In a sense, the Christian is already possessed…possessed by the Spirit of God. If the question is, “Can a Christian be Demon-Possessed?” then according to the Bible, the answer would have to be “no”.
The believers have been “bought with a price” (1 Cor.6:19,20) and therefore is possessed or owned by God. There are some who make the argument that a Christian could be demonized, or what they might call “oppressed”, not “possessed”.
However, when that term “oppressed” is loaded to mean that a demon takes up residence within the believer, causing that individual to express certain behaviors against their will, or “manifest” the demonic presence in bizarre are unnatural ways, it could be questioned as to whether this was not merely a semantic shell game.
The bottom line is that when an individual is saved, God effects a fundamental change in their nature or essence (read: spirit) of the person that absolutely precludes the possibility of a demon remaining inside of him or her. More specifically, it is the metaphysical union of the believer’s spirit with the Holy Spirit makes no room or allowance for any other spirit.
When a person exercises saving faith in the finished work of Christ, and confesses Jesus as their Lord:
1. They are made to partake of God’s Nature (2 Peter 1:4)
2. They are sealed with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph 1:13, 4:30)
3. They are born again of God’s seed (1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 3:9)
4. They are forgiven (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; 2:13)
5. They are made righteous, that is, justified before God (Romans 3:21,22; 4:4,5; 2 Cor. 5:21)
6. Made alive and united with Christ and seated with him in heavenly places. (Eph 2:6)
7. Bought and owned by God (even their bodies) (1 Cor 6:19,20)
8. Declared to be a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16)
9. Declared by God to be holy and blameless (Eph 1:4, Col 1:22)
10. Adopted by God, and given a spirit of sonship (Romans 8:16,17; Gal 4:6,7)
With this all of this in mind, we would do well to ask ourselves if God Almighty would gracefully share his residence with a demon? Paul, utilizing the same image of the believer being a temple, asks just this question in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16.
“For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
The question is of course, rhetorical. Christ and Belial (a demon from Jewish mythos) cannot have “concord” or agreement. They don’t co-exist very well at all. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, whenever he got within any proximity of someone with a demon, the demons typically came out and scattered.
The Bible also says that:
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” (1 Cor. 2:12)
Paul also says in 2 Tim 1:7 that:
“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7)
The Apostle’s John concurs in 1 John 4:4 when he says that:
“Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world”.
Who does the verse suggest is in us? God Almighty. Who is in the world? The devil, or his demons. Quite the reverse of those who might think that the devil or a demon can exist inside of us as believers. In a no less conclusive verse, John says in 1 John 5:18
“We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.”
The wicked one does not touch those who are born of God. That does not preclude the possibility that the devil may not try to harass a believer. However, the begotten of God “keepeth himself”. The devil has no right, authority or ability to touch anything on the Christian that pertains to their “self”, that is, their inner man (spirit, soul).
A more detailed discussion can be found at Earlychurch.net
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