Yesterday I was in a conversation with someone. Our conversation centered around demon possession. Last week he had told me that when his church’s youth group went on a mission trip to Mexico, some of the students became demon possessed. The story plagued my mind over the weekend.
I had always been taught that Christians couldn't become demon possessed. My friend broke it down into our bodies having three parts - the body, the spirit, and the soul. He said that when we are a Christian, the spirit is God's but our soul can still be taken by demons. It devolved into a discussion of what makes an individual into a Christian. He conceded that a "good" Christian cannot be demon possessed. I conceded that I don't think "Christians" who could be demon possessed are Christians. This was all before I had researched anything.
I doubt we will resolve the topic here. One of my favorite books, which I love to look controversial issues up in, Hard Sayings of the Bible, says, "Whether believers can be possessed by demons, however, is still being debated by tehologians." So we will just educate ourselves a little without the presumption that we surpass the theologians and come to a completely solid answer. As with all things, when I decide on something, I am willing to change if someone else shows me the truth.
Let's look at what a website has to say about it.
Can A Chrsitian Be Demon Possessed?
First, I must laugh. They have real audio soundbytes of deliverances at this website. That seems rather strange. Okay, I take that back. After going to the link, I couldn't find any audio soundbytes of delverances. They just advertise that they have them there. All they had were sermons on the subject.
Now to their points.
He quotes Zechariah 3:1-2 which says, "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?'"
The writer of the website argues that if Satan could be at the throne of God, then he can surely be in our bodies since they are only his temple.
I can't buy this because of the method of interpretation used in interpreting Zechariah's vision. Visions are not meant to be taken literally. For instance, right before this passage is the vision of the surveyor. Zechariah sees a guy going to measure the temple mount. Does God really need a surveyor to measure an area? It is just figurative.
Back to their points.
A man named, Clarence Larkin, around the turn of the 20th century compared an individual with the tabernacle of God. This is probably where my friend received, albeit indirectly, the belief of the three seperate parts of man. "The Tabernacle was constructed of an Outer Court, a Gathering Place (Holy Place), and an Inner-Sanctuary (Holy of Holies). Man is constructed of a body (soma), mind/soul (psyche), and spirit (neuma)."
For starters, I am hesitant to believe anything that has come about in the last 1 or 200 years. The test that time places on a new concept usually breaks it.
Jesus said, "AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH (Mark 12:30)."
He also said, "And he answered and said, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF (Luke 10:27)."
The Greeks tried to seperate one's body into different parts. Jesus looked at the body holistically. We don't have a mind that is seperating from our heart which is seperated from our soul that, in turn, is seperated from our strength. Jesus' statements here are to combat the belief that you can worship God with one and not the other. A Christian has given his whole being to Christ. There is no longer any part of it that is not in His hands.
Luke 10 is the most clear-cut passage on how we inherit eternal life in Scripture.
"And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?' And he answered and said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' And He said to him, 'You have answered correctly; DO THIS, AND YOU WILL LIVE.' But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'"
This is then followed by the story of the Good Samaritan. Eternal life is to be had if we love God with our whole being and love our neighbors. That is the formula Jesus laid out.
The conversation I had with my friend devolved into what are the basics of being a Christian. He thought that we could have parts of our life that aren't surrendered to God and still say we are a Christian. I argued that being a Christian is an act of loving God with your whole being, that nothing can be held back. When I tell someone what it means to be a Christian, I tell them it is them dying to themselves and living for God as Christ did. You can't partly die. If you do, you're still alive. If I get in a car wreck and the lower have of my body dies, the rest of my body still lives. We can't pass into Christianity and keep any part of our old life alive. It's not possible.
Back to the article.
"You need to call temptation for what it is. It is demonic activity." He goes on to tell the story of a pastor who wound up sleeping with a woman in his church because he became possessed by a demon.
They seem to not have any concept of a plain, old-fashioned temptation. Everything in the author's world is demon possession. It almost seems like you cannot be tempted unless you are possessed.
If we're just saying that temptation is possession and arguing over semantics, then I really think this is a silly discussion. And it very well may be.
Here is another excerpt from the site:
"And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'" Luke 22:31.
"It is really clear from this passage that Satan can sift you anytime he wants. He CAN control you! He did Peter. But was Peter demon possessed? To this I will only answer: 'Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.' Matthew 26:41."
I am not convinced. I do agree that Satan can tempt us any time that he wants, but tempting and possessing are two different coins. I wouldn't even say they are the opposite sides of the same coin.
I'm going to be done for the day, but if you want to read more stuff on the topic. Here are a few websites that discuss the topic.
Against Demons possessing Christians:
In Considering Deliverance Ministries and Demon Possession
For Demons possessing Christians:
Christians and Demon Possession
Watch out for the potholes, especially today.
