“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 and works 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, by using phrases such as my depression or my sickness. Deliverance leaders teach that when a person does this, he/she is giving that illness or struggle legal grounds to remain, thereby also providing a pathway way to future generations.

There are professing, self-proclaimed 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 obey Him. Rather, it addresses the sin of idolatry and the repercussions to future generations for this, 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. Some will teach that Job’s fear is what gave way to these attacks by Satan, 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.

There are some important thoughts to consider regarding this teaching in the modern deliverance movement. First, the Apostles of Christ did not teach about any 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 or any other reason.

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 (or even several ancestors). 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. I believe that one scheme is to encourage the believer to focus upon Satan (and/or demons) so much so that God’s 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 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 re-enter.

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, which contain extrabiblical “revelation(s)” about how to be set free from demons and their legal rights, rather than understanding sanctification, personal accountability for sin, and Biblical discipleship in regard to sin and proper spiritual warfare. I fear that this movement has created more false converts of these books than true disciples of the Way.

Finally, as believers in Christ, we are reminded that the battle of the mind is best fought with the renewal of our minds, which 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 by which He has allowed us to grow 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 guide us. We were bought at a price, and that was not a partial purchase.

Do Demons Have Legal Rights to Christians? 1

Spiritual Warfare and the Dangers of the Modern-day Deliverance Ministries

Our October 2024 issue of Theology for Life.
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