brought to this standard; and even if an angel from heaven should teach anything contrary to the Scriptures, he should be regarded as anathema, Gal. 1:8. It is a matter of constant gratitude that we have such a standard whereby to try the spirits whether they be of God (Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972], p. 395).
What does God’s Word, the touchstone of truth, say? Can demons inhabit or spatially indwell a true believer? Can they walk through an open door and become a squatter? Proponents of today’s spiritual warfare movement say yes, but they base their answer on subjective experience, not on God’s Word. The Bible makes it clear that such a claim has no justifiable basis.
There is no clear example in the Bible where a demon ever inhabited or invaded a true believer. Never in the New Testament epistles are believers warned about the possibility of being inhabited by demons. Neither do we see anyone rebuking, binding, or casting demons out of a true believer. The epistles never instruct believers to cast out demons, whether from a believer or unbeliever. Christ and the apostles were the only ones who cast out demons, and in every instance the demon-possessed people were unbelievers.
The collective teaching of Scripture is that demons can never spatially indwell a true believer. A clear implication of 2 Corinthians 6, for example, is that the indwelling Holy Spirit could never cohabit with demons:
What harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (vv. 15–16).
In Colossians 1:13, Paul says God “delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” Salvation brings true deliverance and protection from Satan. In Romans 8:37, Paul says we overwhelmingly conquer through Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:57, he says God gives us the victory. In 2 Corinthians 2:14, he says God always leads us in triumph. In 1 John 2:13, John says we have overcome the evil one. And, in 4:4, he says the indwelling Holy Spirit is greater than Satan. How could anyone affirm those glorious truths, yet believe demons can indwell genuine believers?
DEMON POSSESSION AND TRUE CONVERSION
Many of the leading voices in today’s spiritual warfare movement are too quick to hail every profession of faith in Christ as proof of salvation. That reflects the easy-believism that has swept this generation.
A thorough biblical understanding of the doctrine of conversion makes it clear that demons could never indwell or possess a believer. Jonathan Edwards wrote about true conversion:
Scripture describes conversion in terms which imply or signify a change of nature: being born again, becoming new creatures, rising from the dead, being renewed in the spirit of the mind, dying to sin and living to righteousness, putting off the old man and putting on the new, becoming partakers of the divine nature, and so on.
It follows that if there is no real and lasting change in people who think they are converted, their religion is worthless, whatever their experiences may be. Conversion is the turning of the whole man from sin to God. God can restrain unconverted people from sin, of course, but in conversion he turns the very heart and nature from sin to holiness. The converted person becomes the enemy of sin.
What, then, shall we make of a person who says he has experienced conversion, but whose religious emotions soon die away, leaving him much the same person as he was before? He seems as selfish, worldly, foolish, perverse and un-Christian as ever. This speaks against him louder than any religious experiences can speak for him.
In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, neither a dramatic experience nor a quiet one, neither a wonderful testimony nor a dull one, counts for anything. The only thing that counts is a new creation (The Experience That Counts! p. 99).
In Matthew 12, Christ rebuked those who were following Him just for the sake of witnessing great signs and wonders:
When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to my house from which I came” ; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation (vv. 43–45).
Instead of responding with spectacular signs and wonders, Christ addressed their need for salvation. Many people appear to have their lives in order. But in reality, they have not trusted Christ as Savior and Lord. Their souls are “unoccupied” — that is, the Holy Spirit does not indwell them. Thus they are open to demonic invasion. That cannot be true of those whose bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Cor. 6:16).
According to 1 Peter 1:5, when Christ reigns in a person’s life, that person is kept by God’s power. As a result, “the evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18). When the Holy Spirit inhabits a person, no demon can set up house as a squatter. Indwelling by demons is only evidence of a lack of genuine salvation.
(For more on what the Bible says about Satan and demons, see John’s book How to Meet the Enemy.)
This is so important, not just for the spiritual warfare issue, but also for an idea that is so prevelant in many churches today: blaming the devil for one’s actions.
I can’t count how many times Christians caught in sin have told me that Satan’s really trying to get them. Even church members who have a hard time waking up for Sunday morning service blame it on the devil.
Now of course, Satan is out there trying to put up obstacles in our lives, but who is any Christian to think that the non-omnipotent, non-omnipresent Satan is dealing with him specifically? And when will we just realize that most of the time. . .it’s out fault? Thank God He transformed us from darkness to light. Now the thing I struggle with most is my own flesh…I don’t think I can handle a demon as well!
I wholehearted agree!
Satan can tempt us (though it is hard to tell the difference between what our flesh does and what the devil does) but cannot indwell us.
Over the years we’ve heard of Christian leaders and pastors being caught in sin and in violation of secular laws, usually sex scandals and theft or improper use of church funds. While we understand that even Christians are capable of falling into grievous errors and sins and that we’re not suppose to judge,I think its a fair observation that these church leaders give religion, in general, and Christianity, in particular, a really bad name. Having said that, I believe that many regular church members, those who are not in leadership positions, are equally guilty of giving religion and Christianity a really bad name in their own private ways. Really the only difference between the sinning church leader and sinning church member is the degree of exposure by which the offenders and the offenses are broadcast. They are both guilty although I suppose the offending church leaders have more to answer for, in the eyes of God and men, by reason of their positions.
When Christians commit egregious and flagrant sins, could we say they’re not genuinely converted in the first place? They’re not indwelt by the Holy Spirit? Christ does not reign in their lives and they’re not kept by God’s power? Have they been touched by the evil one? Are there biblical bases with which we can give a definite yes or no answers to those questions? Or shall we just say “only God knows” and have no opinion at all?
Many times I’m embarrassed at how and who our public Christian leaders are exposed as. I said they give religion and Christianity a really bad name. But its more than that. They strengthen peoples’ skeptism and agnosticism. They bolster peoples’ unbelief. They push people to hell.
(To the Moderator: This is a revision of my previous post on the issue. Kindly disregard the previous one, and if this meets your standard, please publish this one instead. If you could delete this note, that will be great too. Thanks. Jun)
Over the years we’ve heard of Christian leaders and pastors being caught in sin and in violation of secular laws, usually sex scandals and theft or improper use of church funds. While we understand that even Christians are capable of falling into grievous errors and sins and that we’re not suppose to judge I think its a fair observation that these church leaders give religion, in general, and Christianity, in particular, a really bad name. Having said that, I believe that many regular church members, those who are not in leadership positions, are equally guilty of giving religion and Christianity a really bad name in their own private ways. Really the only difference between the sinning church leader and sinning church member is the degree of exposure by which the offenders and the offenses are broadcast. They are both guilty although I suppose the offending church leaders have more to answer for, in the eyes of God and men, by reason of their positions.
When Christians commit egregious and flagrant sins, could we say they’re not genuinely converted? They’re not indwelt by the Holy Spirit? Christ does not reign in their lives and they’re not kept by God’s power? Have they been touched by the evil one? Were they demon-possessed during the entire time they were committing the sin and performing the criminal act? Should we suspend our judgment and just say that only God knows?
Some critics of Christianity say we always have convenient excuse whenever we commit sin, that is, we put the blame on the devil. They even say Christianity has tendency to encourage criminal behavior because Christians believe they are assured of forgiveness no matter what wrong they do or no matter what crime they commit.
Many times I’m embarrassed when our public Christian leaders are exposed as hypocrites, unethical and even criminals. I said they give religion and Christianity a really bad name. But its more than that. They strengthen peoples’ skeptism and agnosticism. They bolster peoples’ unbelief. They push people to hell. Are they demon-possessed?
When Christians commit egregious and flagrant sins, could we say they’re not genuinely converted? They’re not indwelt by the Holy Spirit?
Part of the job of the Holy Spirit is to bring our sin to our attention and call us to repentance. We are not condemned because we sin. We are condemned because we fail to confess our sin and repent.
1 John 1:9-10 (New International Version)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
1 John 2:1-2 (New International Version)
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.