Can a Christian have a demon?

Can a Christian have a demon, be possessed by a demon, or be oppressed by a demon or evil spiritual forces? The topic is quite controversial in church circles today, at least in the United States. In our line of work, we’ve run across these questions and feel like we have some good teaching on the subject.

My goal is to educate and arm you with Biblical teaching with the result of disarming the enemy forces in your life or the lives of your family and friends.

Jesus Will Become a Sanctuary 

An interesting prophecy about Jesus from the prophet Isaiah shows us that Jesus would become a sanctuary and a stone of offense:

“And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 8:14 ESV) 

The Messianic Psalm 2 agrees with Isaiah about the Messiah, Jesus, being a place of protection:

“Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12b ESV)

Jesus is a sanctuary Himself as well as a stone that makes people offended. Why are people offended? Because they disobey the Word.

As a side note, we get a blessing for not being offended by Jesus.

“And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:6 ESV, Jesus speaking)

How does this tie in? Well, it’s a groundwork concept being laid.

What Does Peter Have to Say?

In Peter’s first letter to the church, he uses similar language to Isaiah

“As you come to him [Jesus], a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:4-10 ESV, brackets mine)

Peter confirms that Jesus is, in fact, the stone, the chosen and precious cornerstone. And then we see that, in the image of Jesus, we are also like living stones, being built up as a spiritual house. Why a spiritual house? Because Jesus is also a sanctuary, a spiritual house.

We Reflect Jesus

The same principle applies in other areas. Jesus says that He is the light of the world (John 8:12), and then He says that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Just as Jesus received glory from the Father, we receive glory from Jesus (John 17:22). Jesus is the good Shepherd (John 10:14), and He also appointed shepherds in the church (Ephesians 4:11). As He is, so also are we in this world (1 John 4:17b). We reflect who Jesus is.

“And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 3:18 NET)

Which image are we being transformed into? Into the image of Jesus. The Bible says Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15, 2 Corinthians 4:4).

Therefore, if Jesus is a sanctuary, we are also a sanctuary.

The Old Testament Tabernacle, A Sanctuary

It might be a little strange to think about a spiritual sanctuary inside of a person, so let’s take a look at a physical sanctuary in the Old Testament. God told Moses, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8 ESV).

Now let’s look at the structure of the tabernacle, the tent of worship. The Lord instructed Moses how to build it as a three-part structure: an outer court, and a covered tent consisting of two rooms, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. A curtain was hung in between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. The Ark of the Covenant, representing God’s presence was put in the room of the Most Holy Place, and God would fill that room up with His glorious light. 

A Sanctuary in Heaven

A spiritual sanctuary in Heaven also exists. The earthly physical tabernacle was a copy of the spiritual tabernacle in Heaven.

“They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’” (Hebrews 8:5 ESV) 

The pattern shown to Moses was in Heaven itself (see Exodus 24-26). Later on, the Apostle John confirms this spectacle, when he wrote, “After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened…” (Revelation 15:5 ESV).

Three-Part Nature

So we see that a sanctuary can be physical or spiritual, and that Jesus became a sanctuary, and that we are also sanctuaries. The special sanctuary that God had Moses build was a three-part structure, representing God’s three-part nature.

This tent of meeting, or tabernacle, is a representation of our three-part beings, since we are created in the image and likeness of God Himself. The outer court that everyone could access and see corresponds to our bodies. The Holy Place that only a few priests could enter represents our souls. And behind the veil, the Most Holy Place, represents our spirits. Upon conversion, our spirits are reborn and get filled up with the Holy Spirit and God’s light.

Who Else Has a Sanctuary?

Other spiritual beings have authority over sanctuaries, both in the spiritual realm and in the physical realm.

One of the passages concerning the devil is found in Ezekiel 28. It is said that the devil profaned his sanctuaries.

“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.

I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.” (Ezekiel 28:15-19 ESV, emphasis mine) 

How do you think the devil profaned (or polluted, defiled, prostituted, wounded, slayed) his sanctuaries? Well, perhaps it’s better to take a look at the physical structure. How was the physical sanctuary profaned in the Old Testament? 

Sure-Fire Way to Profane a Sanctuary

Let’s take a look at one of the stories from the book of second Kings that demonstrates a polluting and profaning of God’s sanctuary.

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. 

For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 

And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” 

The Lord’s Declaration

But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel. And the LORD said by his servants the prophets, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.” (2 Kings 21:1-12 ESV)

By the time Manasseh came on the scene, Solomon’s temple had already been in operation for many years. The solid stone, wood and golden structure replaced the flexible tabernacle. However, the three-part system persisted in the temple design.

Manasseh profaned the temple by setting up altars to other gods inside the temple. He built altars for other gods in the courts of the temple. He brought in an Asherah pole and set it up inside the temple.

The profaning of God’s holy place is done through worship of other gods.

Spirit, Soul, and Body

You are a three-part being, created in the image of God, with a spirit, a soul, and a body. Did you know that? Take a look at what the Bible says:

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV).

Notice it says “your whole spirit and soul and body…” Why would he call these out separately? Because you have a spirit and a soul and a body.

Before Christ, you existed as a body and soul, and each of these fought against each other for control. Your spirit was dead.

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11 ESV).

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked…” (Ephesians 2:1-2a ESV)

After conversion, or receiving Christ in your life, your spirit comes alive. Your spirit is born again. It comes online, and the Holy Spirit fills up the room of your spirit. Your human spirit is meant to have dominion over your body and soul, because you are filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit of self-control.

You Are a Temple

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV)

So you are a temple, a sanctuary for the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit fills up your spirit. Your soul, however, is still a work in progress. In a process called sanctification, the Believer “works out their own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12b). 

Can the Believer’s temple be profaned? Yes, through the worship of other gods. But you may say, “Hey Brett, I don’t worship other gods. My temple is clean.” Well, what about before you were saved? You have likely made agreements in the spiritual realm that you don’t realize you made, perhaps a vow: “I’ll never amount to anything,” or “I always fail.” Perhaps there’s someone you need to forgive, or possibly there has been a sexual sin or drug use or unholy agreements made by you, your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. Maybe something was done to you, against your will, or some trauma or abuse.

These are all ways in which the sanctuary of your soul can be profaned, thus opening doors for demons to have a foothold or even dwell inside your soul. And because the devil defiled his own sanctuaries, he’s interested in defiling your sanctuary. He’ll use whatever means necessary, including ignorance. Yes, even if we are not aware of the devil’s schemes, we can still be held captive by them.

Case Study – Simon the Magician

In Acts 8, many people believed in Christ during the ministry of Philip, who spoke well and performed miraculous signs. He drove out demons from people and healed many who were paralyzed or lame. A magician named Simon also believed and was baptized. After Simon witnessed the power of the Holy Spirit, he offered to buy it from Peter and John. Peter responds:

“But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.’ And Simon answered, ‘Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.’” (Acts 8:20-24 ESV)

Even though Simon’s sins were completely forgiven, he was still in “the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” How is this possible? Because of Simon’s past as a magician and sorcerer. He had previously made agreements on a soul-level that needed to be broken now that he was a believer in Christ. Bitterness is also a spirit and needs to be repented from and kicked out.

Full Circle

Our own internal sanctuaries can be polluted by demons. Can a Christian have a demon? Definitely. Can a Christian be oppressed by a demon or evil spiritual forces? Yes. Can a Christian be possessed by a demon? I would say no to this one. As Holy Spirit filled, Bible-believing Jesus followers (aka Christians), we are bought with the blood of Jesus. He’s the one who owns us. 

Our spirits are filled up with His Holy Spirit. But our souls are still a work in progress. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. The basket is the darkness of the soul, which can snuff out the light of our spirit. It’s our job to partner with the Lord for our deliverance, stepping into our true identities as More than Conquerors!

Are you being oppressed right now?

If you believe you’re being oppressed by demons, you may experience some or all of these things: strange and dark spiritual occurrences, accusing voices in your head, repeated injuries or cyclical harm to your body or family, unknown sicknesses without cause or sudden sicknesses, nightmares, night terrors, dream paralysis, ungodly dreams or daydreams, disconnection with God during worship, apathy towards God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit, apprehension about the subject of demons or deliverance, spiritual deadness, fear, anxiety, depression, addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex, or pornography. Evil spirits are involved in all of these with the goal of moving you in any other direction than the call God has for your life.

What To Do Now

If you want to be free, there’s lots of hope! I have been delivered of evil spirits, my wife has been delivered, and my friends have been delivered. It’s actually a lot more common than you might think. Look back at this blog post on Breaking the Chains of Evil Spirits. There are some powerful prayers at the end of it.

Also, I recommend watching the entire video of Vlad Savchuk’s talk on “How to Spot a Demon – 14 Signs.” Definitely pray with him towards the end of the video.

Another great video to watch is an interview with Don Dickerman, who used to not believe demons could inhabit the souls of believers but has since become a deliverance minister for several decades! Don’s book, “When Pigs Move In” is definitely worth a read.

If you need help, reach out to us or one of the guys in the video. The Lord is building up the skill and ministry of deliverance in the body of Christ during this time in history. He is interested in freedom from spiritual bondage! 

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1 ESV)