This is a question the Bible never asks, nor answers. But I think it would be helpful to look at what the Bible actually says about demons and the nature of their work.
First of all, the word “possessed”. Get rid of it. I do not believe it accurately reflects the Greek.
There are two words or phrases the Bible uses to describe a demonic affliction: “demonized” and “have a demon”. They mean the same and are interchangeable. The Greek word I translate “demonized” is simply the noun “demon” turned into a verb and made passive. And “have a demon” looks the same in Greek as it does in English. It is pretty straightforward.
The Bible goes back and forth as to which word or phrase it uses. For example, in Luke 8:26 it says that the man from the Gerasenes “had demons,” and then a few verses later in verse 36 it says that he “was demonized”. In John 10:20 some people accuse Jesus of “having a demon.” In the next verse some people say that he does not sound like somebody who “is demonized.” So there is no difference in the Bible between “having a demon” or “being demonized”.
I have heard some Christians maintain that a believer may be oppressed by demons but never possessed by them. This is not a distinction that the Bible ever makes.
The English Standard Version seems to try to make this distinction in Matthew 8:28 and Matthew 9:32. In Matthew 8:28 it says that Jesus was approached by two “demon-possessed men”. They were crazy and violent: “so fierce that no one could pass that way.” Jesus cast out the demons and the men were fine. Then in Matthew 9 the ESV says that “a demon-oppressed man who was mute” was brought to him. Jesus cast the demon out, and the mute man spoke.
Why does the ESV say that the men in Matthew 8 were demon-possessed but the man in Matthew 9 was only demon-oppressed? Presumably because the second man was not crazy or violent or speaking with other voices. His only problem was that he couldn’t talk. But the Greek text uses the same word of the mute as it does of the psychotic individuals a chapter earlier: “demonized”. And therein, I believe, hangs an important doctrine. Afflictions as distinct as psychosis and muteness were equally labeled demonic.
As I survey the biblical data it seems to me that where Western Christians would tend to separate afflictions into distinct categories (physical, spiritual, psychological), the Bible just smooshes them together. If we think a problem is physical we give it medicine; if psychological, therapy; if spiritual, exorcism. If a man hears voices and speaks in strange ones, that may be demonic. But if he has a curved spine, that’s just scoliosis.
But look at the hunchback in Luke 13. There it says that a woman at the synagogue “had a disabling spirit” (presumably a demon), and had not been able to straighten up for 18 years (verse 11). We might regard a bad back as something that results merely from injury or congenital defect. Can the devil curve a spine? According to Jesus he can. After Jesus straightened the woman out, he noted that Satan had bound her for 18 years (verse 16).
What about boils on the skin? We see that as an infection of staphylococcal bacteria. We may not see anything there of a spiritual origin or anything requiring a spiritual response. Just give it some warm compresses, antibacterial soap and maybe an antibiotic. But consider Job 2:7: “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” The devil did it, and he did it to a good man. Bacteria were just the means that the devil used to afflict Job.
But could the devil get into the mind or body of an apostle? As a matter of fact he did. It seems that St. Peter had himself a demon when he rebuked Jesus, telling him there was no way he would ever go to the cross. “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus replied (Matthew 16:22-23). And St. Paul had an unspecified “thorn in the side” - presumably some physical affliction - that he said was “a messenger of Satan to torment me” (2 Corinthians 12:8).
The Bible also says that Satan entered Judas (Luke 22:3). But Judas appeared to welcome that.
It seems to me that the Bible indicates that the devil can do all kinds of things to us. He can curve our backs, irritate our skin, deprive us of speech, afflict us with seizures, give us really bad ideas (betray Jesus, keep Jesus away from the cross), put thorns in our sides, or turn us into flat-out raving lunatics. That is the world we live in, a world C. S. Lewis famously called “enemy-occupied territory”.
But that does not mean we have to cooperate with or willingly submit to any demon that wants to afflict us. The Bible says “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). A good example occurs in the lives of the disciples mentioned above. Peter resisted and Judas did not.
So back to the question, “Can a Christian be demon-possessed?” Get rid of the word “possessed” and go with the more biblical “have a demon”, and I think the answer becomes clear. Can a Christian have a demon? Sure. On any given day, God may give some demon permission to afflict your skin with boils, your back with curvature, your vocal cords with silence, your will with temptation, your mood with discouragement, or your synapses with incompetent neurotransmitters. Why should you be immune? You’re not immune, unless God chooses to give you the special grace of immunity in some particular area. I’m sorry if I’m bursting your bubble, but the fact is, people much better than you have been more sorely afflicted.
I don’t know how a demon might go after you. My demon gave me a bad knee for a year and a half. A friend’s demon told her that she was Jesus and that she should sacrifice herself. We’re both better now. But whether your demon is giving you a toothache or causing you to believe that you can control the weather, your basic response should look pretty much the same. Do these things:
Pray. Jesus told his disciples to pray, “Deliver us from evil,” and many scholars think that means, “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).
Endure. Sometimes that is what you will have to do. Poor St. Paul got left with his thorn from the devil even though he prayed against it (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
Get medical help. Paul told Timothy to take some wine for his stomach and frequent illnesses (1 Timothy 5:23). Maybe for you that “wine” is depakote or risperdal.
Get counseling. Proverbs 24:6: “You should wage war with sound guidance—victory comes with many counselors.”
Don’t sin. This is important. Demons love sin and God hates it. Isaiah 1:16-17: "Stop doing wrong, learn to do right."
Trust Jesus Christ. In John 16:33 he told his followers, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
There are four (4) words in the New Testament for demon. Their Greek numbers are 1139, 1140, 1141, and 1142. Go grab yourself a copy of AMG's The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament and look them up. You might just expand your understanding on this issue.
ReplyDeleteWhile you're at it, pick up a copy of Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament and read from page 1 through 20 dealing with the various forms of the word 'daimon.' According to all of this, the words did and do mean and refer to demon possession.
ReplyDeleteDear Xtreme Christian,
DeleteThank you for reading the post! I am encouraged by your desire to study the Bible in deep detail. I see from your response that though you yourself do not know Greek, you are giving it your best effort to make use of resources made available by Greek scholars, and this is commendable. Perhaps I can still be of service to you. The four words you mention (Strong's reference numbers 1139-1142) are not, in fact, four words for "demon". 1142, "daimon", is simply a variant of 1140, "daimonion". It is comparable to English "toward" and "towards" - the same word, really, but one form is shorter. 1141, "daimoniodes", does not mean "demon" but "demonic". (It's an adjective.) 1139, "daimonizomai", does not mean "demon" either. This is the word that I describe above as "the noun 'demon' turned into a verb and made passive", or "demonized". My point, in part, is that "demon-possessed" is an inexact and regrettable translation of this Greek word, because, in the Bible, demons don't possess people; people possess demons! I hope this helps. If it is still unclear to you, I am happy to engage you further. Or, if you prefer, please take this to someone who knows Greek well, and he or she will verify everything I have said. Peace to you.