I’m hearing a lot of talk about people being demon possessed, and ministries to "deliver" people from demons. I’ve also heard people talk about a demon being a "spirit of lust" or a "spirit of anger." Non-Christians don’t even believe in demons. What should I believe? What does the Bible teach about demons, Satan, and their work in the world? Can Christians be demon possessed? I would first point out that the Bible very clearly teaches the existence and power of the demonic. Demons are angels which have sinned and been cast to the earth, and which are now bent on the destruction of God’s people, and are engaged in an ongoing struggle against angels who continue to serve God. I’ll give some scripture to support this in a moment. In contemporary, naturalistic, Western culture, though, the very idea of the demonic is absurd. Most would consider this a carry over from pre-modern sensibilities, back at a time when humans had no rational (scientific, or sociological) explanation for evil in the world, and instead relied on supernatural causes. This perspective, from a purely rational viewpoint, contains a genetic fallacy. The fact that superstitious people have believed something, no matter what their rationale (or lack thereof), does not entail that it must be false. Nor does our ability to present natural (scientific) explanations for evil entail that there cannot be supernatural causes, or supernatural entities, particularly when satisfying explanations for evil and suffering in the world are not advanced by the scientific community. In contrast, the Bible presents a much more coherent and intuitive picture to explain the state of our world, individual human nature, and the downward spiral of human civilization. Part of this relates to a supernatural realm, and that is the only issue I will touch on here.
The most reasonable argument for the existence of demons is derivative of our belief in the divinity of Christ, and the integrity of scripture. Jesus believed in demons—he opposed them, in fact—and being the Son of God, could not have been mistaken or deceived about their reality. So it’s reasonable for someone to believe what Jesus believed. This argument depends, of course, on (1) Jesus’ divinity, and (2) the Bible’s accuracy in depicting Jesus’ struggles with demons. These points can be argued for independently, and are the cornerstones of Christian faith, but that is off the present topic. Assuming the reasonability of these two points, it is also reasonable to believe in the existence of demons.
The Bible does not spend a great deal of time dwelling on the nature and origin of the demonic. Any study of demons should begin with a study of angels, since demons are angels who have sinned and been cast out of heaven, but this takes us far afield of the present question. Demons are spirit beings who once served God but now are opposed to him, and are reserved for a future judgment. 2 Pet. 2:4 mentions this (see also Jude 6):
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment... (2 Pet. 2:4; NASB).
This is a controversial passage in a controversial book. Some contemporary theologians (Grudem, Erickson) have argued that Peter cannot mean that angels are actually imprisoned, since they are active on the earth, and were active during the time of Jesus’ ministry, and instead interpret this passage to understand "hell" (the Greek word Tartarus) to refer to a condition of separation from God on the earth (Erickson, Christian Theology, p. 447; Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 412). Grudem argues against the idea that some demons might have been imprisoned, and instead opts that Peter must be referring to a condition which is true of all demons. After studying this passage, I am frankly puzzled by their position. First, nothing here suggests that Peter must be writing about all the demons. Without this qualification, it reads plainly to me (in the Greek) as a judgment against some demons (just as Peter goes on to write about two other judgments against select groups of people), with no implication of a wider fate. Second, Bauckham has argued persuasively that behind Peter’s allusion (and Jude’s) is 1 Enoch, a pseudepigraphal writing which describes a judgment against some angels who fell in the time before Noah (1 Enoch 6-19; see Richard Bauckham, Jude & 2 Peter, pp. 50 ff.). Neither Peter nor Jude validates 1 Enoch, but it does suggest that the common Jewish understanding here would be of a restricted judgment against some demons, not a comprehensive one. Third, in Rev. 9:1 ff., Satan is depicted as being given a key to the abyss and releasing hordes of demons held in captivity. This is consistent with the idea of some demons held in reserve. I should point out that the word Tartarus (unfortunately translated "hell" by the NASB) is the Greek word used in a popular myth to describe the place where the Titans were bound by Zeus—a fitting Hellenistic term to assign to the abyss of Rev. 9:1-2.
Thus, I believe that at the point the demons fell from heaven, some were imprisoned, and others joined Satan here on earth. What is the biblical evidence for this event? It’s largely lacking, and I should mention that this is because the Bible is primarily focused on God’s dealings with human beings, and the origin of demons precedes that. Rev. 12:4 mentions the dragon’s tail sweeping a third of the stars from the sky, and this may well indicate that a third of all the angels fell with Satan at some time prior to human history. I tend to think that the demons fell before Gen. 1:1, but that is contingent on my view of Genesis (see my answer to the question on Genesis and the age of the earth). Grudem places the fall of Satan and the demons after Gen. 1:31 (where God pronounces His creation "good") and before Genesis 3 (where the serpent appears), but this is unnecessary. It is the creation of the things mentioned that God considers good, not the things extraneous to humanity (like angels). God designates as good what is direct from His hands, not what is not. (Note that the earth is not designated as "good" when it is "without form and void.")
The name Satan is derived from the Hebrew word meaning "adversary." Satan is also commonly referred to as the devil (from the Greek word diabolos, meaning "accuser" or "slanderer"). Less frequently he is given the following titles: the evil one (Matt. 13:19; 1 John 2:13; 3:12), Beelzebub (Matt. 12:24, 27), the tempter (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5), the adversary (1 Pet. 5:8), the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), the deceiver (Rev. 12:9), the father of lies (John 8:44), the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2), and the dragon (Rev. 12:13). The following points supply insight to his person and powers.
1. Satan is a fallen angel, and is the prince of demons (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:12-19; Matt. 12:22-32).
Satan is so closely identified with the demons which serve him that the demonized are said to be "oppressed by Satan" (Acts 10:38). Isa. 14:12-15 and Ezek. 28:12-19 have often been associated with Satan, even though the passages are literally directed at evil earthly kings. Still, the activity of Satan behind these men could be in view:
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit (Isa. 14:12-15; NASB).
It is these passages that imply that Satan’s error was pride, desiring to be like God (similar to the serpent’s words in Gen. 3:5). But again, it is poor methodology to press these passages too far. More dependable are Jesus’ words, including his claim that he saw Satan fall from heaven (Luke 10:18), and John’s remark that Satan has sinned from the very beginning (1 John 3:8). We are never supplied with the specifics of what happened. By the time Satan enters the biblical scene as a developed character and the leader of the demons (Job 1:6), he is already clearly the enemy of God and His people.
2. Satan opposes God by attacking and tempting humans (Matt. 4:1-11; Acts 5:3; 1 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11; 1 Thess. 2:18; 2 Tim. 2:26).
Satan is powerless to thwart God directly, and so he has contrived to destroy God’s work among humankind, specifically by attacking and stumbling God’s people. Again, Satan’s motives for this are never discussed, but I would venture a guess that it is, at least in part, as a justification for his own failure. He wishes to show (and undoubtedly believes) that no humans possess any purer motives than he does, that we are all out to exalt ourselves, that none of us ultimately will go the Lord’s way if it is inconvenient. I base this on his interactions with Eve in the garden, and the incredible insight provided by the challenge between him and God in Job.
3. Satan is presently in charge of the world system (John 14:30; 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:9).
In other words, he exercises some dominion here on earth, and is at least in a position of power by virtue of a widespread ability to deceive. To perpetuate a lie that others believe is to exert power over the ones deceived. In Jesus’ wilderness temptation, Satan offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world (Matt. 4:8), and Jesus never disputes his ability to hand them over. This provides at least some insight to the origin of evil in civil governments and economic systems, many of which promulgate significant injustices against their people, though it would be an error to identify the demonic as nothing other than civil injustice or oppressive cultural regimes.
In Paul’s time, idolatry was linked to the demonic (1 Cor. 10:20), as was false teaching in the church (1 Tim. 4:1). These passages indicate that spiritual evils can reside behind tangible cultural icons and human representatives that oppose God and His truth.
4. Satan’s primary attack on humanity is deception (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4; 11:14-15; Rev. 12:9).
Actually, temptation should be seen as a particular kind of lie; Satan’s words to Eve in the garden were certainly lies, though cleverly constructed with a basis in truth. All temptation is essentially the lie that we would be happy, or fulfilled, or better off, if we got our needs met apart from God’s provision. A temptation is, of course, not an external phenomenon (as we typically think, or imply when we talk about "things" tempting us) but rather a thought which develops in the mind to get our needs met in the world system. If Satan is the tempter, it implies that he has some degree of access to our consciousness, since deception and temptation are mental states. How temptation works is a discussion in its own right, but it makes sense to see the mental realm (our mind, or souls) as Satan’s point of contact with us, since he is a spirit. More on this shortly.
5. Satan’s powers are limited; he is not divine, or in any sense on par with God (Job 1:12; 2:6; Eph. 4:27; James 4:7).
Note that Satan only has tangible access to Job’s life because God grants it to him, and sets the parameters for Satan’s tangible influence. Satan is not the balanced counterpart to God; God has no opposite. Satan is a being that He created, and who now opposes Him.
1. Demons carry out Satan’s work in the world (Eph. 6:12).
As stated, Satan is actively undermining God’s work among humans, and uses both temptation and deception to achieve his ends. It follows that demons, as Satan’s foot-soldiers, assist in this work; after all, Satan is one being, and not omnipresent. I should particularly note that demons are not sins, like lust. There is no "spirit of lust," biblically. Demons are persons, with individual names. My reason for thinking this is that there is never a mention in the Bible of a "spirit of lust" or a "spirit of gossip," or such. Paul does mention a "spirit of timidity" (2 Tim. 1:7), but this and similar references have nothing to do with demons. Paul is referring to an attitude (just like we do when we talk about school spirit, for instance). A demon could tempt a person with a regard to a sin, but the demon is not the personification of a sin. At least, not biblically.
2. The primary strategy of demons is to disrupt the truth of the gospel (Acts 16:16-18; 2 Cor. 10:3-6).
Satan’s resources are not infinite, so it follows that he would direct the most attention to those who are the most effective in God’s service, or at least to create a condition wherein God’s truth would be disregarded or misunderstood. In the first case, Satan targets Christian leaders, and in the second, secular leaders who exert strong cultural influence. It is no surprise that Paul indicates that we do battle as much with a demonic stronghold on the worldview level as we do with tangible, physical trials:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete (2 Cor. 10:3-6; NASB).
3. Demons can inflict physical distress, which often manifests as some sort of illness (Matt. 12:22; Mark 9:17, 25; Acts 8:7).
Note that these illnesses are clearly distinguished from non-demonic illness: Matt. 10:8; Mark 1:34; 6:13; Luke 13:32. Jesus frequently healed diseases that apparently had no supernatural cause. This contradicts those who claim that people in Jesus’ time ascribed all illnesses to demons. Demon possession is clearly distinguished from epilepsy in Matt. 4:24, further contradicting those who claim that all epilepsy in Jesus’ time was considered demon possession.
4. Demons can exert direct control over men and even reside in their bodies (Mark 5:2-4; 8; 17:15; Luke 8:27-31).
This state is often referred to as demon possession, but this term never appears in the Greek, and is perhaps misleading. More will be said on this shortly. The Bible simply talks about people that "have a demon" or are "demonized." It really is unfortunate that the ultimate model for demonization is typically the Gerasene demoniac of Mark 5, leaving us with a false sense of security that we are free from Satan’s influence as long as we are not foaming at the mouth and running around the countryside naked. Satan’s attack is rarely so explicit.
Given the fact that demons have the potential for entering a person and controlling him or her, what defense do believers have? Are they open to the same influence? Can Christians be demon possessed, even having the Holy Spirit dwelling in them?
The term "demon possession" is not literal; scripture literally refers to a person as "demonized" or "having a demon" (e.g. Matt. 11:18; John 7:20), even though some English versions unfortunately translate these as "demon possessed." What "demonization" means is open to question, but it may allow for demonic activity that falls short of what we commonly associate with "demon possession." It is therefore best to avoid this expression (since it’s not biblical), and instead refer to "demonic influence," which reflects a wide spectrum of bondage or deception or loss of control to a demon.
Numerous scriptural arguments can be mustered to show that believers are vulnerable to demons on some significant level.
1. Direct statements of Scripture indicate that Christians are vulnerable to Satan (1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 10:5; 11:3; Eph. 4:27; 1 Pet. 5:8).
Demonization is really a control issue; a demonized person has lost control to a demon for some reason. If Satan can deceive us (as we already know he can), then he can control us. If a person will believe the lies of another, then that person can be made to do anything. Christians can lose control by believing Satan’s lies. Christians can also admit Satan into their lives by unrepentant sin. Eph. 4:26 focuses on anger, but the context of Paul discussion deals with the need for integrity in a broader sense (no areas of sin left unresolved):
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity (Eph. 4:26-27; NASB).
Where we do not admit the Spirit, we leave room for the demonic. I believe it is for this reason that we should seek a constant filling of the Holy Spirit, and by "filling" I mean letting the Spirit into every corner of our lives. What the Spirit fills, has no room left for the demonic.
2. Believers seem to be able to have a demon in their physical bodies (2 Cor. 12:7).
The apostle Paul had a "thorn in the flesh, a messenger (angel) of Satan." This was in his physical body. The word "messenger" in Greek is angelos (angel). I heard a prominent Christian leader argue strongly that Christians cannot have a demon in their bodies. This verse is the counterexample. People sometimes inquire how we could have both the Holy Spirit and a demon in us, as if "in us" must connote a location in physical space. Neither the Holy Spirit nor a demon exist in space (they are spirits, and are therefore not physical), so whatever we mean by saying they are "in" us, it’s not something that limits access to one or the other based on proximity. They don’t explode when confined together in a small area.
3. The fact that believers have to do something to resist Satan implies that, if we do not do so, we are vulnerable (Rom. 13:14; James 4:7; Eph. 6:10-11; 1 Pet. 5:8).
This point also functions as a reminder that we do not need to be vulnerable; God has given us protection against Satan and his demons—if we will apprehend it on a daily basis. The primary way we get it, biblically, is not by casting Satan out, but by turning from our sins. Note that in scripture, Paul never addresses the sin issues of the various churches as demonic. He never says, "Cast those demons out that are making you lust after your former lives." Instead, he tells people to seek holiness, to repent, to serve Christ. It’s for this reason that I suspect that our primary job, in dealing with people who are influenced by Satan, is to encourage them on the path to holiness, not get into a power struggle with a demon who (for all we know) was admitted into their life because of unrepentant sin. In such cases, I believe Satan has a claim. And even if a demon was cast out, it will just come back. More critical is a ministry to bring people in obedience and repentance to Christ. This is our best defense—a right standing with God.
Some have argued that Christians are naturally invulnerable to Satan’s influence. If this were true, there would really be no point in putting on armor (Eph. 6), would there? I’ve heard 1 John 5:18 quoted in this regard, but if you check the context, it states that one who does not sin is born of God, and is protected from Satan’s touch (the verb "sins" is in the present continuous tense in Greek, and should properly be translated, "continues sinning"):
We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him (1 John 5:18; NASB).
This is similar to Jesus’ claim to immunity from Satan in John 14:30; he was immune because he had no sin. If we walk in holiness, repenting of sins before the Lord, we cancel any grounds that might permit Satan to enter our lives also. This is what James 4:7 means by resisting Satan— resisting his lies, his temptations. Against such people he has no power: