Can Christians be Demonized?

[Chad]

Can Christians be Demonized? No!

Matthew 12:29
Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

In the above Scripture, the strong man in the demon possessed person is the devil. In a believer (Christian) who is filled with the Holy Spirit (indwelt) , the strong man is GOD.

Conclusion: in order for a demon to posses believers, they have to first bind the one ho occupies them, GOD Himself. Impossible! Also, there is no mention of a possessed believer mentioned in Scripture.

1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

 

[Tonyb]

Hi Chad,
My mistake I would not have written a quick reply. I did not realise it would not show up on the page over leaf. This is a subject I feel very strongly about having seen what destruction the enemy can cause in peoples lives. One of the ways the enemy uses to dupe people is to have them believe a Christian cannot be demoniacally oppressed, which gives him a little more room for maneuver

Blessings,
Tonyb

 

[Tonyb]

Hi Chad,
Can't say I agree with your logic and it wont hold up in the lives of many believers either. It is a fact of life that Christians do and will get demoniacally oppressed. In fact anywhere sin and disease can go a demon can go to. If someone falls into a sinful and habitual life style, the demon that was behind the initial temptation will move in to the persons mortal flesh; and become the enemy within. The fact is Christians will never be free from the possibility of demon oppression until our mortal has put on immortality.

I've had to much first hand experience of the demonic to fall for that theory. Plus by denying the possibility of a Christian being demoniacally oppressed is, to effectively say no to some of the most desperate and needy people.

Blessings,
Tonyb

 

[Chad]

Sorry, you are wrong brother. Pray about it. I got the information (and held it up to the Word) from Hank Hanegraaff aka "Bible Answer Man". He is one of the most well respected teachers of modern times and a very wise Christian believer.

I believe Scripture I quoted speaks enough. Jesus Christ made it clear that evil and Holy Spirit cannot dwell in the same room. Therefore, the devil (possessed) cannot dwell in a Christian (filled with the Holy Spirit).
You have not provided Scripture to back up your statement. That is part of the forum rules to do so to avoid misunderstandings. Please show me any example in Scripture where a Holy Spirit filled Christian was possessed.

John 14:16-18

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

A person who has slipped so far away from GOD has possibly rejected the Holy Spirit, making him or her prone to being demon possessed if not oppressed.

Here is a great article from Gotquestions.org all quoting Scripture as well:

Question: "Can a Christian be demon possessed?"

Answer: The Bible does not explicitly state whether a Christian can be possessed by a demon. However, since a Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it would seem unlikely that the Holy Spirit would allow a demon to possess the same person He is indwelling. We definitely recognize that this is a controversial issue.

However, we strongly hold to the belief that a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. We believe there is a sharp difference between being possessed by a demon, and being oppressed / influenced by a demon. Demon possession involves a demon having direct control over the thoughts and/or actions of a person (Luke 4:33-35; 8:27-33; Matthew 17:14-18).

Demon oppression / influence involves a demon or demons attacking a person spiritually and/or encouraging him/her into sinful behavior (1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7). You will notice that in all the New Testament passages dealing with spiritual warfare, we are never told to cast a demon out of a believer (Ephesians 6:10-18). We are told to resist the devil (1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7), not to cast him out.

It is unthinkable to me that God would allow one of His children, whom He purchased with the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19) and made into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) – to be possessed and controlled by a demon. Yes, as believers, we wage warfare with Satan and his demons, but not from within ourselves. 1 John 4:4 declares, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Who is the One in us? The Holy Spirit. Who is the one in the world? Satan and his demons.

 

[Tonyb]

I need to give a full answer and to do this is going to take a while. Maybe several days. There are scriptures I could use I just can't remember exactly were they are off hand. I know there scattered around the New Testament Epistles. Looks like I'm in for a Bible Study.

It is easy however, for someone to theorize about these things when they've never been at the sharp end of things. It would be interesting to see how many testimonies Christians on Talk Jesus have of how they were set free from demonic oppression.

Blessings,
Tonyb

 

[Chad]

Glad you'll pray on it. Scripture makes it clear GOD and the devil cannot dwell in the same temple (we individuals are temples).

They (members) may have been oppressed or possessed, but not as Christians with the Holy Spirit indwelling. No Scripture to prove otherwise and of course, makes no sense for GOD to allow the devil to indwell together with Him in the same temple.

 

[jessid9]

Now I cant find any scripture and I do not know much about this subject but I believe that christians can be demonized. From experiences both mine and some others I have witnessed. But yes I believe so. Not maybe demonized but they have manifested themselves.

 

[jiggyfly]

"Christian" is such a vague term in today's society. I think in order to get a good understanding on the topic "can christians be demonized" we need to define what is a christian and then what is demonized. Once this is clarified, then I think the question can be more easily answered.

Webster's dictionary defines Christian as "a follower of Jesus Christ."

Webster's defines demonize as "to subject to the influence of demons."


So in light of these definitions Lets ask the same question but in different form. Can someone become subject to demons while following Jesus Christ? Can someone who is subject to demons follow Jesus Christ?

2Corinthians 6:14-16
14*Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15*What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil*? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16*And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols?

 

[SpiritLedEd]

Chad: I've been taught that there is a difference between being demonized and being demon possessed. Being demonized is synonymous with being harrassed by a demon from the outside.

Demonic possession - meaning the demon has entered the person's body and taken control - is rare, but demonic harrassment, I believe, happens a lot to Christians who are strong in their faith and actively working to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. It never happens to nominal (or lukewarm) Christians because they do not pose a threat to the enemy.

As the saying goes, "Its the nail that stands up highest that gets hit the most."

 

[sunshine307]

Chad: I've been taught that there is a difference between being demonized and being demon possessed. Being demonized is synonymous with being harrassed by a demon from the outside.
Demonic possession - meaning the demon has entered the person's body and taken control - is rare, but demonic harrassment, I believe, happens a lot to Christians who are strong in their faith and actively working to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. It never happens to nominal (or lukewarm) Christians because they do not pose a threat to the enemy.
As the saying goes, "Its the nail that stands up highest that gets hit the most."

I tend to agree with Ed. A Holy Spirit filled believer cannot have the Holy Spirit and a demon at the same time. However, they can be oppressed (from outside the flesh).

 

[jiggyfly]

There is another question that I want to ask because the answer may possibly help give more understanding to the original question.
Is a christian still a christian if and when they stop following Christ?
Or are we christians just on the confession of our own mouth by a statement we made at one point in our life?

 

[Tonyb]

Hi Chad,
I think it would be good to set some ground rules before going on with this discussion.
Are you saying a Christian cannot be demoniacally oppressed or only that Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit cannot be demoniacally oppressed? I believe it is very important that we make a clear distinction between the two.

Blessings,
Tonyb

 

[jiggyfly]

Hi Chad,
I think it would be good to set some ground rules before going on with this discussion.
Are you saying a Christian cannot be demoniacally oppressed or only that Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit cannot be demoniacally oppressed? I believe it is very important that we make a clear distinction between the two.

Blessings,
Tonyb

Guess it also depends on your definition of "filled with the Holy Spirit" Tonyb.

 

[Richard]

It would be interesting to see how many testimonies Christians on Talk Jesus have of how they were set free from demonic oppression.

I too have very strong feelings on this topic, and they are tempered by experience.

I also have to get to work right away...

The brief summation is this: there is a great difference between demonization and possession. The Bible translators mistakenly have translated the word that they usually render as "possession" when the Greek has no indication of ownership.

This demonization comes through sin. Ever been addicted to pornography? At first you are in control, but over time, it will begin to rule your life. This can result in a perverse demon having control of that area of your soul (the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit, and is sanctifying your soul and healing your body) and needs to be expelled, a more proper term than the misleading "cast out."

How does this happen? Galatians 6:16 - you are a slave to whom you obey, wether a slave to sin or righteousness.

Two very good resources are "They shall expel Demons" by Derek Prince and Free Indeed by Tom Marshall. I think he is with YWAM.

Keep discussing and I will look forward to participating in it.

 

[Chad]

Guess it also depends on your definition of "filled with the Holy Spirit" Tonyb.

Same here, I agree with jiggyfly. We all know that evil and good (Holy Spirit) CANNOT dwell together in the same temple (I provided ample Scripture for this already)

Its one thing to be oppressed. Personally by experience I have felt oppressed. For one thing, do I think I turned the Holy Spirit away from me due to my sins that I assume gave way to oppression? Very possibly so, even 100% because of that (sins).

To be filled with the Holy Spirit and literally possessed (devil inside you) is certainly not possible and 100% *against* Scripture.

 

[Chad]

I forgot to point out an important matter. As we know the devil satan being the "father of all lies" and lies are his "native tongue" (John 8:44 he will attempt to fool believers into thinking that even though they have the Holy Spirit indwelled in them, they can be *possessed* by the devil. This is one of his many ways to get a believer to fear him and make themselves vulnerable to further attacks.

 

[Yahwehdove]

Peter is an example of a follower of Jesus being opressed.

Matthew 16:21-23
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" 23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Later Peter said he would die for Jesus but when Jesus was betrayed, Peter denied he even knew him.

What amazes me about the story of Peter is that he denied Jesus three times.

And after the resurrection Jesus AFFIRMRMED Him three times.(John 21)


I do not believe one who has the Holy Spirit's mark of ownership can be "possessed" by evil. But Jesus warned us that evil would hate us.(John 15) and we are living in a fallen world where evil hates us and attempts to trick us and trap us in snares to get our focus off of the kingdom and we must stay on guard and pray!!! Because the Sheep are hungry!

 

[Tonyb]

Hi Folks,
The premise that a Christian being filled by the Holy Spirit cannot have an evil spirit dwelling in the same place sounds about right. But it's not that simple is it? According to the Apostle Paul man is a triune being, spirit, soul and body. See 1 Thess 5:23-24 And it is the spirit of a man that is born from above and is inhabited by the Holy Spirit. But in between the spiritual realm and the natural physical realm there is a soul. The soul is link that makes communication between the two realms possible. The trouble is there is the flesh or sinful nature (NIV) within the mortal body. This is able to influence the soul, mind/emotions for evil if they are not brought under the dominion of the spiritual realm. There are lots of instances of this in the NT.
This open the possibly of a demon occupying the area know as the flesh/sinful nature. The Apostle Paul warned against the possibility of this in Eph 4:27 do not give the devil a foothold, lit territory -in your life. And that is what I believe demonic oppression is. It is giving territory to the devil in the realm of the mortal body – mortal meaning subject to death on the account of sin – which is then able to influenced the soulish life of a Christian and restrict the flow of divine life from the spiritual realm into the natural realm.
For further consideration about demonic oppression of believers see the following scriptures. Acts 5:3, 2 Corinthians 11:4, 2 Tim 2:25-26, Eph 4: 26-27.

 

[jiggyfly]

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 that you can not serve two masters, Paul said in Galatians chapter 6 that you either walk according to the Spirit or by the flesh. you can not be submitted to both at the same time.

If you want to really study it out you might be able to find it online, check out the Oberlin Theology and Charles Finney. But it might take you some time to search it out.

 

[Fellowservant]

Except in the case of Judas and people like him, who did recieve the spirit and even cast out devils in the lords name. No, you can't be possessed as a saint, you can be oppressed but not possessed, these are different. As some have said, as we allow the flesh to take over then comes a danger of possession... again as in the case of Judas and so on. But never if we walk in the spirit...

God bless