Journal: Interdisciplinary Journal on Biblical Authority
Volume: IJOBA 01:1 (Spring 2020)
Article: Demon Possession And The Christian: Why Christians Cannot Be Demon Possessed
Author: Robert L. Dean, Jr.

IJOBA 1:1 (Spring 2020) p. 61

Demon Possession And The Christian:
Why Christians Cannot Be Demon Possessed

Robert Dean, Jr.

Pastor
West Houston Bible Church

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There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors...1

The question “Can a Christian be demon-possessed?” is not one of mere academic or theological interest but one of profound implications. If the Christian can be demon-possessed, then this opens up a source of problems for the believer which entails its own array of solutions including exorcism, deliverance, and supernatural healings, the mechanics of which are not revealed in Scripture. If any of a believer’s problems or failures can be blamed on Satan or a demon as the source of that problem, then this places the believer in the role of unwitting victim and releases him from responsibility for failure. If, on the other hand, the Christian cannot be demon-possessed, then vast numbers of churches, ministries, counseling practices and spiritual life methodologies are inherently flawed, investigating problems that do not exist, and prescribing solutions, in many cases bizarre and extreme, which may promote problems that are even more dangerous. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the biblical arguments for Christian demon possession against the backdrop of studies since the mid-twentieth century.

IJOBA 1:1 (Spring 2020) p. 62

Historical Overview

Historical development since the mid-1970s, the increased growth of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement brought with it a renewed interest in the demonic, and a new focus on spiritual warfare. Films and books presented lurid and frightening accounts of possession, even of believers. Missionaries wrote chilling accounts of demon encounters on the mission field. This, in turn, promoted a host of conferences and seminars on demon possession, healing, and exorcisms. Though some were much more extreme than others, they shared in common the belief that Christians can be demon-possessed and that this explains why countless believers have failed in their spiritual life. Proponents of this new concept will be referred to as the advocates of neo-spiritual warfare (NSW).

Historically, Roman Catholic theology maintained the possibility of demonic possession of the believer. This is primarily due to concepts in Roman Catholic soteriology that make it impossible to have certainty of salvation. During the early church and the Middle Ages, this belief spawned numero...