Demons and Demon Possession

Subordinate agents of Satan are called “demons” (Matt. 12:24), “evil spirits” (Luke 7:21), “unclean spirits” (Matt. 10:1), and “the devil’s angels” (Matt. 25:41). The term “unclean” is used 22 times in the New Testament in connection with these demonic creatures, interchangeably with the modifier “evil” (Matt. 12:43, 45). 

Demons are real personalities, described as speaking (Luke 4:33-37; 8:30-31), recognizing Christ and being afraid (Luke 4:33-37, 41; Mark 5:6-7), and trembling (Jas. 2:19). God created all things (1 Cor. 8:6), including free-will spirit beings, and everything he made was good (Gen. 1:31). But some of his creation have rebelled against him, including the devil (1 Tim. 3:6) and the devil’s minions (Matt. 25:41; 2 Pet. 2:4).  

Demon Possession

Demonic spirits afflicted people in the first century AD with the inability to speak (Matt. 9:32-33), blindness (Matt. 12:22), insanity (Luke 8:26-36), and epilepsy (Matt. 17:14-20), although the same maladies had natural causes as well (cf. Matt. 4:24; 8:16). Not all mental illnesses are attributed to demons, and not all illnesses attributed to demons are psychological in nature (Matt. 12:22-29). Demon-possessed persons were regarded in the same manner as sick people and are sometimes said to be “healed” right along with those suffering from natural diseases (Luke 8:36). 

Demon possession always required supernatural power to expel the demons (Matt. 10:8; Luke 4:36; 11:20) and apparently only occurred in New Testament times, as there are no recorded instances in the Old Testament. With the exception of four occurrences in Acts (chaps. 5, 8, 16, 19), all references are in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (total 26). Interestingly, John's Gospel, written much later (near the end of the first century) has no mention of it.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), and the devil’s angels were fearfully aware of the Lord’s purpose and their ultimate doom (Mark 1:24; 5:7; Matt. 8:29; Luke 4:34; cf. Jas. 2:19). By casting out demons, Jesus demonstrated his authority and power over evil forces, signaling the approaching kingdom of God (Luke 4:36; 11:20). His disciples exhibited the same power by the authority of Christ (Matt. 10:8; Luke 10:17; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:18; 19:12-17).¹

Perhaps demon possession was part of an all-out attack the devil made against Jesus and against the establishment of his kingdom, somewhat of a mock incarnation with the devil’s forces seeking to take on human form as God did in Christ. There were attempts to prematurely reveal Jesus’ identity, potentially causing him to be put to death before the completion of his work (Mark 1:34; Luke 4:41). But Jesus is greater and more powerful than Satan’s forces and brings complete deliverance from evil in all its forms (Col. 2:15; Eph. 1:20-21; 1 Pet. 3:22). 

Does demon possession still occur today?

The biblical evidence indicates that demon possession occurred only during Jesus’ earthly life and for a brief period afterwards (on a much smaller scale) during the time of the apostles. There is not a single case of demon possession mentioned in the New Testament beyond Acts 19. Neither are there any warnings against demon possession, nor instructions or spiritual gifts to deal with it. Even in the lists of miraculous gifts recorded in 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 28 and Eph. 4:11, there is no mention of the power to cast out demons. This suggests it was not a common occurrence in the early church, it was not expected to continue, and it is therefore no longer happening.

There is a big difference between demon possession as recorded in the New Testament and modern-day claims of demon possession. In the New Testament cases, there was no doubt as to the cause; Christ and the apostles simply ordered the demons out, with immediate results.²

Conclusion

Despite many post-apostolic claims of demon possession and exorcisms, nothing comparable to what is depicted in the New Testament can be confirmed. While no clear explanation is provided in scripture, it is reasonable to conclude that demon possession was a limited phenomenon allowed by God to demonstrate and confirm the power and authority of his Son over the spiritual realm of Satan (cf. Matt. 12:28-29; Luke 10:17-18; 11:20-22).

The devil’s real work today is not possession but temptation (Matt. 4:3; 1 Cor. 9:27; 1 Thess. 3:5). If you are in Christ and faithfully serving him, then the devil and his agents are overcome in your life and you need not fear (John 10:27-30; 1 John 2:13; 4:3-4). Do not be concerned about the devil or demons taking you away from God; they cannot (Jas. 4:7).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The sign of casting out demons, promised to “the ones having believed” (Mark 16:17), is contextually referring to the Lord’s immediate disciples, who had just been rebuked for their unbelief (v. 14), afterwards fulfilled in them (v. 20).

     ² Many today profess to “cast out demons” and to do “many wonderful works” in the name of Jesus, but they make this claim without the Lord’s sanction (Matt. 7:21-23). Here is a sample <Link>.

Related Posts: The Devil's Names 

Related articles: Jack Wilkie, Demon-Fighting Christianity

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God is Savior of All People, Especially Believers (1 Timothy 4:10)?

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:10, “For to this we labor and struggle, since we have hoped upon the living God, who is savior of all people, especially of believers.”¹ In what sense is God “savior of all people”? What is meant by the qualifying phrase, “especially of believers”? Are there two different ways or degrees or senses in which both unbelievers and believers are saved? Does this passage support universalism? 

Contextual Usage of “All”

Contextually the statement in question follows (and must therefore be understood in light of) what Paul has already affirmed in 2:3-6, “This is good and acceptable before our savior God, who desires all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of truth. For [there is] one God and one mediator between God and humankind, a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself [as] a ransom for all, the testimony in their own times.” 

Obviously, according to Paul, God wants “all people” to be saved and has thus made provision via Christ’s atoning sacrifice for “all.”² Therefore God is “savior of all people” prospectively in that he has provided redemption to everyone through “knowledge of truth.” Moreover, this follows Paul’s affirmation in 1:15, “Faithful is the saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost.” In this sense salvation is made available to “all kinds of” people,³ even reprehensible sinners like Paul, but not without a faith response (1:16; 2:7) and enduring faith (1:19; 2:15; 3:9, 13; 4:1, 6, 8, 12-16; 5:4-15; 6:10-21).⁴

In 1 Timothy the adjective “all” is consistently applied, not universally but in a more limited, qualified sense (4:15; 5:20; 6:10, 13, 17). It is repeatedly employed emphatically when a certain point is being emphasized (1:15, 16; 2:2b, 11; 3:4, 11; 4:8; 5:2; 6:1, 10, 17).

Contextual Usage of “Especially”

But what is meant by the phrase, “especially [málista] of believers”? Some have interpreted this to mean salvation is granted to those who are not believers, which contradicts other clear passages of scripture (e.g. Mark 16:16; Heb. 11:6). If we keep reading, however, Paul himself reveals his intended usage of this phraseology. The superlative adverb “especially” can be interpreted to indicate a contrast between two different things, but this is not how Paul employs the Greek word málista in 1 Timothy.

In 5:8 the apostle says, “but if anyone does not provide for [his] own, and especially [málista] [his] household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Here Paul is not making a distinction between one’s “own” and one’s “household” but is placing special emphasis on a particular obligation. Then in 5:17 he writes, “Let the well-ruling elders be considered worthy of double honor, especially [málista] the ones laboring in word and teaching.” Again Paul is not contrasting “well-ruling elders” with those “laboring in word and teaching” but is emphasizing with greater specificity what it means to be well-ruling elders.

In 1 Timothy the adverb málista (rendered “especially” in our English Bibles) seems to be employed emphatically rather than contrastingly. It narrows the focus and conveys particularity, thus comparable to “namely” or “in particular.”⁵ Whatever else might be inferred, the terminology in no way supports sweeping universalism.

Conclusion

If 1 Timothy 4:10 is isolated from its immediate context and the overall context of scripture, it can be misconstrued to convey any number of things. But when we carefully follow Paul’s train of thought, and interpret the verse in its much broader context of meaning, the statement is clear. The spiritual salvation God provides through Jesus Christ is universal in purpose and scope but conditional and thus limited in appropriation.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless noted otherwise, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² John 3:16-17; Rom. 5:18; 8:32; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Tit. 2:11; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 John 2:2; 4:14. See K. L. Moore, “Did Jesus die for many or for all?” Moore Perspective (13 Feb. 2015), <Link>. 

     ³ The Greek adj. pas can idiomatically signify “a totality of kinds or sorts—every kind of, all sorts of” (J. P. Louw and E. A. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the NT [NY: UBS, 1988]: 589); cf. 1 Tim. 6:10, 13, 17. In Romans the adj. “all” is consistently applied with particular reference to ethnic groups, not the unqualified totality of all individual persons. The overarching theme of Romans is that Jews and Gentiles stand before God on the same footing. Gentiles sin and are thus condemned (1:18-32), but they are not the only ones; Jews are also guilty before God (2:1-5). Whether Jew or Gentile, the obedient receive divine favor and the disobedient face God’s wrath (2:6-16); there is no partiality with God (2:11). All have sinned (3:10-12, 23; 5:12) = both Jews and Gentiles (3:9, 19), not just the one to the exclusion of the other. Moreover, “all” (both Jews and Gentiles) have equal access to God through Christ and are accepted by him on the same terms (3:29-30; 4:16, 24; 5:18; etc.).

     ⁴ For what it means to be a “believer” in the biblical sense, see K. L. Moore, “NT Believers,” Moore Perspective (26 July 2013), <Link>.

     ⁵ Idiomatically rendered “that is” (ISV); “particularly” (Mounce, NLT, Phillips, TLB). 

Related Posts: Religious Dialogue (Part 1), What Must I Do To Be Saved?

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Revelation 13:8 – What was Predetermined from the Foundation of the World?

The 13th chapter of Revelation describes a 7-headed beast from the sea with 10 horns and 10 crowns empowered by the dragon, making war with God’s saints. The earth-dwellers are said to worship the beast, “whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb having been slain …” (v. 8).¹ Contextually the beast represents the tyrannical empire of Rome (cf. 11:7), the dragon symbolizes the devil (cf. 12:3, 9), and the earth-dwellers are worldly-minded people as opposed to God’s heavenly citizens whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life (cf. 3:5; 17:8; 20:15).²

The interpretive challenge here is ascertaining what the phrase “from the foundation of the world” modifies. What was divinely predetermined: the unrecorded names (ASV, CEV, ESV, H/CSB, NASB, NET), or the slaying of the Lamb (ISV, JUB, NIV, N/KJV, NLT)? Does this passage confirm the philosophical notion of determinism or the Calvinistic doctrine of predestination, or does it simply describe the foreknowledge of God’s redemptive plan? The Greek syntax supports the latter: “And all the ones dwelling on the earth will worship [the beast], whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world.” 

God’s scheme of redemption was in place before he created the universe (Eph. 3:9, 11), including the sacrifice of the emblematic Lamb (Acts 2:23; 1 Pet. 1:19-21; cf. Isa. 53:6, 10). With omniscient foresight he predetermined to collectively save all who are in Christ (Eph. 1:1-14; Rom. 8:28-30), with no redemption available for impenitent and unforgiven sinners estranged from Christ. In this sense certain ones are metaphorically left out of the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world (Rev. 17:8),³ but the idea of determinism or Calvinistic predestination is discounted seeing that it is possible for names in the heavenly registry to be removed (Rev. 3:5).

It is not a matter of the Lord having preselected particular individuals to be saved and everyone else to be condemned. Rather, all who are “in Christ” have been collectively predestined and chosen; every person must therefore decide whether or not to respond to the universal gospel call to enter Christ and be counted among the called/chosen/elect (Mark 16:15-16; Gal. 3:22-28; etc.),⁴ i.e., the sanctified ones (saints) whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless noted otherwise, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

     ² The heavenly registry “book” symbolizes God’s recognition and remembrance of all who belong to him, offering assurance to everyone submitting to his will on his terms, while issuing a warning for those who do not (Ex. 32:32; Psa. 69:28; 139:16; Isa. 4:3-4; Luke 10:20; Phil. 4:3; Heb. 12:22-23).

     ³ Some would argue that the wording of Rev. 17:8 is parallel to Rev. 13:8, but syntax and literary flexibility allow for the employment of a phrase in different ways. Moreover, any doctrine based on a highly symbolic text is suspect if it is not clearly taught elsewhere in scripture. 

     ⁴ On human free will, see Deut. 30:19-20; Josh. 24:15; Isa. 55:6-7; John 3:16-17; 7:17; 1 Tim. 2:3-4; Jas. 4:7; Rev. 3:20; 22:17.

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