Demonic Legal Rights? A Biblical Response to Deliverance Teaching

By Dawn Hill

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. — Colossians 2:13–15

The belief of demonic legal rights is a fundamental teaching within the modern deliverance movement. The practices of family members going back four generations are viewed as being relevant in identifying and breaking off generational curses and areas of demonic entrance into family bloodlines. It is said that what a family member does not conquer has legal rights to pass down further into future generations. Many are instructed not to claim an illness or struggle in the possessive, such as my depression or my sickness. By doing this, deliverance leaders teach that this gives that illness or struggle legal ground to remain, thereby giving way to future generations.There are professing modern-day apostles who will tell those under their leadership how important it is to remain under the anointing of a leader so that legal rights cannot be obtained by the devil to attack the congregants. Sinful practices such as participation in the occult are viewed as giving way to demonic legal rights. There is an appeal to personal experience when dealing with such things, which is then used to interpret Scripture in reference to this belief.One verse often referenced is Exodus 20:4 due to it affirming the adverse effect on third and fourth generations. However, upon looking at this passage, there is no reference to demons indwelling those who believe in God and who obey Him. Rather, it addresses the sin of idolatry and the repercussions to future generations for this idolatry and for not being taught to obey God’s law.Even when looking at the account of Job, we can see that Satan was permitted to afflict Job outwardly and that God’s sovereignty was on display. There is no mention of Satan being given legal rights to indwell Job and to harm him. Some will teach that Job’s fear is what gave way to these attacks, but if we take time to read the first two chapters, we will see what transpired in order for Job to be afflicted and how Job responded in the midst of God’s sovereignty.

What the Apostles Taught—and What They Didn’t

First, the Apostles of Christ did not teach about the legal rights of demons to indwell born-again believers. When reading the epistles, we find that spiritual warfare is indeed present in our lives (Ephesians 6:10–18, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8), but there is no instruction to cast demons out of fellow believers because of legal rights granted to demons.Though generations to follow can reap from the consequences of past sinful practices in families and societies, this does not conclude that demons have been brought into family bloodlines due to the sinful practices of one ancestor.To instruct professing Christians that they are responsible for breaking generational curses in family lines where demons are said to have gained legal access is to create a system where a fallible human being is his/her own savior on a wheel of spiritual bondage. The argument could also be made that this belief lends more toward the sovereignty of Satan rather than the sovereignty of God.Second, spiritual warfare is real, and it is not something to be ignored. We must be aware that we are in a spiritual battle and that we also contend with our flesh and the world. However, we are not to fixate on Satan or demons. We are to focus on Jesus Christ and to trust Him as our Deliverer and our Refuge.We have not been left ill-equipped; God has sent His Spirit to indwell those who have been regenerated, and He has left us His Word that is sufficient for life and godliness. Ephesians 2:2 tells us that the prince of the power of the air (Satan) is the one at work in the sons of disobedience. That is not born-again believers.We have been saved by grace through faith, as we are assured further in this passage, and this is God’s doing and His work. The battle against the enemy for the Christian is from without, not from within.Third, we are not to be ignorant of the enemy’s schemes, and I believe that one scheme is to focus upon him so much so that His gospel and His Word are inadvertently viewed as insufficient.In the modern deliverance movement, power is viewed as renouncing, confessing, binding the devil, and witnessing alleged demons leave through a deliverance session. This can include writhing, coughing, gagging, vomiting, conversing with the said demon, etc.In other words, those professing Christ are told that they need demons cast out their flesh or their soul while the Holy Spirit is said to dwell only in the spirit of that person. People are then told that they need to maintain their deliverance by doing what is instructed by these leaders so that the devil does not regain legal rights to reenter.

Christ, Not Curses: The True Power of the Gospel

How is this good news? How does this not diminish the truth of the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a born-again believer?He seals us for the day of redemption. He is the guarantee of our salvation, which is deliverance from Satan’s tyranny. While in this world, we are assured that we are His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19–20), and we are to glorify Christ in our bodies.Sadly, it is my contention that the Holy Spirit is one of the most abused and misrepresented members of the Godhead in the modern deliverance movement. There is a propensity to flock to these leaders and to their books containing extrabiblical revelation about how to be set free from demons and their legal rights rather than understanding sanctification, personal accountability for sin, and biblical discipleship regarding sin and proper spiritual warfare.I fear that this movement has created more false converts of these books than true disciples of the Way.

Helpful Resources for Further Study

For further reading, we recommend two related articles that complement this topic biblically and pastorally:

• Spiritual Warfare and the Dangers of the Modern-Day Deliverance Ministries
• Spiritual Warfare and the Sufficiency of Scripture

Final Thoughts: Rest in Christ’s Victory

Finally, as believers in Christ, we are reminded that the battle of the mind is best fought with the renewal of our minds, and that comes through the God-breathed Word, the Bible. Meditating on His Word and asking the Lord to help us by His Spirit are glorious means He has allowed for us in our walk with Christ, as we sojourn in this world by His grace and mercy.We have been given fellow believers and God-fearing church leaders to walk with us and to help us in our sanctification and accountability. We have been given the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, to help strengthen and to guide us. We were bought at a price, and that was not a partial purchase.Dear Christian, be assured that Jesus Christ did not have to regain authority or legal rights from the devil in order for you to be victorious. You do not have to figure out which ancestor dabbled in the occult in order to be free from generational legal rights in your family. You do not have to sit under a specific anointed leader in order to be protected from the devil.Jesus Christ truly does bring freedom.We are reminded in John 8:31–32 that those who are truly His disciples abide in His Word, and the truth testifying of Him sets us free. He has delivered us from the penalty of sin by His atoning work on the cross. He has delivered us and is continuing to deliver us from the power of sin through our sanctification. He has sent His Spirit to indwell us and to empower us by His grace as we make our pilgrimage in this world. He will deliver us from the presence of sin when He takes us home to be with Him in glory.God never lost His authority in this world. He has brought us from death to life by forgiving our transgressions of the law. Jesus Christ paid the debt we owed for our disobedience to God’s laws. He has not only saved us, but He has conquered demonic powers. That victory was a public display. The gospel of Jesus Christ should be a daily reminder to us of the power with which God has worked and continues to work for His glory and our good.His gospel brings the greatest deliverance.

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🎧 Listen to this episode discussing the teaching of legal rights in the modern deliverance movement:

The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: The Charisma of Benny Hinn and Fallible Prophecy on Apple Podcasts.