A reader recently sent in the following question:
Can a Christian be demon-possessed? And do Christians have the authority to say someone is demon-possessed? The Bible says to discern the spirits, but what if you’re wrong and say something is from the devil, but it is actually from God?
There are three questions here, each one requiring a careful answer. So let’s take each questions one at a time over the next three blog posts… When they are done, I will include links to all three at the bottom of each post.
So let’s tackle the first question in this post:
Can a Christian be Demon-Possessed?
I do not think a Christian can be demon-possessed.
Christians cannot be demon-possessed because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
There is a whole lot of theology behind the nature and origin of demons (I do not think demons are fallen angels), but the main thing to remember is that they are unclean spirits. Demons are unholy spirits or evil spirits.
When a person believes in Jesus for eternal life, they are immediately regenerated, indwelt, baptized, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Believers are the dwelling place of God. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19).
Since God dwells in us, I do not think that God is going to share His dwelling place with an evil spirit.
For the Holy Spirit to share His dwelling place with an evil spirit, or to get replaced by the evil spirit, would imply that the evil spirit was more powerful than God. We know this cannot be true, for greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).
There are numerous other Scriptures which help answer the question of whether or not a Christian can be demon-possessed (cf. Col 1:13; 1 John 2:13; 2 Cor 6:15-16). One resource I found online which does a pretty good job showing this is an article by Don Stewart called “Can a Christian be Demon-Possessed?” He summarizes his article this way:
Scripture does not teach that a Christian can be possessed by a demon. The believer is “in Christ,”- one of His. Every example in the Bible of a person being demon-possessed concerns an unbeliever – there are no examples of believers being possessed. Furthermore, we must be careful not to rely on stories of believers and demon-possession – many other explanations are possible. The Christian, who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, need not fear demon possession. Yet, demons do attack believers in various ways. Therefore, it would be wrong to say that they cannot have any affect on the Christian
So can a Christian be demon possessed? I say no.
However…
When someone asks, “Can a Christian be demon-possessed?” it is necessary to state a few caveats to my brief answer above.
1. Not everyone is a Christian who says they are.
First, there are lots of people who think they are a Christian, but aren’t. If a person goes to church, reads their Bible, and calls themselves a Christian, but has never believed in Jesus for eternal life (John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47), then they have not received the indwelling Holy Spirit.
There are many people today who walked an isle at a revival service, raised a hand at a youth event, or prayed a prayer in a trying moment of life, and they think that these actions “saved them.” But they didn’t. Scripture nowhere instructs people to do these things to receive eternal life. Instead, Scripture tells us to believe in Jesus for eternal life. To receive the free gift of eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
If we are believing in something else for our eternal life, or have tried to earn our way into eternal life by some sort of good work or change of behavior, then we have not received the free gift of eternal life which is given to anyone and everyone who simply believes in Jesus for it.
So whenever someone asks the question, “Can a Christian be demon-possessed?” I always begin to answer that question by emphasizing that although the answer is “No,” the real question is, “Have you believed in Jesus for eternal life?” It is by faith that we receive eternal life and the indwelling Holy Spirit, who guarantees by His presence that a Christian will not be demon-possessed.
While it is true that a Christian cannot be demon-possessed, this only applies to those who are Christians.
2. There is a difference between demon possession and demon oppression.
Second, it is important to note that just because a Christian cannot be demon possessed, this does not mean that Christians cannot be oppressed by fallen angels and evil spirits.
The devil and his minions can tempt and influence people to disobey God. Demons can tell us lies and try to lead Christians in direction that will ruin their lives and destroy their fellowship with God.
Evil spirits cannot take away our eternal life, for nothing can do that (Rom 8:38), but they can try to hinder us from enjoying the benefits of our eternal life and keep us from participating in fellowship with God. So while we can say “No” to “Can a Christian be Demon Possessed?” we can say “Yes” to “Can a Christian be demon-oppressed?” The spiritual realm is nothing to be trifled with, and we ignore it at our own peril.
3. We must be extremely careful about labeling someone as demon-possessed.
Just because someone exhibits erratic behavior, says evil things, or engages in un-Christian behavior, this does not mean that they are demon-possessed. There are all sorts of other explanations for why a people might have such behavior.
We will continue to look at this point more in the next post.
What do you think? Can a Christian be demon-possessed? Give your opinion in the comment section below.
Agreed. What we call demons may harass one who follows Jesus and trusts in him for eternal life, but those evil entities, including what we call Satan, do not dwell in that person. Therefore, whatever we may think of another person, if they are in Christ, we should never accuse them of such a thing, even if we don’t agree with their political, sexual orientation or whatever. I have n-e-v-e-r observed or heard of a verifiable example that would contradict this.
Yes. The only possible exception…. is Judas. I know, I know. But I am reading a book right now that lays out a fantastic case that Judas was actually a believer! He does address the issue of Satan entering Judas, so I need to read that and see what he says.
Am I wrong…..but the Holy Spirit only came to men at pentecost when he came to indwell believers. Before then he was not indwelling the followers of Jesus…..Jesus had to go back to Heaven then the Spirit came. Therefore Judas could be indwelt by the devil……poor Judas…..what a destiny to be like him….
You are not wrong. The Spirit was with many people prior to Pentecost, and even in a few. But after Pentecost, He is with and IN all believers.
Jesus says in John 6:64 Judas did not believe. In John 13:11, Jesus essentially said that Judas wasn’t clean, ie not righteous /saved
Without a doubt Christians can be demonized (not demon possessed because they are owned by Jesus). The objection is often made that a demon cannot dwell in the body of a believer because the believer’s body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit”. However, this is a non sequitur. How is it then possible for “sickness” to dwell in the temple of the Holy Spirit? How is it possible for “sin” to dwell in the temple of the Holy Spirit? The answer is that it is possible because our mortal bodies have not yet been resurrected and, therefore, are still vulnerable to sin, sickness and, under certain circumstances, demonic bondage in the flesh. Here is a recent theological and biblical dialogue on this very same question:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/scripturally.speaking/permalink/581725918517924/
Hmm, I probably wouldn’t have a problem with the term “demonized” though I am not sure it is the same as demon possession.
I would argue that the difference between sickness and demon possession is that sickness affects the body, which has not yet been regenerated, whereas demon possession is a spiritual sickness, which would affect the spirit of a person, which has been regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
But I will come check out the discussion.
Thanks Jeremy, I will look forward to your thoughts after you read through the dialogue.
Meanwhile, the point is that evil spirits can gain a foothold (aka “ground”) in an individual (including Christians) in the structure of the physical body itself (not in the regenerated Christian spirit). It is from this location within the unredeemed human flesh that demons can wreak further havoc in the life of the demonized individual.
I think we should take note of what a person or a christian is made up of. Man is a Spirit with a soul and lives in the body. So when one receives Jesus, he receives him into his spirit not into his body. It is therefore possible for a Christian to be bodily possessed because it takes another level in the spirit to deliver the body. 3 John 1 vs 2 Explains that one needs to prosper in all areas, it also points to a believer being able to extend benefits of his spirit to the body.
If that is the case….What is the remedy for a Christian to be free of that condition?
I also thought that born again Spirit filled persons cannot have demons until a co Pentecostal pastor ask me to assist him in delivering his wife from demons that had entered her after she involved herself in a lesbian relationship. After that day I never doubt this. I do however believe that if a born again Spirit filled person keep himself pure and live a holy and righteous life that demons cannot enter his spirit.
It is a known fact that demons also enter persons via generational curses and if anyone disputing this, get on a plain to Africa and you can have a front seat viewing this.
There is definitely a lot I don’t know about this area of the spirit realm, but I might end up agreeing with what Terry Zeyen wrote above about demonization.
Actually, only religious people can be posessed. first of all one has to believe god, satan and demons exist. i’ve never heard of a posessed atheist for example. secondly, something has to happen in that persons life that makes them hungry for attention, in medical science there’s a term for it, munchausen syndrome. it presents itself as an uncontrollable need for attention, these people often fake medical symptoms to get taken care of in the hospital, however, there are also a lot of documented cases where the person pretends to be posessed. they might even believe they are posessed.
Interesting perspective … though it is probably from psychological/medical perspective, right? Not that I am opposed to that.
Jeremy does not define the term “demon possession”. That lack can result in person #1 thinking that phenomena A is being discussed, and person #2 thinking that phenomena B is being discussed.
Only after all the terms have been clearly defined, can a hypothesis be constructed to predict whether or not a member of a specific population group can be afflicted by “demon possession”.
Two major stumbling blocks in the construction of such a hypothesis are:
* Terms are not objectively defined;
* Political expediancy trumps everything else;
Good discussion! I do not have a solid conclusion on this issue, so I appreciate the post and the comments.
terminology can not make a difference to whether a Christian can be demon possessed or not. I think to be demon possessed and to be demonized is just one and the same thing and my contribution is that a Christian cannot be either of the two.
Isn’t it true that God is omni present and therefore on earth and yet Satan or rather His demons also occupy the same place. If this is true wouldn’t that mean that God and Satan can occupy the same physical place. Isn’t it also true that man is body, soul and spirit and it is only the ever lasting spirit of a Christian which has been fully occupied by God. Our soul (personality and will) are being renewed as we grow in the Lord and over come the flesh. However, our body (where demonic possession would physically take place) is in a constant state of decay. Why would God live in a state of decay Or does God live in and own our soul? If he who is in us is greater…, means our body, does it make sense that our bodies are decaying from sickness and we do not overcome bad habits? While Scripture doesn’t say Christians can be possessed it also doesn’t say they can’t. There are Scriptures that support an opposing view such as sweeping a house of a demon and filling it before 7 more come back. True one might think it refers to salvation however doesn’t it stand to reason that one must be saved before he is clean of demons rather that the other way around. You may be correct but I think people are looking for an air tight answer.
May be the scripture refers to a person (not saved) who is cleared of demons but does not invite the Holy Spirit to take up residence therefore the demons come back in the (empty house)
For example: I was invited to a meeting with a client (this client drinks). We meet at a bar. He was drinking (alcohol). I was having a soft drink. There was music in the background (worldly music). I spent 4 Hours there with him.
I returned home feeling tired, anxious…..unstable. I started wondering why I am feeling like this. The Holy Spirit told me I was at wrong (Satan territory) hence I became vulnerable to spirits (anxiety) and the like.
Therefore in conclusion if a Christian exposes himself or herself to places, things activities that are ungodly, a likelihood of being possessed by demons is increased.
There are lot of Christian who go around still “thinking” that all is fine but they are already a host of demons…. hence the Word says that we must “Test all spirit”.
Christians make a choice to do evil. Just because someone goes to church, reads their bible or speak Gods words does no t exclude them from doing something wicked to others. We all fall short of his glory. By grace we are saved by believing in Jesus died for our suns, tho it doesn’t give us the OK to do evi.
Firstly, we need ask “who is a Christian”? It is my understanding that if a person who has totally surrendered his life to Christ, and his word abides in him, there is no way for the devil can enter in. This person is like what psalm one says….his delight is in the laws of God. This man has found his “rest”…..he was restless but now he has rest in Christ Jesus.
The argument here is not if a Christian can get demon possessed, but rather can Christians get “Restless”. One needs to explain the reason for the Christians restlessness.
We know the one that is restless …..seeking for rest, that is Satan himself. The only way for him to get this rest is when he finds a house (human life) which he can dwell in. When the devil finds the house ( human life ) he has his rest, but that human life is restless.
Instead of arguing about can a demon possess a Christian, let’s ask ourselves are Christians “Restless”…..if they are….what than is the cause of their restlessness because we know who the restless one is.
I like readers to help me to find out how many sitting in the churches through the world that have this “rest” in Christ Jesus”
This rest is only promised to them who not only accept him as their Lord but live by his laws and word.
May I conclude by saying, unless we know “who the God Of the Bible is”…we will have great difficulty to understand the mind of God. Satan is not a separate entity, neither has he power of his own. There is nothing he can do “without the God of the Bible”.
God does not exist, he is rather the “existence”….without him nothing exists. In fact Satan exists because of the “existence ”
Stay blessed
“Just because someone exhibits erratic behavior, says evil things, or engages in un-Christian behavior, this does not mean that they are demon-possessed. There are all sorts of other explanations for why a people might have such behavior.”
Thank you for typing that in!
I do believe in demon possession but some Christians just go too far with this whole demon possession thing. I believe that for a demon to control if that person is brainwash.
What is the appropriate way someone should be labeled as such and the response if someone disagrees.
I was at a church retreat where one guy suddenly said in response to my asking a legitimate question about how they were interpreting scripture that Satan was in me and got the whole group to pray that Satan leave.
This has felt wrong and I would like some foundation to address them and he church.
It seems giving one person the ad hoc ability to say something like this can lead to terrible abuse.
I don’t believe a Christian can be demon possessed. Paul doesn’t mention a believer being possessed or how to deliver a believer who is possessed. Spiritual warfare for the Christian is not being possessed by a demon, but being deceived by the lies of the devil. Satan can’t steal your salvation. He can’t break your relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, but if we are careful he can deceive us with his lies robbing us of the joy and peace we have in Christ. He can lead us into false doctrine. That’s why it is imperative we take Paul’s command to heart to rightly divide the word of truth.
1 Corinthians 6
19. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
It is possible to be demon oppressed, carrying the Holy spirit as well and be leading a fully secular life. Demons can blind the mind completely. But not the Heart of Christ.
Be cautious of your assessment based on behavior to determine the state of a person soul. Its possible to be totally blinded to your spiritual state in Jesus by demons (and for 20 years out of the church).
This may lead to warring natures of opposite polarity.
Be slow to judge the mentally ill. It may not be all it seems. Spend time with those rejected upon this basis. It is biblical. God may just use you for his Glory and to free the individual.
If you are gifted with discernment of peoples character at a glance, demonic activity, error in Christians or otherwise, or sin then you may be able to see the Holy Spirit in there too, and can make a rapid assessment of a persons state. However be cautious of relying upon discernment as mature Christians are hard to read at a glance and the mentally ill will be speaking the demonic and also the warring truth. Mistakes can be made or it may be unsettling. Pray for clarity.
If you don’t have discernment be careful how you assess someone who is seeing into the spiritual realm and things about a persons character that you cannot see. Seeing evil may be truth, not demonic. Seeing a glance as evil may not be demonic. Seeing people gossip by looking at them from a distance may not be demonic. It may be discernment not mental illness or paranoia. Listen carefully look for the truth. You may be used by Jesus to bring deliverance.
I did not believe entirely in the demonic in a heart felt way but that was caused by the demonic interfering with my thoughts and emotions.
Once you get rid of internal demonic oppression you BELIEVE in demons. (and Jesus Power).
The person demonically oppressed may appear veiled in facial expression (discerned).
If you have experienced heavy oppression you may recognize a demonic personality in another including movements, postures or mannerisms that may appear strange to others.
(It may also appear to be mocking your speech and movement if it is the same one having one last go after deliverance).
The demonic will attempt to discredit that individual in the church by their strange behavior.
Embrace the strange, embrace the person who cannot give back to you, embrace the damaged, embrace the isolated, embrace the rejected, embrace the “mentally ill” its a biblical principle and God and Jesus and the Holy spirit will show you amazing things beyond your imagination.
Glory be to Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The veiling spirit latches into the mind from the outside. I was sent a vision of its detachment while crying out to Jesus. Symptoms ceased.
My life and my walk with Christ has changed forever (for the better of course). The demon was not inside.
All powers of darkness are in submission to Jesus. Amen
I am a Christian and Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour. I am now in full time ministry.
I want to share my testimony and testify that a Christian cannot be demon-possessed. I had an encounter with a demon and the demon tried to possess me but failed. I could feel the demon spirit went into my body and came out again and left. Hallelujah! 1 John 4:4 Who is in me is greater that the spirit of the world. If Jesus Christ is enthroned in your life, demons will not be abled to possessed you. The parallel of the soils talks about different types of Christian. Only the ‘ Good soil’ is saved and fruitful because Jesus Christ is enthroned in their lives. They are children of God and cannot be possessed by demons.
Thank you for this opportunity to share. Amen. Praise God.
Praise God for your Revelation.
We need to engage the darkness and reveal its strategies.
We are in a spiritual warfare. Take up your armor and fight in the strength of all that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross achieved.
Ask God for anything and it will be given. Let your eyes be opened. Let him take you on a journey.
It is for his namesake and Glory. Ask and it will be given.
Ask for gifting, ask for wisdom in using it. Ask anything you want and resist the demonic, it will flee.
Praise Jesus, his Father and the Comforter that leads us into all truth.
Amen.
The Foot washing is perfect example of not all parts are clean. When you come to be born again all things are become new . This a transition word ( BECOME ) when do the demons leave ? Why would a person that was not born again want demons cast out of them if that place was not cleaned as seven more would come back in and now worse than before?
Deception is one of the Devils tools ! and in the last days is getting worse. 30 % of Christ’s Ministry was dealing with Demons in Christians The Church is very lacks in this ministry. Casting out devils was one of the Signs That shall follower BELIEVERS (not make belivers) Mark 16 : 17 – 18 !James 1 : 22 But Be YE doers of the word!
Yes,demons and demonic _satanic SPIRITS do exists. I am at present being tomented by them,Ipray to the father yet they(unclean,satanic and demonic forces) still persists. They have invaded my every space and inyerferred with all my appliances
They are making life unbearable for me.
My question is can a demon possessed person put their faith in christ/gospel while they are demon possessed
I’m a child of God. Filled with the HolyGhost yet demons are dwelling in me. Sometimes if I am praying and I am deep in prayer, these demons can arrest my vocal chords and start speaking. These spirit have caused alot of damage to my life.
I have read through the scriptures and did not find a ground Satan has to dwell in a believer. Atimes if I command the spirits to leave my body, the spirit will take over the control of my body and start demonstrating . I’m not just a young believer, these problems had lasted for 18 years now. I wrestle with these spirit almost every day.