Thinking of the spirit world: a biblical view

By James R Henderson

The issue of the spirit world is widely discussed in secular as well as religious circles. For Christians it is important to remember the biblical view of the spirit world, and that some popular views extant today are often at variance with the biblical view.

Points of importance in the biblical view are:

• There is not an ongoing struggle for universal supremacy between the forces of darkness, led by Satan, and the forces of good, led by God. We have already victory through faith in Christ, and God is sovereign (Colossians 1:13, 2:15, I John 5:4, Psalm 93:1, 97:1, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 19:6).
• However, Satan seeks, through temptation and through the sway of society under his control, to get us to alienate ourselves from God. We separate ourselves from God through choosing, out of our own free will, to sin by giving into our own sinful human nature, thus following Satanâs degenerate ways and accepting his considerable deceitful influence (Matthew 4:1-10, 1 John 2:16-17, 3:8, 5:19, Ephesians 2:2, Colossians 1: 21, I Peter 5:8, James 3:15).
• Even the activity of Satan and his demons, including Satanâs tempting us, falls within Godâs sovereignty. God allows such activity to happen because Godâs will is that we have the freedom (free will) to make spiritual choices. (Job 1:6-12, Mark 1:27, Luke 4:41, Colossians 1:16-17, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Luke 22:42, I Corinthians 14:32).
• The principal prescribed response for the believer to Satan and to his tempting us to sin is to resist (Matthew 4:1-10, 1 Peter 5:9, James 4:7). Resisting Satan involves praying for protection, submitting to God in obedience to Christ, being aware of how evil can attract us, acquiring spiritual attributes (which Paul calls putting on the whole armor of God), and having faith in Christ who looks after us through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 6:31, James 4:7, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 10:4-5, Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Thessalonians 3:3).
• From time to time in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts Jesus and those whom He authorizes specifically to do so cast out demons from some who are physically and/or mentally afflicted. The motivation includes both compassion for the afflicted and attestation to the authority of Christ, the Son of God. The casting out of demons was related to the relief of mental and/or physical affliction, not to the spiritual issue of the removal of personal sin and its consequences. (Matthew 17:14-18, Mark 1: 21-27, Mark 9:22, Luke 8:26-29, Luke 9:1, Acts 16: 1-18).

With reference to some modern interpretations of the spirit world one should observe that noticeably absent from the biblical narrative are:

¯      Support for superstitious notions.

¯      frequent demonological explanations given by believers for everyday problems and sin.

¯      Many references to curses being pronounced by Satan, evil spirits or human demonic agents

¯      Demonic curses or spells that are passed on from generation to generation.

¯      Demons that make an individual sin against His or her free will and that therefore need to be bound and cast out.the biblical response to sin is not to cast out an oppressive demon or spirit but for the individual to acknowledge his or personal responsibility for sin and to repent through the sacrifice of Christ.

¯      Ritual procedures for the casting out of demons.

¯      The use of the name of Jesus or reference to the blood of Jesus as a phrase that has inherent power of itself. A specific ministry devoted to the search for and the casting out of demons.

Let me make a few additional comments on the subject of curses. As noted above, the biblical record does not validate adequately the idea of curses being pronounced by Satan and/or his cohorts. In the Old Testament curses are often perceived pronouncements from God to indicate judgment for or consequences of wrong behavior ö e.g. the expulsion from Eden, Deuteronomy 28, etc. Sometimes curses are made by men where cursing is used to mean to wish evil or speak evil against someone ö e.g. Shimei cursed David, bless as opposed to curse your enemy, etc. The main concept of curse in the New Testament is the divine judgment of (self-induced) separation from God as a result of personal sin, from which curse we are redeemed through the sacrifice of Christ (Galatians 3:10-13, Revelation 22:3). In the few instances in the Bible of cursing with a view to calling on spirits to possess or influence someone or something, those who do so operate out of idolatry and out of a pagan worldview of the spirit realm (e.g. Goliath in I Samuel 17:43, Balaam in Numbers 22).

            A book that gives helpful perspectives on this subject is Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare by David Powlison, published in 1995 the US by Hourglass Books (Baker Books).

A number of questions have been asked about Deliverance Ministry. Deliverance Ministry refers typically to regular ceremonies and liturgical practices, sometimes within the context of weekly services, during which ministers and/or lay members seek to expel demons or remove demon influence from the whole congregation or from individual believers and/or non-believers. It also sometimes involves procedures for the unbinding of recent or generational curses. In addition, there can be activity surrounding what is known as Strategic Spiritual Warfare, which involves attempting, usually from a viewpoint of advancing the Kingdom before the imminent return of Christ, to identify and attack demonic strongholds in communities, cities and nations.

It is important to understand that the position of the Worldwide Church of God has not changed on these matters. In our fellowship we do not practice Deliverance Ministry as described in the preceding paragraph.

It is also important to note that any central teaching needs a sound theological foundation. A practice without well informed supporting theological theory can become an end in itself, and is usually very hard to correct. We of all groups should understand this. Our past practices, which were theologically misinformed, were well ensconced within our fellowship and difficult to change. One could say that our previous badly constructed theological theories worked ö people seemed happy, the church at times seemed to thrive, etc ö but just because something works does not mean that it is right or acceptable to God. I know that many say, ãDeliverance Ministry worksä, meaning that clear results are sometimes evident. The concept of ãit worksä is highly subjective and anecdotal. We need to consider the theology behind a practice or a teaching, and determine whether that theology is founded on adequate biblical reflection and research. We do not advocate looking to presumed experience alone as a means of developing doctrine and practice. In other words, just because we are caught up to feel that a practice makes us spiritual, or because it makes us feel good about ourselves, does not make the said practice in itself an acceptable teaching. All teachings and practices must come under the scrutiny of careful study of the Word of God, in other words, the discipline of careful, Christ-centered theology.

Some specific questions have been asked by a number of people:

1.      What is the Worldwide Church of Godâs position on praying for Satan to be bound at the beginning of church services? 

The Worldwide Church of God does not seek to be overly prescriptive on the question of congregational prayer. Obviously we would expect everything that is said and done to be to the glory of God and for the edification of the believers. From a pastoral perspective we need to ask ourselves if we think it wise to draw attention to Satan at the beginning of church services. The answer is no, it is not appropriate and not wise. I have been to some church meetings where the first organized event is a prayer to cast out/bind Satan, sometimes this is in the form of a command. Therefore the immediate focus is not on God and on His influence on our life but on Satan and his possible past, present and future influence. Maybe Satan is happy, if he is ever happy (which I doubt), with the priority attention he receives!

Also, we need to bear in mind that, theologically, we teach that we have the victory already in Christ, and any implication that somehow at the beginning of church there is a struggle with Satan is out of order.

2.      Are there guidelines on how to identify demon possession?

This is a big subject, and theologians and scholars have written much about it. Please remember that this is not a priority issue in ministry ö we have not been called into the ministry in order to identify those who are possessed by the devil. Ministry is about helping people identify their Savior, Jesus Christ, and to serve those whose are His. Also, remember that, historically, a lot of superstition has revolved around this issue, and the symptoms of some now recognized diseases and psychological conditions were regarded erroneously as indications of demonic possession. As ministers and leaders we should not encourage superstition but rather dispel it. Remember that an essential part of ministry is when to consider referring people with serious personality disorders to qualified professionals in the fields of medicine, counseling, psychiatry and psychology.

Having noted these points, pastors and ministers should be slow to conclude that someone is possessed by a demon. Let any such conclusions be, where possible, with the multitude of counsel of other ministers, and with the involvement of an ecclesiastical superior, and with sensitivity to any legal or reputation implications of actions taken.

3.      Is exorcism a gift of the Holy Spirit, and, if so, is it likely that lay members of the church are endowed with this gift and therefore can guide the ministry in these matters?

The Christian world is divided on the subject of miraculous gifts, including the casting out of demons. An interesting book that covers many of the arguments involved is, Are all miraculous gifts for today? by Wayne A. Gruden, published in the US by Zondervan (1996). It has not been proved conclusively that the reference to the ãdiscerning of spiritsä (1 Corinthians 12:10) is necessarily alluding to the casting out of demons. A more conservative view is that it is referring to the giftedness in ministry of being able to discern attitudes and motives in individuals and congregations, and that the giftedness may possibly include but not be limited solely to the identification of demonic activity.

From the perspective of biblical precedence the casting out of demons was performed by specific people who were authorized to do so and/or by the representative ministry, in particular by the apostles. There is no scriptural record of demons being expelled on an ad hoc basis by lay members of the congregation.

4.       Is there a specific ceremony recommended by the church for the casting out of demons?

The church has no public ceremony (that is, to be performed in the presence of the congregation) for the casting out of demons. As in the case of the anointing with oil (James 5:14) usually the setting is more private, and it involves typically the elders of the church. There are general rules for the ministry ö not to be alone in this situation, to be careful to respect laws involving minors, to avoid the appearance of evil, etc. Having cautiously considered the situation and arrived slowly at the conclusion of suspected possession or influence, let there be at least two ministers present. Praying and fasting should be considered ö to draw close to God beforehand. Be mindful that demons respond to the authority of Christ, not to our authority ö ministers should not assume that they have authority of and by themselves, and should not seek to address demons and engage them in conversation ö Jesus is the one who has addressed them for us. In addition, remember that this is not about magic ö it is about faith. Nor is it about shouting and dramatic effect ö it is about compassion for the afflicted individual, as illustrated by the ministry of our Lord.

During the prayer it is fitting to pray fervently that the Lord will rebuke Satan and his demons (Jude 9) and that the person be released specifically from the mental and/or physical affliction involved. Afterwards, ministers should be encouraging. They may pray that, through Jesus Christ who strengthens the believer (Philippians 4:13), the person involved be led to submit to God so that the devil will flee from him or her (James 4:7); that the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will guard his or her heart and mind through Jesus Christ; that he or she will not meditate on negative things but on the positive values of Christian thought (Philippians 4:7-8).

Ministers should explain to the individual involved the importance of spiritual disciplines; warn against destructive habits; surround him or her with the community of believers; and follow up with encouragement and counseling.  

The preceding remarks in response to question 4 are given as general guidelines and are not meant as a legalistic or formulaic pattern that must be followed in every situation. 

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