Deliverance ministry and spiritual warfare are two of the biggest issues in our day. I know that’s a big claim, but it is true (as you are about to see in this issue of Theology for Life). The Bible has a lot to say about the reality of how (because Christians live in-between the times) they to engage in real war against an already vanquished foe in Satan (Ephesians 6:11-18).
Deliverance ministers today suggest that not only are Christians transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 1), but they can also have demons and need (repeated) deliverance ministry. Christians, such as myself and many others, object to this teaching, because it undermines the sufficiency of God’s Word and of God’s grace (and our justification) through Christ’s death on our behalf. What I just explained is so vital because Christians are not only saved by the grace of God, but they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. As a result of this, Christians cannot have indwelling demons, and they have no need for deliverance ministry/maintenance.
To the true believer, the Christian life is one in which they have been saved by the grace of God and are growing into who they are because of the it. The Christian life is one of repentance from the start until end. We are held safely because of a good Lord and King, Jesus, who has secured our pardon and will lead us safely home. This, of course, is not to say that Christians cannot be demonically oppressed. The main difference between modern-day deliverance ministries and true Christian ministry lies with understanding the difference between possession (indwelling) and oppression (conflict from without).
Christians live in an earthly place where the world, the flesh, and the devil may cause one to fall to sin and/or experience tribulation. Nobody is denying this reality. But what modern-day deliverance ministers are claiming is that Christians aren’t merely oppressed, but possessed by demons. In this ideology, there is no room for repentance or sanctification. There is no need to face things head-on and take up your cross. You just go to your deliverance minister and get your “deliverance” to “fix” whatever ails you. To those that teach and practice this “deliverance ministry”, everything is caused by a demon (maybe more than one). If you struggle with lust, you purportedly have a demon of lust. If you struggle with anxiety, you purportedly have a demon of idolatry. And the list goes on and on, without mention of sin or the need to repent.
The true and biblically-grounded Christian rejects deliverance ministry, not because they don’t want to help people, but because these ministries offer no help to people. They add to the gospel by suggesting that what people need is “deliverance maintenance”, instead of the all-sufficient grace of God, that not only saves but also satisfies, sanctifies, and will one day glorify the believer.
In this new issue of Theology for Life, you’ll not only learn the truth about what the Bible teaches about spiritual warfare, but also what the Church has taught about it. Along the way you’ll also be instructed on why the modern-day deliverance ministry is so dangerous and why it “preaches” another gospel other than Christ and Him crucified.
In Christ Alone,
Dave Jenkins
Executive Editor, Theology for Life Magazine
