Our generation is fascinated with him demon possession, however, the phrase “demon possession” does not even appear in the Bible. Despite the many stories one comes across on the web about demon afflictions throughout the world, we do not base our thinking, or how we deal with such afflictions, on experience. Experience is tricky. You show me your experience and I’ll show you mine. Rather than appealing to experience, we must base our thinking on the Bible. How does the Lord deal with those who either committed the sin of the occult or those who have been demonized?
We can begin with the Old Testament. One example is how the Lord deals with Manasseh. The Lord does not send a prophet or priest to confront the demons – there is no mention of exorcisms, binding the devil, or casting out demons. Rather, we see God’s judgment; Manasseh’s repentance; and the Lord’s mercy upon him. His repentance is intensive and broad.
When we look at the New Testament we see the same thing. Peter in dealing with Simon the Sorcerer calls him to repentance. He does not cast out demons. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see any instruction regarding how to do deliverance, or the causes behind demon possession.
Often, many people point to Christ’s work of deliverance as normative for Christians today. It is important to remember that Christ’s work was a manifestation of his Messianic calling: by confronting and casting out demons he was showing his power over Satan. It was a down payment or foretaste of his complete and total victory over Satan and his hordes by his death and resurrection. As such, it is not a pattern of ministry for believers today.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
