We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.

Can a Christian be demonized?
I along with most evangelical scholars and pastors do not believe it possible for a Christian to be “possessed” by a demon or by Satan. Christ in principle defeated Satan, and all who are “in Christ” share in this victory (e.g., John 12:31; Col. 2:13–15; 2 Thess. 3:3; Heb. 2:14–15; 1 John 5:18). Colossians 1:13 assures believers that God “has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.” If we are delivered from Satan’s kingdom, we certainly cannot be possessed by the evil spirits of that kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 10:21, the apostle Paul emphasizes that a person is either in one kingdom or the other: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
Finally, 1 John 4:4 tells us that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Christians have been redeemed from the power of the evil one and are now “possessed” by the Holy Spirit of God. How could they be owned by God and yet at the same time be “possessed” by a demon? Evil cannot dwell in the presence of God. Since we know that a Christian is one in whom the presence of God dwells by the Holy Spirit, we can be assured that no demon would be able to inhabit the body of a believer at the same time. Each believer’s body is a temple of God, and God does not share his temple with demons (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Thus, while acknowledging that believers can be tempted, harassed, and even oppressed at times by demons, I cannot accept that a genuine follower of Christ can be possessed by them.
At the same time, I would affirm that Christians can be oppressed by demons to the point that they need to be delivered from them. It’s significant to note that the Greek word usually translated “demon possessed” in the New Testament (daimonizomai) is actually best translated “demonized”—which simply means to be under the influence of a demon. Thus, there is no connotation of possession or ownership. Demonized Christians are saved and redeemed members of Christ’s body. However, either through evil done to them or through their own choices, a doorway has been opened to the demonic realm.
Here I’d point out passages that indicate the possibility of demonic influence and attack in the lives of individual Christians and the church in general (e.g., 2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 4:26–27; 6:10–12; 1 Thess. 2:18; 1 Tim. 4: 1; 2 Tim. 2:26; 1 Pet. 5:6–8). Specific biblical examples of the demonization of believers include King Saul (1 Sam. 16:14–23), Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–3), the Corinthian believer involved in an incestuous relationship (I Cor. 5:1–13), and Judas Iscariot (John 13:27). Perhaps the strongest case is that of the woman in Luke 13:11–16. This woman had been ill for eighteen years with an ailment caused by a demon. Jesus prayed for her, and she was healed. In verse 16, Jesus explains the situation: “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage?” By referring to her as a “daughter of Abraham,” Jesus indicates her authentic faith—she is a true believer. And yet she was afflicted with a demon until Jesus prayed for her healing and deliverance.
It’s also worth noting that many theologians throughout church history, including Martin Luther, John Wesley, Jesse Penn-Lewis, V. Raymond Edman, and Chuck Swindoll, acknowledged that Christians could be demonized and in need of deliverance prayer.
Further Reading
- Basham, Don. Can a Christian Have a Demon? Monroeville, Pa.: Whitaker, 1971.
- Dickason, C. Fred. Demon Possession and the Christian: A New Perspective. Chicago: Moody, 1987.
- Miller, Paul M. The Devil Did Not Make Me Do It. Scottdale, Pa.: Herald, 1977.
- Powlison, David. Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995.
- Unger, Merrill F. Biblical Demonology: A Study of the Spiritual forces behind the Present World Unrest. Wheaton: Scripture Press, 1952.
Category: Q&A
Tags: Demons, Q&A, Spiritual Warfare
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Related Reading

How do you respond to 1 Kings 13:2–3?
The Lord proclaims against the pagan alter of Jeroboam, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘A son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’ He…

What Do We Do About Violence That Is Already Here? That We Were Born Into?
In this episode Greg Talks About Becoming Non-Violent in a World Soaked in Violence. Episode 30 http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0030.mp3

Are you an annihilationist, and if so, why?
Annihilationism is the view that whoever and whatever cannot be redeemed by God is ultimately put out of existence. Sentient beings do not suffer eternally, as the traditional view of hell teaches.I’m strongly inclined toward the annihilationist position. The reason is that it strikes me as the view that has the best biblical support. I’ll…

Spiritual Warfare: What is it?
The Kingdom is “not of this world,” and neither is its warfare. Jews had always believed that God confronted spiritual opposition in carrying out his will on earth. In the Old Testament, these evil forces were usually depicted as cosmic monsters and hostile waters that threatened the earth. For a variety of reasons this belief…

The “Christus Victor” View of the Atonement
God accomplished many things by having his Son become incarnate and die on Calvary. Through Christ God revealed the definitive truth about himself (Rom 5:8, cf. Jn 14:7-10); reconciled all things, including humans, to himself (2 Cor 5:18-19; Col 1:20-22), forgave us our sins (Ac 13:38; Eph 1:7); healed us from our sin-diseased nature (1…

What is the significance of 1 Chronicles 21:7–13?
The Lord gives David three options of how Israel may be judged. “Three things I offer you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.” Paralleling 2 Samuel 24:12–16, this passage reveals that the Lord gives people genuine alternatives and then responds to their choices. If the future is unalterably settled in…