Can Believers be Possessed by Evil Spirits

Written by Paul J Bucknell on March, 25, 2021

Can Christians be Possessed?

In the Old Testament, there were a lot of people who were demonized by evil spirits. I would like to know under the New Testament can demons possess people or Christians?

Demon Possession and the Old Testament

We can carefully assume demonization in the Old Testament period, particularly when referring to those outside of Israel. When the Israelites left God for idols, there was no doubt that an increase of demonization came about God’s people. For example, consider the amount of deception, fear, and spiritual bondage when the Israelis joined the nations and sacrificed their own sons and daughters.

“They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters” (Psalm 106:37-38; cf. Ez 16:20).

The phrase “to the demons” reveals how demons drive people to kill others, whether before or after Christ’s coming. Jesus pointedly stated, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10).

Demons stand hidden behind the many idols in the land. Even in our age, when we see people “mentally disturbed” and killing people. This is primarily a spiritual problem where people have given up on the influence of demons. It’s related to the amount of lawlessness allowed and drugs/alcohol tolerated.

Genesis 6:1-6 hints at demonization because of the increase of evil but not sufficiently clear to base an argument upon. We cannot be sure what happened there regarding evil spirits.

An evil spirit tormented King Saul after the Spirit of God left him. I have otherwise spoken on King Saul, concluding that his jealousy provided a place for the evil spirit to haunt and control Saul recklessly. We can see this through his attempted murders of David, his son-in-law, as well as in ordering the mass murder of innocent priests.

But any reference to such evil spirits is vastly different from what we find in the New Testament with God’s people because the Holy Spirit no longer comes upon His people as in the Old Testament, He lives in them.

Demon possession and the New Testament

Because the Holy Spirit lives in God’s people, demonization is quite a different matter. Some state that the evil spirit cannot live in a genuine believer. I would agree with this; however, there are two issues here that must be kept in mind.

Demon-filled or possession is not biblical language, at least when referring to how the evil spirit works in people. If we understand it to mean that the evil spirit takes full control, we are mistaken, even with unbelievers. People still have a will.

However, if we understand it to describe the degree the evil one has on a person, it will certainly look like the evil one sometimes fully controls a person.

John provides extra insight when stating that Satan, in this extreme but true example, entered Judas Iscariot just before he betrayed Jesus.

“After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly”” (John 13:27).

Judas Iscariot was not a believer. Satan had control over him as he does with all unbelievers. Judas played a game of deception with Jesus and others, seen through the way he pilfered the cash bag. I suppose for Judas to betray such a friend as Jesus, all the light he had gained had to be extinguished so that he could pull off the betrayal. To complete his purpose, Satan entered him.

Conclusion

In short, Christians cannot be possessed by the evil spirit, but they can be greatly influenced by them so that they seem under their control. It’s best not to use the word “possessed” but “influenced by,” which helps us keep working with such individuals in the hope that the light of God will enter their soul, breaking the pattern of deception tolerated by evil deeds and bitterness.