Many Christians, especially those who consider themselves deliverance ministers, have said that Christians can sometimes be possessed by demons, and therefore need deliverance from same. Well, that begs the question, ‘Who exactly is a Christian?’. Answering this question will help us answer the question of whether a Christian can be possessed by a demon.
A Christian is one in whom the Holy Spirit (God – the greater one) dwells
You are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you (Romans 8:9-11).
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Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19).
A Christian is one who has been delivered from the kingdom / power of the devil, hence, any possibility of demonic possession.
He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13,14).
While the Bible does not directly state whether a Christian can be possessed by a demon, related biblical truths make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot be possessed by demons.
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It is important to note that there is a distinct difference between being possessed by a demon and being oppressed or influenced by a demon.
In demon possession, a demon has direct and complete control over the thoughts and/or actions of a person (Matthew 17:14-18; Luke 4:33-35; 8:27-33). While, Demon oppression or influence involves a demon or demons attacking a person spiritually and/or trying to influence his actions.
A demon cannot inhabit or take full control of a Christian. There is no where in the Bible we see such happen and we must not allows people’s experience or thoughts influence our interpretation of of God’s word. A believer can no doubt, suffer demonic influence and oppression, but it is simply not biblical to say that a Christian can be possessed by a demon or demonized.
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Last modified: April 2, 2024
