Imagine professing to have saving faith in Jesus Christ, only to be told that you will have to be delivered from indwelling demons on a routine basis and that these demons can come back to indwell you for various reasons. Perhaps it is because you have given them “legal rights”. Perhaps you have an ancestor who dabbled in the occult, creating a generational curse. It could be that you played with a Ouija board as a child, or maybe you purchased an item on a mission trip that has indwelling demons. Whatever the case may be, there are various teachings that have been perpetuated for years surrounding the belief that born-again Christians are the ones in need of demonic deliverance by casting out indwelling demons.

I remember not only learning about this teaching in the hyper charismatic movement, but I also participated in deliverance sessions with others. I was also allowed to teach demonology in our local church, utilizing a well-known deliverance minister’s workbook containing his teaching. We always stated that Christians could not be demon possessed, but they could still have demons influence them and affect them in other ways, and when deliverance sessions were done, we were casting demons out of professing Christians. Even so, deliverance sessions were still done. I look back now on those times, and I am saddened that many people were led astray and possibly even spiritually damaged by these practices. They were not instructed Biblically about sanctification or justification, and I question if many had even heard and received the true gospel of Jesus Christ. His gospel brings great freedom and power from the penalty of sin and the power of sin. His gospel confronts our sin against a holy God, and it transforms us from the inside out.

I believe in deliverance. I simply do not believe that modern deliverance ministry is sound Biblical teaching. If I could be so bold, I would say that this teaching leads only to bondage rather than freedom. It brings a pseudo peace while trusting in a man or woman claiming authority over demons to set one free from demonic tyranny. It recycles the lie in the garden that someone else is to blame. In this case, a demon of lust is the cause for lustful thoughts. A demon of anger needs to be expelled in order to eliminate your fits of anger. Personal accountability for sin is negated and works of the flesh are not addressed in comparison to the fruit of the Spirit noted in Scripture. Those seeking deliverance are not properly Biblically discipled, and there is a concern that those who believe the Holy Spirit would cohabit with a demon in a born-again believer have not truly believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So, how can I believe in deliverance? I believe what Colossians 1:13-14 says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Believers in Christ are no longer under the tyranny of Satan. Salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ is deliverance. Yes, we are still in a fallen world, but we have great hope because of Christ’s finished work on the cross. We stand justified before God because of Christ Jesus, and we are being sanctified by His Spirit and by His Word as we sojourn in this world. We are no longer at enmity with God, and our battle with the demonic is an outward battle, not an inward battle. 1 John 4:4 says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them (false prophets with the spirit of antichrist), for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Take note of where the enemy is in comparison to the Spirit filled and Spirit led believer in Christ.

The gospel is not centered upon what demons have done or are doing. The gospel is centered upon what Christ has done, and He has defeated the devil. He is a conquered foe. It is not good news to tell Christians that demons still have legal rights to them and that demons are to be expelled from them. If that is the case, then why trust in Christ at all? If you are a citizen of heaven, what Christ did is sufficient to bring you out of Satanic tyranny. It does not mean that you will not face temptations, trials, and difficulty due to the enemy. It means that your battle against the devil is from without, not within.

This deliverance movement is indeed growing and becoming more popular, but there are also more people coming out of this type of teaching and turning to sound Biblical understanding. The need for sound Bible teachers is vital for those who have believed such things. The true gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God rightly divided is the solution to this erroneous teaching.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Print

Stay In Touch With Us

Subscribe to Email List

* indicates required
How often do you want to receive emails? *
Email Format

Intuit Mailchimp

 
0
No products in the cart.