What exactly does it mean to be possessed with a devil?
A Biblical approach to
the ministry of deliverance
Jesus referred to deliverance as children's bread
and said it was not fit to cast before dogs
(those outside of covenant with God)
Chapter 1 of 10 > Next page
(Click here for table of contents)What exactly does it mean to be possessed with a devil?
Before I can really show you how Christians can have demons, it is essential that you have a correct understanding of what it means to be possessed with a devil. So what exactly does it mean when a person is said to be possessed with a devil? A great place to start is the NT Greek. If we look up the word possessed in NT Greek, we find absolutely nothing at all! There is no translation for the word possessed. However, we can look up the word devil in the phrase "possessed with a devil", and it gives us the Greek word daimonizomai. The Greek word daimonizomai means to be exercised by an unclean spirit, to have one, to be under the power or influence of one, or to be vexed with a devil. To be vexed refers to harassment, torment and troubling from an evil spirit.
Because the word possessed is not translated back to NT Greek, it is essential that we leave behind the word possessed, because the proper translation is actually coming from the word devil when used in the phrase "possessed with a devil". Many people today get demon possession confused with ownership simply because the word possessed nowadays usually refers to ownership. I believe many Christians feel that a child of God could not possibly be possessed, as in owned by an evil spirit. The Bible makes it very clear that a believer cannot be owned by an evil spirit in 1 Corinthians 7:23:
"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."
Therefore it is impossible for a Christian to be owned by a demonic spirit. According to Ezekiel 18:4, it is impossible for even a non-believer to be literally owned by a demonic spirit, for God claims complete ownership of everybody:
"Behold, all souls are mine..."
Isn't possession when a person is completely under a demon's control?
As pointed out earlier, the NT Greek word daimonizomai is referring to more than just one condition. It is quite possible for a person to come completely under a demon's control. However, a person who is said to be possessed with a devil could merely be harassed by a demonic spirit, come under the power or influence of one, or simply have one. Contrary to what many believe, there were perfectly sane people in the Bible that were possessed with evil spirits. Take for example the man found in Matthew 12:22:
"Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."
It is quite possible to have a spirit affecting you physically and not bothering you mentally. Another example of this can be found in Luke 13:11:
"And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself."
The woman was not said to be mentally insane or a lunatic, but was merely bound by an evil spirit that was causing her to be crippled physically. Furthermore, she was even said to be a daughter of Abraham, which clearly tells us that she was a believer. I will get more into that later.
Chapter 1 of 10 > Next page
(Click here for table of contents)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.