TRANS-AFRICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

Students Name : Petronella Kabulo

Course : Anthropology, Hamartiology and Angelology

Lecturer : Revd. Mumba Gabriel

Can a Christian be Demon Possessed?

Thesis: though there are Christians that are experiencing hardship in different ways like stopping a

bad habit or extended suffering and sickness and after prayer, they seem to be manifesting demons;

it should be known that someone who is genuinely born again could not be demon possessed.

i) Introduction

ii) Christ is the supreme King that has no equal

iii) Genuine salvation is submission and possession by the supreme King

iv) The Spirit of God indwells the believer and there is no room for demons to possess the

Person.

The focus of whether Christians can be demon possessed or not is a very trick and difficult one in

that it can stir a very heavy deliberation amongst many theological Scholars, but to understand it

better, it is very important to understand what it means to be demon possessed and how a demon-
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possessed individual behaves. It is important that demon possession is not a recognizable valid

psychological or medical diagnosis, demonic possession is interpreted by some as a cultural

possessive disorder and equated to traumatic experiences of some kind. Whereas some express

concern, that it is a belief in demonic possession that limits access to health care for the mental ill

people. It gives insight into the possession based on but not restricted to cultural influences, but

also scientific mechanisms as collective phenomena of humans.

Demon possession is where the life or livelihood of an individual is supposed to be lead and taken

control by the devil or demons without them being aware or their consent, thus, such persons or

victims are therefore morally blameless. The description of demons is precisely that of a nature

similar to the angelic in knowledge and powers, but with the emphatic addition of the idea of

positive and active wickedness. The prominent symptoms of somebody possessed by demons

include among the many: - Demon possessed person usually have an erased Christ-like memory or

personality. They usually have Convulsions that is epileptic seizures or fits; Fainting as if one is

dying or about to die; Obsession of sudden attacks of irrational actions and behaviours; Oppression

which is the loss of consciousness or involuntary action; External pains, infections, subjections or

submission to the demons; and Possession of sporadic or spontaneous movements or behaviours,

and so on.

In the four Gospels of the New Testament not one single Christian had a demon cast out of them.

The people who had demons cast out couldn’t have been Christians that is born again by the blood

of Jesus, Jesus hadn’t yet died and shed his blood for mankind.

Many people were Jesus followers or disciples until the new birth became available after his death,

burial and resurrection. They had a promissory note on their salvation until the new birth became

available to them. But in the gospel, those did have evil spirits cast out of them were not yet born

again, meaning they weren’t Christians.

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A Christian or a child of God can be oppressed or obsessed by demons that is where the bible says

sickness and disease is the result of satanic oppression acts 10:38.sometimes evil spirits in the body

enforces sickness and diseases and it must be dealt with by the power of the holy spirit in order to

get the person healed. When the demon is cast out, the person is well on the other hand, they have

been other people who were sick but didn’t need a devil cast out of them: they only needed healing,

so we can’t make ironclad rules in this area. We have to rely on the Holy Spirit’s leading to know

whether or not sickness or disease is caused by the actual presence of an evil spirit.

A Christian, just as unsaved person, can have anything he wants to have because all people: saved

or unsaved have free will. We don’t lose our free will when we are born again. Even after a person

is filled with the Holy Spirit, he still makes his own choices. He can think the devil’s thoughts and

yield to the devil’s suggestions if he wants to. The devil always works through the mind, will and

emotions of man to try to get him to do wrong so he can gain access to him. However, a Christian

doesn’t have to yield to evil to evil spirits or to the fresh. He should learn how to yield to the Holy

spirit and resist the devil as the bible say in James 4:7 and a Christian should not allow the voice

of the devil to continue whispering in their thoughts Ephesians 4:27. The devil uses his demons to

keep on giving temptation, like what happened to Jesus in Luke 4:1- 13.the enemy kept on

tempting Jesus but the Lord Jesus resisting the enemy. Kenneth Hagin (2000).

The nature of demons is brought out explicitly in the New Testament as spirit beings, which create

problem for sceptics (Unbelievers or doubters). Demons are depicted as unclean and evil in their

actions, conduct and existence. What is important and critical for all Christians, is that they must

confidently and unwaveringly believe and declare that God’s word as written in the Bible is the one

and only reliable source of evidence and truth about anything, including Satan and demons.

The evidence and truth in open and clear, we can surely, faithfully and confidently say and

proclaim that Jesus Christ has already won, overcome and conquered Satan and given us the eternal

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victory through His eternal and valid sacrifice, death and resurrection from the dead. Thus, not

Christian can be possessed by a demon or overtaken by evil in that the word of God triumphantly

proclaims that, that ‘… Greater is He that is in you, than that is in the world …’ (John 19: 30;

Colossians 2: 15; 1 John 4: 4)

Two thousand plus years ago, there walked a man on the face of the earth who was extraordinary.

He was the son of God and he did extra ordinary things here on earth. He was anointed with the

Holy Ghost and power and went about doing good and setting the captives free because God was

with him (Acts 10:38). This very man went about preaching the gospel and manifesting the power

thereof to many people and demons submitted to him. The gospels in the bible record a few of the

many things that he did while here on earth.

The death and resurrection of Jesus is a public display of who is Lord between the devil and Jesus.

In Colossians 2:15, Paul tells us that Jesus disarmed the rulers and powers {demons} and put them

to open shame by triumphing over them. They have been defeated already and they know their

place. That battle was a once and for all deciding battle and Jesus came out victorious. We are

further told in the book of Acts how demons themselves spoke to say they recognize who Jesus is

(Acts 19:15). In the previous text I quoted Mark 5:7, the demon possessed man went and bowed

before him and cried out, “don’t torment me before my time.”

In conclusion, the authority of Jesus is unmatched. It has no equal and is recognized even by the

devil. And he who he sets free is free indeed. His saving power truly saves anyone who believes in

him from the reign of the devil and his co-hosts. And finally, we have been occupied by the Spirit

of God who is far greater than the devil that he just can’t dare possess the redeemed of the Lord.

That is the plain truth.

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REFERNCES

All Scripture citations are from the ESV.

www.biblword.net/can-christian-demon-possessed.

(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006 by

Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.

All rights reserved.)

Kenneth e Hagin (2000), The triumphant Church: dominion over all the power of the darkness,

Tulsa , oklahoma

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