SPIRITUAL WARFARE - Part 3: A Question Of Possession

Earlier in this series, I've attempted to share some of what has been shared with me concerning the origins of our enemies. In the next few posts, I intend to briefly examine some of the methods by which demons gain entry into our lives, and set up strongholds of operation. I'm hoping to call attention to the routes our enemies take when attempting to gain entry... as well as what the Scriptures have to say about resisting, conquering, and expulsion of the enemy. Now before we categorize this message as one that all of our unsaved loved ones would benefit from reading, and we point the finger at an unsaved world... the finger needs to be pointed at the church and at our own hearts for a while.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?(1 Peter 4:17)


That being stated, I'd like to begin by addressing a very serious question. Can a true Christian be possessed by a demon? Derek Prince, a pastor that I've learned much from and who has been in the ministry of deliverance for 22 years stated that whenever he was asked this question, it was always asked in a tone that implied the obvious answer was no. However, I would submit to you that this question is birthed out of an honest misunderstanding of the Scriptures.

Lets define a few terms... Three expressions are used to describe the evil spirit beings who are some of Satan's main agents in his warfare against humanity. First, the Greek word from which we get the word demon is the word "daimonion". This is the neuter singular of the adjective "daimonios," which is derived from the noun "daimon." Thus the adjective daimonious indicates some connection with a daimon. Although daimonion is an adjective in form, it is used regularly as a noun. It is, in fact, an adjective that has become a noun. In English the important distinction between daimon and daimonion is obliterated by the fact that both words are interpreted to mean the same word... demon.

The reference to the original Greek indicates that there are two distinct entities: daimon, which is primary, and daimonion, which is derivative. The derivative form, daimonion, occurs about sixty times in the gospels, Acts and Revelation. In other words, it represents an important New Testament concept. In the best texts, daimon occurs only once... in Matthew 8:31, where it is apparently used with the same meaning as daimonion. But this is not a normal use.

The second expression used in the New Testament to describe an evil spirit is unclean spirit, used about twenty times in Luke, Acts and Revelation.

The third expression, evil spirit, is used six times in Luke and Acts.

Altogether it seems that all three expressions are used interchangeably. "Demons" are "unclean spirits" and also "evil spirits."

The original King James Version regularly interprets daimonion as "devil." This has led to endless confusion. The English word devil is actually derived from the Greek word diabolos, which has no direct relationship with daimonion. Diabolos means "slanderer." In all but three occurences in the New Testament, it is a title of Satan himself. In this sense it is used only in the singular form. There are many demons but only one devil.

Unfortunately, there is another area of confusion here... The Greek noun daimon gives rise to a verb daimonizo, which occurs about twelve times in the New Testament. The obvious English equivalent of this verb is demonize, which the Collins English Dictionary defines as "to subject to demonic influence." In the New Testament, this verb occurs only in the passive form: "to be demonized." In the original KJV, it is interpreted regularly as "to be possessed of [or with] a devil or devils." Several contemporary translation have correctly changed devil to demon, but incorrectly retain the form "to be possessed." The problem with this form is that,  to English ears, the word possess immediately suggests ownership. To be "possessed" by a devil or demon implies that a person is "owned" by a devil or demon. But there is no basis for this in the Greek word daimonizo, which conveys no suggestion of ownership, but means merely "to subject to demonic influence."

Obviously the form of words we use is of vital importance. It is one thing to say to a person, "You are possessed by a demon," or, worse still, to say, "You are possessed by the devil." Let me say emphatically that there is nothing in the verb daimonizo to imply possession. Personally I believe that every born again sincerely seeking to live for Christ belongs to Christ and is owned by Him. It is monstrous to suggest that such a person belongs to the devil or is owned by the devil. On the other hand, I know on the basis of my own personal experience that a born-again Christian can be subject to demonic influences. Such a Christian undoubtedly belongs to Christ, yet there are areas of his or her personality that have not yet come under the control of the Holy Spirit. It is these areas that may still be subject to demonic influence.

Pastor Derek Prince lamented over many people that he had known, including friends that he had failed to help... because he did not address the problems they came to him with as possibly being demonic.  He described these situations in the following excerpt from his book, They Shall Expel Demons.

--- It was like an incident that occurred during World War II while I was serving as a medical orderly with the British forces in North Africa. A British soldier had come into our reception station with a shrapnel wound caused by a bomb exploding near him. He took off his shirt, exposing a small puncture wound in one shoulder. The edge of the wound was slightly black.

Thinking of the ready-to-use sterile dressing that was part of our medical equipment, I said to the medical officer, "Shall I get a first field dressing, sir?"

"No, that's not what's needed," the doctor replied. "Bring me a probe."

The doctor had the man sit down in a chair. Then he stuck the little silver stick into the man's wound and wiggled it around gingerly for a few moments. Suddenly the man let out a yelp and went up into the air.

"Now fetch me the forceps," the doctor said.

I gave him the forceps, which he inserted into the wound in the area where the probe had located a foreign body. Cautiously he extracted a little piece of black metal. After cleaning the wound, he finally said to me, "Now you can bring the dressing."

Afterward he explained, "You see, the piece of shrapnel that caused the puncture was still in there. If you just cover that shrapnel up with a dressing without removing it, it will be a continuous source of infection and will cause further complications."

As I look back over my period of ministry in London, I realized that at times I made the same mistake as I did in the reception station during the war. In helping some of the people who came to me, I tried to apply a first field dressing to a wound that still contained a demonic source of "infection." Before I could really help such people, I needed two essential items of spiritual equipment: the "probe" of discernment and the "forceps" of deliverance. ---

So in answering the question about whether a true Christian can be possessed by a demon, I have to say no. However, I've been convinced through my own personal experiences that a born-again believer in Christ can be severely oppressed, tormented, and influenced by demonic spirits... if they continually invite and allow these spirits to set up strongholds in the areas of their lives that they will not yield to the Holy Spirit.

TO BE CONTINUED...