Blog 156 Can the Holy Spirit and a Demon Exist Together Inside a Christian? (Part One)
He leads me …
Please note – There could be aspects of this blog that may be new to some readers. What follows opens up the subject of Christians being possessed by demons, for consideration and discussion. It is in no way meant to undermine what anyone believes.
The debate of whether Christians can be demonically possessed is considered by many to be both controversial and complex. When asked whether a Christian can be possessed, most people traditionally respond with a simple yes or no, with the more common view being no. The reason for this is that people who have the Holy Spirit belong to God and could not be demon possessed as well because that would mean that both good and evil inhabit the believer together. They say that the Spirit does not dwell in an unclean vessel. Instead, He dwells in a vessel He has made clean.
Alternatively, a number of people with experience in the deliverance ministry argue that Christians can be subject to demonic oppression. Their conclusions come mainly from their experiences with deliverance.
What does the Bible say? First we should consider some basic concepts. In Jeremiah 23:24 God says, ‘Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?’ Then in Ephesians 2:2 we read, ‘You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God’ (NLT). If good and evil cannot inhabit the believer together, how can God cohabit the world with the devil and his followers? And how was satan able to tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-14)?
So, if oppression and possession of a Christian are possible, to what extent can a believer be affected? Let us look at a couple of Biblical accounts that might help.
· In the book of Job, chapters 1 and 2 we see that satan challenged God about having a hedge of protection around Job. When God described Job He said, ‘There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil’ Despite this God told satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.’ Within a few hours Job lost his oxen, his servants, his sheep, his camels, and his sons and daughters. His persecution continued, and he still refused to curse God. Finally the oppression stopped and God made Job twice as wealthy as he was before, and he had seven sons and three daughters to replace his previous children who were killed.
Why did God allow these thing to happen? He had a point to prove to satan and the angelic beings. It does not matter whether we can make sense of this or not, He is God and does not have to justify His actions (Job 38:2; 40:2-9; 42:2-6 NLT).
· The Apostle Paul in writing to the church in Corinth referred to being harassed by a ‘messenger (angel) of satan’ (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul knew that on account of the incredible revelations that God had given him, he needed something to stop him becoming extremely conceited, and thinking that he was more important than other believers.[1]
Paul had been transported on one occasion to Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2), and he was also received many insights which God made known to him for the benefit of all Christians.[2]
These two examples are regarded by some Christians as the exceptions to what the Bible generally teaches. However, there are other scriptures that have created some debate as to whether believers can have demons in them or not. Let us look at two of the commonly used passages and see what they really say.
2 Corinthians 6:14 reads –
Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? (NLT)
This verse is referring to unbelievers marrying or being in business with unbelievers. It is effectively highlighting that a non-believer will not have the same spiritual goals in life as a believer. Essentially it is asking how they can be unbiased partners together if they do not have anything in common spiritually.
This verse has nothing to do with demon possession of believers. Let us look at another example that has been debated. In Mark 5:25-29 we read –
A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition (NLT).
Jesus later said in verse 34, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over” (NLT). We see here that it was by her faith that the woman was healed. Whether she became a believer some time before this event or just before she reached out to Jesus does not matter. It was due to her faith that she was healed. Jesus confirmed this another way too by calling her daughter of Abraham (Luke 13:16).
Galatians 3:6 tells us that, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (NLT). In John 8:39-40 Jesus says that real children of Abraham follow his example – that is, they have faith in the Father. Based on 1 John 2:22-23 it is not possible to believe the Father and reject the Son, The woman had faith in Jesus and it enabled her to be healed.
The woman was healed of her bleeding, but does this mean that the condition was caused by a demon?
Healings can be deliverances. Both Matthew 12:22 and Acts 10:38 tell us that Jesus ‘healed’ those who were bound by evil spirits. This indicates that being set free from a demon often means the removal of a physical infirmity at the same time.
The Bible tells us that there are individual demons associated with different disorders that the host can suffer from. Some demons cause blindness, some deafness, others mental illness. King Saul was tormented by a spirit of fear and depression (1 Samuel 16:14-15), and in Matthew 17:15-21 we read of a boy sick with epilepsy which was also associated with a demon. The Bible says that when Jesus cast out the demon, the boy was healed.[3]
In Part Two we will move on and look at how demonic oppression occurs in a Christian.
[1] The Importance of the Deliverance Minister, Pat Holliday, Ph.D, Miracle Internet Church, Jacksonville, Florida;
http://www.miracleinternetchurch.com/deliverance/the-importance-of-thedeliverance-minister
[2] What Does 2 Corinthians 12:7 Mean? Knowing-Jesus.com;
https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/2-corinthians-12-7
[3] Can a Christian have a demon? greatbiblestudy.com;
https://www.greatbiblestudy.com/deliverance-ministry/can-a-christian-have-a-demon/
