Can A Christian Have a Demon In Them?

[ProAmerican]

Quite some time ago, I remember my youth pastor saying that for one especially incorrigible youth that was at a previous church where he was youth pastor, that he put his hand on his head one time and jokingly said, "Man, come out of that demon."

They both got a good laugh out of it, anyway.

Just thought that I would lighten up the mix a little bit.

But, to answer your question, no, I don't believe that a Christian can have a demon residing within their body.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

Greetings, I will chime in but only for a moment.

I think alot of people get worked up over symantics. When the Devil comes against a child of God as he did Job, he has to have permission from God.

I also believe as has been stated here numerous times that if you have the Holy Ghost then you CAN NOT be possessed. I think the best way top described or illustrate is the cartoons you have seen with an angle on one shoulder and a devil on another. The devil on the shoulder would be something similiar to being oppressed. It would be allowing the devil to whisper things to you and you believe them.

There is a song by Casting Crowns called the Voice of Truth. The devil is in constant battle to gain you back to his control. I do not believe that once you are saved you are always saved. Hence the scripture that says not to allow another man to steal your crown.

Anyway, oppression is not possession, its not even close. It is a controlling factor if we allow it. It kind of rides on your back or shoulder if you will, until we address it and cast it away on our own.

Its like a pity party when you are feeling bad for yourself because of this or because of that. That would be being oppressed. Lack of Joy, Happiness, Liberty..etc..

Symantics is what God is...He is the Word. You cannot just make up a doctrine using His words like "oppression" that the Bible expressly says is a physical control.

 

[RevKidd]

It is a dire shame that we give more power to a defeated satan that we ought to. It's as if some of you want Christians, who are supposed to have the greatest force all living in them, to be able to be bound by Satan, and cast aside.

Here's a nice article written on this topic.

http://www.equip.org/free/JAS450.htm

 

[BroGinder]

Wow I wish I would have read the entire thread before I honked off there.

Temptation is not possession. It is the devils plan to gain control of the Christian, the Saint, the Bride of Jesus.

I also realiz that the Word of God says, Come let us reason together. I am sure he meant with brotherly love in place.

As far as girding up the Loins of our minds, that is simple. the devil can speak to your mind, though he can not read your mind, nor your heart. He can only drop into it thoughts, he can not retract anything from with in.

Girding up the Loins of your mind means to put your mind on Jesus. It means put your thoughts on the things of God and not dwell in the things. We live in the World but we ar e not of the world. The World is sin and as Christians, Born again, spirit filled, tongue talking, blood bought believers in Christ we have the pwoer given to us by the Holy Ghost to resist all firey darts from the devil.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

It is a dire shame that we give more power to a defeated satan that we ought to. It's as if some of you want Christians, who are supposed to have the greatest force all living in them, to be able to be bound by Satan, and cast aside.

Here's a nice article written on this topic.

http://www.equip.org/free/JAS450.htm

Nice article. Too bad the "Demonized Christian" camp changes "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NIV) into "the one who is in you is greater than the demon who is in you".

 

[BroGinder]

oppression –noun

1.the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. 2.an act or instance of oppressing. 3.the state of being oppressed. 4.the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.

I do not see physical control.

Thanks Revkid for the reminder. I certainly hope that I have not come across as saying that the devil is stronger than God. I know that through the power of the Holy Ghost we possess more power in our little finger than all of hell combined.

The Word of God is not Semantics. It is what it is. It never Changes.

semantics  –noun
(used with a singular verb)

1. Linguistics. a. the study of meaning.
b. the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form.

2. Also called significs. the branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they denote.
3. the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning.

It is not what we think he meant. It is WHAT HE MEANT.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

oppression –noun

1.the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. 2.an act or instance of oppressing. 3.the state of being oppressed. 4.the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.

I do not see physical control.

.

Words need to be defined in the context of how they are used. These next paragraphs are from Power Encounter: A Pentecostal Perspective by Opal L. Reddin. It comes from Central Bible College Press of the Assemblies of God.

Arndt-Gingrich says, to "oppress" katadunasteuo is to "control, dominate, exploit, exercise tyrannical rule". Of the three times it occurs in the New Testament only once is it referring to Satan's direct activity. In two other occurrences it refers to physical bondage. Egypt oppressed Isreal until God delivered them (Acts 7:6). The rich oppress the poor and drag them into court" (James 2:6). These are graphic descriptions of being under the control of enemies.

Acts 10:38 (NLT)
"And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him." Note this verse describing Jesus' ministry prior to Calvary, The Resurrection and Pentecost. Also note Jesus healed all who were oppressed. Most likely this refers to those diseases that were caused by demons.

Should believers claim to be oppressed by Satan? Are they "controled, dominated, exploited, under the tyrannical rule" of Satan? No, no, no The history of the Israelites is the example for our Christian living (1 Cor 10:11) In Egypt they were oppressed (Acts 7:6) but God delivered them. Once they crossed the Red Sea, they were free! Not perfect, with battles yet to fight, but no longer oppressed.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

I have to go play the sax in our church service tonight. Nice talking with everyone.

 

[BroGinder]

Well I think I am trying to say similiar things as has already been stated.

the one terrible thing about written text is that no voice infliction exhists. Makes things difficult some times. I appreciate all the reading i have done on this subject, however, I feel that Revkidd jit it on the head. I feel further pursuing this topic in the direction this has turned can do no good.

I would suggest that you may want to ask your Pastor for a bible study on the subject, that way you an ask questions and get immediate feedback to address them.

I wish you much luck, and hope you find the answer God is sending ot you.

God Bless

 

[Tcelt12]

I am not belittling you but your authority that supports your doctrine. The criticism leveled against the Word of Faith movement by the majority of Evangelicals is that the WOF tends to teach unbiblical errors. You have reinforced that notion in this thread.

You have also an unbiblical Christology to say that Jesus did not have the Holy Spirit but the devil in His soul when He was tempted of the devil. The Bible says differently in that Col. 2:9 (NLT)
For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body,
You are blaspheming to claim that Jesus was demon possessed in His soul just like the Pharisees did Mark 3:22 (NLT)
But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, "He's possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That's where he gets the power to cast out demons." ...Mark 3:28-30 (NLT)
"I assure you that any sin can be forgiven, including blasphemy; [29] but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. It is an eternal sin." [30] He told them this because they were saying he had an evil spirit.


I have already addressed your unbiblical trichotomy of man.

now you are accusing me of saying things i never said.
1.i never said Jesus was demon possessed.i said he was tempted in his soul.
2.i did not say the bible instructs us to plead The Blood over our souls.i said i do that regularly.

check the thread..

as for simplicity,the bible does say that there is simplicity in christ(you know,the word made flesh)..

as for my 'unbiblical trichotomy of man',heres another bit of 'simplicity'for you...all through the bible,mans spirit,soul,and body are spoken of seperately,and identified as being distinct of each other within mans being.
'be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind'
it doesn't say spirit or body,but mind.
'they overcame him by the BLOOD of the lamb,and the WORD of THEIR testimony..'

yes,i am a believer in The BLOOD,and the WORD..

what is it around here,'us' vs. 'The Word of Faith' ??

 

[RevKidd]

what is it around here,'us' vs. 'The Word of Faith' ??

Pretty much. That's why there is a Pentecostal Forum and a WOF forum seperate from this forum. It's really a shame that some will believe what comes out of the Hagan, Copeland, Hinn, Lahaye, Osteen, Meyers camps than what is actually said in God's word.

 

[JEBrady]

2 Ti 2:26 is not about Christians who are disobedient but about those who "have been delivered over to Satan" by Paul 1 Ti 1:19,20; 2 Ti 2:17-18 because they have shipwrecked thier own faith and the faith of others. They are no longer believers. The believer is referred to as "the Lords servants" in v24. The reference of those "taken captive" is to those who teach false doctrine and engage in angry fights to defend their lies. You have to say that Hymenaeus and Philetus are Christians in order for you to claim your statement as Biblical.

I see in another scripture where one named Hymenaeus and an Alexander were turned over to Satan “to learn not to blaspheme”. The principle I see in scripture with this form of judgment, which is a tool available to leadership for church discipline, is that in the case of those who are going astray, that they are taken out from under the protection of the church and Satan is allowed to destroy their flesh so that the spirit may be saved (1 Co 5, where a Christian in sexual perversion is corrected this way). That’s the only 2 references that directly address being turned over to Satan that I know. Another reference which illustrates this principle is 1 Co 11, where many are weak and sick and some sleep, being judged of God so that they will not be condemned with the world. He who has suffered in the flesh is done with sin. God chastises every son He receives.

This form of discipline is not for those who have failed of the grace of God (as warned against in Hebrews) and “are no longer Christians”. If a person is left by the Holy Spirit (the mark of those who are His), it is impossible for them to be renewed to repentance, since they crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame. Being turned over to Satan is for the purpose of bringing someone to their senses through the destruction of the flesh, for those who may come to a place of repentance.

Wolves, who come in to dine on the sheep, are identified by leadership and disfellowshipped. These never were Christians. They can’t be turned over to Satan. They already belong to him!

Please post a reference where it states Hymenaeus and Philetus were turned over to Satan, because I don’t see one. The reference in 2 Ti may be the same Hymenaeus as in 1 Ti, though it’s going to have to be inferred, since it is not directly stated. I personally believe it’s the same guy.

 

[Tenebrae]

Can I suggest to some of you, theres a deliverance forum here, and voices of sanity would be welcomed

far to much creedance is given to demons of lust, porn, back sliding, gossip, the list is huge, for an idea of what I mean check out demonbusters.com. The concepts of generational curses and the idea that Jesus death on the cross wasnt enough for us, and that we are somehow held ransom by the sins of our long dead relatives

I came to faith out of an occult background, and underwent delievrance shortly after comming to Christ. However whether it was deliervance, or actually God just doing some really deep work in my life

After I came to Christ, I underwent massive torment, and was dealing with depresssion, suicidal thinking, anxiety, night mares etc.... what made it different from mental illness was that a someone prayed for me, and the feelings lifted, almost instantly

While things were as intense as in that time, I would have never said I was pocessed, there was no loosing time, or loosing control over my body

can christians be pocessed? No, pocession denotes ownership and someone who is filled with the Holy Ghost, can not be also owned by a demon. I believe that christians can come under attack, I know when I became a christian, it felt as though the enemy threw everything at me he could... Once kindly benevolent spirit guide, all of a sudden showed their teeth and fangs

 

[mccar1969]

Can A Christian be demon posessed, oppressed, demonized, in need of deliverance?

I have heard that you can be opressed by demons but not possesed as a christian ......

 

[DevotiontoBible]

I have heard that you can be opressed by demons but not possesed as a christian ......

There is no such thing in the Bible as demon oppression of a believer.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

now you are accusing me of saying things i never said.
1.i never said Jesus was demon possessed.i said he was tempted in his soul.

Your idea of Jesus' temptation is demon possession of His soul. Here is what you said in post #30

"....i do not believe that The Holy Spirit and a demon spirit can occupy the same space....The enemy of my soul attempts everyday to gain entrance to my soul through ...thoughts.once he is able to occupy the soul of a believer,..."

. You also said in post #37

"...JESUS HIMSELF WAS TEMPTED through his soul by the devil.no Holy Spirit occupation there as you tried to assert earlier..."

So let me summarize your theology. You said :
#1 The Holy Spirit and a demon cannot occupy the same space.
#2 The demon occupies the soul of a believer through thoughts.
#3 The demon, not the Holy Spirit, occupied Jesus' soul.

Clearly you are saying Jesus was demon possessed in your own words.

 

[DevotiontoBible]

I see in another scripture where one named Hymenaeus and an Alexander were turned over to Satan “to learn not to blaspheme”. The principle I see in scripture with this form of judgment, which is a tool available to leadership for church discipline, is that in the case of those who are going astray, that they are taken out from under the protection of the church and Satan is allowed to destroy their flesh so that the spirit may be saved (1 Co 5, where a Christian in sexual perversion is corrected this way). That’s the only 2 references that directly address being turned over to Satan that I know. Another reference which illustrates this principle is 1 Co 11, where many are weak and sick and some sleep, being judged of God so that they will not be condemned with the world. He who has suffered in the flesh is done with sin. God chastises every son He receives.

This form of discipline is not for those who have failed of the grace of God (as warned against in Hebrews) and “are no longer Christians”. If a person is left by the Holy Spirit (the mark of those who are His), it is impossible for them to be renewed to repentance, since they crucify to themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame. Being turned over to Satan is for the purpose of bringing someone to their senses through the destruction of the flesh, for those who may come to a place of repentance.

Wolves, who come in to dine on the sheep, are identified by leadership and disfellowshipped. These never were Christians. They can’t be turned over to Satan. They already belong to him!

Please post a reference where it states Hymenaeus and Philetus were turned over to Satan, because I don’t see one. The reference in 2 Ti may be the same Hymenaeus as in 1 Ti, though it’s going to have to be inferred, since it is not directly stated. I personally believe it’s the same guy.

Referring to Hymenaeus and Philetus is the comment that they do not belong to the Lord because they have not turned away from wickedness:

2 Tim. 2:19 (NLT)
... "The Lord knows those who are his," and "Those who claim they belong to the Lord must turn away from all wickedness."

 

[mccar1969]

There is no such thing in the Bible as demon oppression of a believer.

i will look into that interesting subject Not sure i agree, but always open to new things... i have been in deliverances where christians have been set free, from depression and all manner of oppressions and demons have been seen leaving....

 

[DevotiontoBible]

i will look into that interesting subject Not sure i agree, but always open to new things... i have been in deliverances where christians have been set free, from depression and all manner of oppressions and demons have been seen leaving....

Here is the Biblical usage of the word "oppressed". Notice it is never used in connection to demons with believers. These next paragraphs are from Power Encounter: A Pentecostal Perspective by Opal L. Reddin. It comes from Central Bible College Press of the Assemblies of God.

Arndt-Gingrich says, to "oppress" katadunasteuo is to "control, dominate, exploit, exercise tyrannical rule". Of the three times it occurs in the New Testament only once is it referring to Satan's direct activity. In two other occurrences it refers to physical bondage. Egypt oppressed Isreal until God delivered them (Acts 7:6). The rich oppress the poor and drag them into court" (James 2:6). These are graphic descriptions of being under the control of enemies.

Acts 10:38 (NLT)
"And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him." Note this verse describing Jesus' ministry prior to Calvary, The Resurrection and Pentecost. Also note Jesus healed all who were oppressed. Most likely this refers to those diseases that were caused by demons.

Should believers claim to be oppressed by Satan? Are they "controled, dominated, exploited, under the tyrannical rule" of Satan? No, no, no The history of the Israelites is the example for our Christian living (1 Cor 10:11) In Egypt they were oppressed (Acts 7:6) but God delivered them. Once they crossed the Red Sea, they were free! Not perfect, with battles yet to fight, but no longer oppressed.

 

[mccar1969]

Here is the Biblical usage of the word "oppressed". Notice it is never used in connection to demons with believers. These next paragraphs are from Power Encounter: A Pentecostal Perspective by Opal L. Reddin. It comes from Central Bible College Press of the Assemblies of God.

Arndt-Gingrich says, to "oppress" katadunasteuo is to "control, dominate, exploit, exercise tyrannical rule". Of the three times it occurs in the New Testament only once is it referring to Satan's direct activity. In two other occurrences it refers to physical bondage. Egypt oppressed Isreal until God delivered them (Acts 7:6). The rich oppress the poor and drag them into court" (James 2:6). These are graphic descriptions of being under the control of enemies.

Acts 10:38 (NLT)
"And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him." Note this verse describing Jesus' ministry prior to Calvary, The Resurrection and Pentecost. Also note Jesus healed all who were oppressed. Most likely this refers to those diseases that were caused by demons.

Should believers claim to be oppressed by Satan? Are they "controled, dominated, exploited, under the tyrannical rule" of Satan? No, no, no The history of the Israelites is the example for our Christian living (1 Cor 10:11) In Egypt they were oppressed (Acts 7:6) but God delivered them. Once they crossed the Red Sea, they were free! Not perfect, with battles yet to fight, but no longer oppressed.

wow i see your point, thankyou
Maybe oppressed was the wrong word