After receiving many letters from people claiming that Christians who are re-born (Born Again) CANNOT be possessed, I decided to write up some info and thoughts on this subject. I once had an e-mail debate with a Christian Reverend who was adamant in stating that, based on Bible scripture, it is impossible for a Born Again to be possessed by demonic spirits. The simple truth is that NO ONE is safe from this possibility and to deny that fact is to make yourself more vulnerable. As quoted from another page on this site, “The Devil is safest from detection where his very existence is denied.” No person, like it or not, is above the possibility of possession. My comments and thoughts are not intended to insult, offend, or ridicule anyone, but simply to imply that reality and experience has proven otherwise. I can see the possibility of people reacting harshly to this page but please try to remember that we’re all on the same side, just with varying points of view.
Furthermore, I’ve had Born Again Christian also tell me, after stating my experiences dealing with possession, that the person who was possessed must have fallen from grace or done something to otherwise remove his or her “Born Again” status to try to explain away the facts that possession does and can occur to a Born Again. Nope. Face it, every religious denomination, for the most part, believes they are the “True” religion, all others are wrong (for lack of a better term), but the simple fact is most people believe in a “Higher Power” and that’s what matters… where the differences lie is in the detailed belief and ritual structure and practicing methods of the individual denominations. Based on that, people are people, no matter what religious denomination a person believes in, fundamentally we’re all the same and each person is vulnerable to demonic and diabolical attacks, internally or externally.
When talking about this subject to various people, one of the first things I hear is that the scriptures state this and the scriptures state that. Along those lines, I did a little surfing to find out what a wide variety of Born Again Christians really think and found an overwhelming majority DO believe in the possibility in Born Agains being possessed. I’ve taken some quotes from a few of these sites to summarize their points of view:
“Most Evangelicals deny that Born Again Christians may be demon-possessed, but Deliverance advocates teach that no one is immune, not even a regenerate believer in whom the Spirit dwells.”
“That Satan has some access to Christians is of little dispute among believers. The Bible plainly says Satan can tempt a believer to sin and further influence him for evil. The question we will address in this text is, what are the limits of Satan’s influence, and is demon possession of a Christian a possibility. The large majority of Christians don’t believe a born again Christian can in any manner be possessed by a devil or demon, but facts and truth are not determined my majority opinion. The final authority for ALL matters is the Holy Bible (KJB) and there is where we will look for our answers.”
“Anyone that has read the Bible at all knows it speaks of people being possessed by “devil(s)” or “unclean spirits.” Christ and His disciples dealt with possessed people regularly and always cast the invading spirits out (Matt. 4:24; Mark 6:7, etc.). As to how these spirits originated or became evil, the Bible is mostly silent. There is some indication they may be the spirits of the “sons of God” who took on flesh and came unto the “daughters of men” in Noah’s day and later died in the flood (Gen. 6:1-4), but there is no proof that is the case. Others suggest they are angels that chose to rebel with Lucifer (Isa. 14; Eze. 28) before man’s creation and subsequently became “devils,” but there is no clear proof of this either. Instead of speculating as to their origin, let’s look at what can be known; what the Scriptures do reveal.
Mark 5:1-20 is the definitive passage on demon possession and its effects in the Bible. Some of the details about demons the Bible reveals in this passage are:
- Devils want to be near dead human bodies or tombs (vs. 2, 3, 5).
- They can cause unusual strength (vs. 3-4).
- They can make a person unreasonable or immune to sensible persuasion (vs. 4).
- They cause excessive crying (vs. 5).
- They cause sadistic and masochistic behavior (vs. 5).
- They have an affinity for heights (vs. 5).
- They recognize Christ as “the Son of God” and appeal to Him (vs. 6-7).
- They know they deserve torment and dread it (vs. 6-7).
- They have names (vs. 9).
- More than one can possess the same body (vs. 9).
- They desire to stay in the same geographical region or “country” (vs. 10).
- They would rather indwell an animal body than none at all (vs. 12).
- They can cause animals to kill themselves (vs. 13).
- They desire to be in a body when it dies (vs. 13).
- They have a desire for water (vs. 13).
Mark 9:17-29 gives us even more details about devils:
- They can cause dumbness and deafness (vs. 17, 25).
- They cause rabid animal like behavior (vs. 18).
- They can indwell from childhood (vs. 21).
- They cause suicidal behavior (vs. 22).
- They resist leaving a body and violently “rent” it while leaving (vs. 26).
- There are different kinds of devils. Some have more power than others (vs. 29).
- Some can only be removed by prayer and fasting of believer (vs. 29).
Ephesians 6:12 states Satan has a hierarchy of “devils” in his kingdom, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Thus some devils have more power and authority than others.”
“Over the years, while reading and discussing demon possession with other Christian’s, your author has found many are repulsed by even the suggestion that a Christian may be susceptible to demon possession. They talk as if one is extremely ignorant or even demented to even think such a thing, but when asked for their biblical proof that it is not possible, their position becomes desperate. They simply cannot produce a passage or verse that PROVES their argument, yet they still cling to their belief.”
“Over the years your author has found that all the arguments against demon possession of Christians are either based purely on emotion or on a misapplication of Scripture. You may be thinking, “Are you saying a Christian can be demon possessed? No, I didn’t say that. What I am saying is there is no place in the Bible that conclusively says Christians can’t be possessed. But, on the contrary, there are passages that seem to indicate (though not conclusively prove) that demon possession of believers CAN occur.”
“When asked for reasons why they think Christians can’t be demon possessed one will usually hear, “It’s not possible for the Holy Spirit and a demon to dwell in the same body,” “It is unthinkable to believe the Holy Spirit would let a devil in a Christian’s body, which is God’s temple,” A born again believer has been redeemed by the blood of Christ and because of that no devil can indwell him,” etc., etc. But such arguments are purely emotional without a single Bible verse to stand on. These people have convinced themselves of something that is not true because of the repulsiveness of the question, but emotion and feelings do not make “sound doctrine.””
“When a person is born again he is placed in Christ and Christ comes in him, and the believers destiny with Christ is certain. John is here comforting believers by reminding them of this and reassures them by insisting there is nothing Satan or anyone else can do about it. He is not saying believers are immune any type of satanic influence or cannot suffer in the flesh. As we have seen, other passages clearly state Satan does have access to believers. In fact Peter said to believers, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may DEVOUR” (1 Pet 5:8).”
“Though your author has no personal experience in dealing with demons (other than sometimes sensing their presence), there are several Christians who have much experience. One is German researcher Kurt Koch, author of “Occult ABC” and many other books about demons and the occult. He said the following concerning Christians and demon possession. ‘One question is hotly disputed among believing Christians. This is the question whether or not a Christian can be possessed. Many years of experience lead me to the conclusion that those who have no experience of dealing with the possessed say “No”. Those, who have counseled many possessed ones, know that even believers can be controlled or ruled by demons. These facts do not follow anyone’s preconceived ideas. Our Ideas must be formed, rather, on the basis of facts.’ ”
“The reason we published this article was not to unduly scare anyone or try to stir up controversy, but to warn Christians who may have a false sense of security about demon possession. From talking to several fellow believers we have found most dismiss the possibility of demon possession of believers for purely emotional reasons and are not familiar enough with what the Bible says on the subject to make a knowledgeable comment. They simply don’t want it to be true and like a small child think wishing it so will make it so. But as we have seen, the Bible makes no such promise about possession and actually suggests it may be possible so the safest position a believer could take is even though the Bible doesn’t definitely say either way one must allow for the possibility. This is the only sensible approach. Unless one is absolutely certain there is no danger ahead, it is always prudent, in whatever circumstance, to assume the possibility of danger. This is prudent behavior whether one driving in his car or dealing with matters the Bible does not address specifically. Christians can have confidence and security about their salvation, their destiny, their Bible, and their Lord because of what the Bible says, but in areas the Bible is silent, confidence can be misplaced.
My sole purpose of including this page is strictly as an attempt to explain that in all reality, the possibility of possession does exist for ANYONE, regardless of race, sex, age, or religious denomination. As written in the last paragraph, I would agree to this warning: To look at this subject with open eyes is to best protect yourself…”This is the only sensible approach. Unless one is absolutely certain there is no danger ahead, it is always prudent, in whatever circumstance, to assume the possibility of danger. This is prudent behavior whether one driving in his car or dealing with matters the Bible does not address specifically. Christians can have confidence and security about their salvation, their destiny, their Bible, and their Lord because of what the Bible says, but in areas the Bible is silent, confidence can be misplaced.”