Can True Christians Be Possessed By Demons?8 min read

Defining Our Terms

     Before any discussion on virtually any topic, remember that it is always good and wise to define our terms, to express what we mean when we say things so that others are on the same page and confusion (or needless arguing) arises. We need to first define what we mean by "true Christians" and "possessed by demons," as the whole conversation revolves around what our terms mean. 

     For the purpose of this article, when we say "Christian(s)" or "true Christian(s)" we mean people who have been born again, who have made a genuine profession of faith in Christ, putting their trust in Him for salvation, and have been given the Holy Spirit and made to be a part of the Body of Christ, the Church. We mean actual believers, not posers. And when we say "possessed by a demon(s)," we mean being unwillingly and completely taken over (physiologically, psychologically, physically, cognitively, and emotionally) by an evil spirit, or demon. It is interesting to note that the Bible does not use the word possessed, it simply states that a person has a demon.

     Also, there is a difference between being possessed and being influenced/attacked by a demon. The former suggests a person is totally dominated internally by an evil spirit and is basically not him/herself anymore, but simply a vessel for the spirit to command—this is extremely rare. The latter (being influenced/attacked) implies a person is externally oppressed by a demon, but still retains their free will and command of their person—this is quite common. As we'll explain below, we believe that a true Christian cannot be possessed by a demon but can be influenced (to varying degrees) by one, or many. 

The Crux Of The Matter

     At the heart of the matter is whether or not it is possible to have an evil spirit dwell where the perfectly good and Holy Spirit abides. This is the main issue. The Bible declares that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 6:19. So, being a true believer with the Holy Spirit (God) living inside of you, does it make sense that an evil spirit can take over you, possessing your person, mind, body, and soul, which were all bought with Christ's blood? No, for the Bible also says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5); and "you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness" (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

     If God's Holy Spirit dwells within us—in a very real sense—then how can an evil Spirit overcome God's Holy Spirit? Why do we say overcome? Because that is what would need to happen for an evil spirit to dwell within us: the Holy Spirit would not be able to abide there together with an evil Spirit, for Psalms 5:4 says, "You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you." Some may say, "well, the Holy Spirit can leave us, allowing the evil spirit or demon to enter," but that is simply not biblically accurate because the Holy Spirit is with us permanently and forever (John 14:16; Ephesians 1:13-14), and "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Notice it says of Satan, "who is in the world," not "in you."

     So, no, a true believer in Jesus Christ, a born-again Christian, cannot be possessed by a demon. Period. Not once in the Scriptures do we see anyone casting demons out from a believer; we do, however, see Jesus and His apostles casting out demons from unbelievers...

Demon Possession In Scripture

     Let's now take a look at the various instances where people in the Bible had a demon inside of them. This will give us a clearer picture of the fact that only unbelievers are taken over by demons. Our first example is found in Matthew 17:14-21, where Jesus is approached by a father who begs Jesus to heal his son who is crazy, sick, and throws himself into fire or water—in other words, he is demon-possessed. Jesus rebukes the demon and it comes out of the boy, immediately curing the boy of everything else he was suffering from. There is no indication in this story that the boy was believer, but his dad had faith that Jesus could heal him (after his disciples had tried and failed for lack of faith)...and dad was right!

     Our next example is in Luke 4:31-37. Here we see the extremely rare case of a person being completely taken over by a demon. While Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, a man cried out in a loud voice, saying "Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm." How awesome is that?! The demon was compelled by Christ to be silent and come out of the man. In this story, there was also no indication that the man was a believer. 

     The last case of demon-possessed men is found in Matthew 8:28-34. In this story, two men who had demons inside of them came out of a tomb and met Jesus. The demons—with apparently complete control of these men—said to Jesus, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" The demons asked Jesus if they could allow them to enter a herd of pigs in the distance once He cast them out, so they went and destroyed the pigs. Again, there is no indication that the men who were possessed were believers (for, indeed, they probably had never heard of Christ), but the witnesses soon after Jesus' act of power sure became believers!

We Fight Against Principalities

     Now that we have established that true believers/Christians cannot be possessed by demons, we must answer the question of whether or not we can be influenced, oppressed, or attacked by demons. To this question, we would have to answer in the affirmative, meaning that Christians can and are oftentimes influenced by evil spirits. Satan indeed "roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). But what does that mean, and how can we prevent that from happening to us?

     A Christian being oppressed by a demon can take many forms: affliction, sickness, anxiety, panic, depression, nightmares, doubt, fear, etc. Although we are not saying that if you are suffering from any of the above trials that you are being oppressed by a demon, it is still a possibility, and one worth praying about. Paul, in Ephesians 6:12, says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." So, yes, evil spirits are all around us, and can affect us...but not possess us.

     James says, "resist the Devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). And it is comforting to know that Paul tells us that we have a way to fight against the principalities and spiritual forces of evil: "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:12-13). He tells us to "put on" truth, righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, faith, salvation, the Spirit, the Word of God, and prayer (Ephesians 6:14-18). These are our pieces of armor against demons, Satans evil spirits—use them, and use them often. 

Jesus Gives Us Authority To Cast Out Demons

     Jesus gives the Apostles—and, by extension, all believers—authority to rebuke demons and command them to leave a person in His name. He says, "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." Now, some may argue that Jesus only gave this authority to the original twelve apostles/disciples, and that could be the case, but Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:7), seventy other disciples, and Paul the apostle (Acts 16:18) also had authority to cast demons out from people. Perhaps we also have this authority? We think so. 

     While it might not be your preference, God grants certain people the spiritual gift of discerning evil spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10). If this is you, then stand firm knowing that you have been given this ability in order to help people (unbelievers and believers alike), and to glorify God's name. With the authority that is Christ's, with prayer and faith, and with the whole armour of God, stand against the powers of evil in this world that torment people every day. As we said before, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Conclusion

     We hope that this article has clarified some of the questions in your mind and heart surrounding this very intriguing issue. In summary, we think it is correct to say that true Christians cannot be possessed by demons but that they can be oppressed and influenced by them. But we also believe that we have been given the tools necessary to withstand the powers of evil in this world, and to cast demons out of people in Jesus' Holy and powerful name. Only in His mighty name do we have the authority to free unbelievers from the very real threat of being demon-possessed. Do not presume on your own power—for we are all powerless—but lean on the power of God Almighty and the His Holy Spirit within you...always! Amen.