Truth Or Territory:

A Biblical Approach to Spiritual Warfare

Jim Osman

Foreword by Justin Peters

 This book is self-published by James C. Osman II and Kootenai
Community Church.

Text copyright © 2015 James Clancy Osman II

All rights reserved for the intellectual content of this work. No part
of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means
without the express written consent of the author, James C. Osman
II or of Kootenai Community Church, P.O. Box 593, Kootenai,
Idaho 83840. All rights reserved.

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 Why This Book? - A Personal Note
Thank you for purchasing this book!

There may be a number of reasons why you purchased this book. There
are a number of reasons why I wrote it.

First, I wrote the content of this book as a series of articles published in

our church newsletter over the course of a year and a half. I have been
asked numerous times about some of the doctrines and practices mentioned
in these pages. I decided to put the answers down in writing so I might have
a resource to hand to those who ask in the future. It is my earnest desire that
God may use His truth in these pages to purify His church, reform His
church, and equip the saints for the work of ministry.

Second, having written the material, I desired to make this available to

an audience beyond the walls of my own church family. Initially I did this
by making the articles available on our website (www.kootenaichurch.org)
for free. Being in an ebook format makes this material even more accessible
to an even larger audience. It is still my desire that God may use this for His
glory in equipping His people.

Third, I have decided to make this material available for purchase as an

e-book as a fundraiser for Kootenai Community Church's new church
building. We are in the process - and have been since 2002 - of building a
new church facility for our church family. We have committed ourselves to
doing this without taking out a loan and to only build as we can pay for it.
Consequently, it has been a long process, and the Body of Christ at
Kootenai has been amazingly patient and adaptable through it all.

We have been meeting in a school cafeteria for 13 years (as of 2015).

This has involved unloading and setting up and then putting away chairs,
sound system, and music equipment week after week for that whole time.
Being in a rented facility has imposed many limitations on our ministry and
yet folks have adapted. We are thankful that God has provided a meeting
place for us for these years, but we are looking forward to getting in our
own building with all the opportunities that that will bring.
 All of the proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to Kootenai
Community Church for the purpose of completing our church building.
Thank you for your contribution to that end!

Soli Deo Gloria!

 Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Establishing Biblical Principles

Chapter 1 - Our Source of Intelligence

Chapter 2 - Truth or Territory?

Chapter 3 - The Enemy and His Army

Chapter 4 - The World and the Flesh

Part 2: Exposing Unbiblical Practices

Chapter 5 - Carnal Weapons: Hedges

Chapter 6 - Carnal Weapons: Hexes

Chapter 7 - Carnal Weapons: Binding Satan

Chapter 8 - Carnal Weapons: Rebuking Satan

Chapter 9 - Carnal Weapons: Spiritual Mapping

Part 3: Explaining Biblical Perspectives

Chapter 10 - Can a Christian Be Demon-Possessed?

Chapter 11 - Is Christ's Authority Ours?

Chapter 12 - What about Exorcisms?

Chapter 13 - Spiritual Warfare and Sanctification

Part 4: Examining a Biblical Passage

Chapter 14 - The Posture of a Soldier

Chapter 15 - The Protection for a Soldier

Chapter 16 - Conclusion: A Final Appeal
About the Author
 Foreword
By Justin Peters
There exists a great and tragic paradox among most of professing
Christendom. We live in a day and age of unparalleled access to almost
unlimited biblical resources. Christian bookstore shelves are filled with
works from a dizzying array of authors on an equally dizzying array of
subjects. Christian conferences promising to equip people to have success
and victory in every area of life are filled to capacity. The advent of the
internet age has made almost every sermon from almost every preacher,
both living and dead, available at the click of a mouse.

And yet, with all of this ease of access to biblical information, never
have both society at large and the church itself been more ignorant of
biblical doctrine. All studies done on the subject confirm that people have
but a cursory knowledge of the Bible – at best. Rare are those who are
willing to follow the Apostle Paul’s directive to “study to show themselves
approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15). Most are content with getting their
theology from sound bites and sermonettes which have little, if any,
grounding in Scripture.

Few areas of the Christian life are more misunderstood than that of
spiritual warfare. The topic of spiritual warfare is a popular one. With its
images of angels and demons brandishing swords in unseen battles and the
assumption that we are to engage in such battles or fail to do so at our own
peril, spiritual warfare generates tremendous interest. Books and
conferences on the subject provide instructions on how to wage this warfare
by breaking generational curses, praying hedges of protection, exorcisms,
mapping the spiritual realm, rebuking and binding the demonic hierarchy all
the way up to Satan himself. If these instructions are meticulously followed,
we are told, victory is assured – at least until the next frightful encounter.

Such practices used to be confined to the Catholic and charismatic

churches. Not anymore. Today these techniques are almost universally
accepted (and universally misunderstood) among the evangelical world.
People assume that these prescribed machinations are indispensable tools
for living a materially and spiritually victorious life.

Would it surprise you to learn that none of these techniques is necessary

or even biblical?

Spiritual warfare is real, to be sure. The Bible has much to say about it.
The problem, though, is that almost all contemporary teaching on this
subject is decidedly unbiblical. Popular teachers have wrested certain
Scriptures out of their biblical contexts and have fabricated a theology that
is successful in selling books and filling conferences, but utterly useless in
equipping the Christian for the true battles which await him.

The Apostle Paul instructed his readers in Corinth “not to exceed what
is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). In other words, in both our doctrine and
practice we are not to exceed the parameters given to us and preserved for
us by God in His Word. When biblical parameters are exceeded, God’s
protection is abandoned. The tragic irony is that contemporary teaching on
spiritual warfare is actually exposing the undiscerning masses to the very
demonic deception from which it alleges to protect!

In Truth Or Territory, Jim Osman has done the church a great service.
He takes the confusing theological cauldron brewed by modern spiritual
warfare “experts” and shatters it against God’s Word. With precision and
clarity he demonstrates that true spiritual warfare is not a war fought with
mantras and incantations but rather with biblical truth.

Truth Or Territory will be of great benefit to the professor, pastor, and

layman alike. A work like this is sorely needed in the body of Christ today
and it is my prayer that your obedient walk with our King will be both
enriched and simplified by its reading. Jim is a personal friend of mine and
one for whom I have the utmost respect as a pastor, theologian, husband,
father, and disciple of our Lord. I commend this resource to you with great
joy and enthusiasm.

In His Service,

Justin Peters
justinpeters.org
 Acknowledgments
The challenge of writing acknowledgments for a book lies in trying to
decide in what order to include the many people who are most certainly
worthy of acknowledgment. Should people be included in order of
chronology, contribution, or closeness to the author?

If I begin chronologically, then I have to start with my Fourth Year

Bible Professor, Phil Powers, who now pastors Forcey Memorial Bible
Church in Washington, DC. Phil would be surprised to learn that he is
mentioned here but not nearly as surprised as to hear that I actually wrote a
book and asked people to purchase it. Phil was instrumentally used by God
to challenge my thinking on theologies and issues raised in this book. I sat
under Phil's invaluable tutelage during my fourth year at Millar College of
the Bible in Pambrun, Saskatchewan. Thanks to Phil, I was required to buy
A Holy Rebellion, a work you will find quoted throughout the pages of this
book. Thanks, Phil.

If I begin with those who have contributed to this work then I have to
first mention my good friend and mentor Brian Atmore, once President of
Millar College of the Bible, and then pastor at Creston Baptist Church.
Brian's contribution to my life, ministry, and preaching has been, and
continues to be, immeasurable. He pored over the manuscript for this book
with a red pen in hand and provided pages of hand-written, substantial
insights and editorial suggestions. Brian's careful eye and ear for the written
word are rare and valuable gifts. I am sure he used up half a dozen red pens,
but he has made this book better in every way. Brian, all the triplets in these
acknowledgments are in your honor. Thanks!

Brian is not the only one who has had a hand in this book. There are a
number of people who have made contributions. Thomas Leo helped design
the cover art and Jenny Leo provided valuable editing and feedback during
the writing process. My secretary, Marcia Whetsel, helps each week to free
up some time that I can devote to writing.
 Jason Upchurch, pastor at Deer Park Church in Deer Park, Washington
provided valuable encouragement and commentary related to my tone.
Many sentences in this book sounded much harsher, shriller, and more
offensive than they do now. I have Jason to thank for any gracious tone
present in these pages. Anything sounding intentionally offensive that
remains in these pages is an oversight. I intend to be thought-provoking and
not abrasive. I trust that Jason has helped me strike that balance. Thanks,
Jason.

I am grateful for the thoughtful input, encouragement, and kind words

of Justin Peters (justinpeters.org) who was gracious enough to write the
foreword to this book. Justin's support for and continued promotion of this
book have served as a powerful impetus for its completion. Thanks, Justin.

Or should I begin with those closest to me? If so, then I must begin by
thanking God for my lovely wife who is the greatest blessing in my life
apart from salvation in Jesus Christ. Her friendship and love are more
valuable to me than life itself. The time she has spent in proofreading this
work, not once, but twice, she can never get back. She did it without a word
of complaint. She has a careful eye for typos without which, this book
would not be worth the paper it is not even printed on. Thankfully this was
a labor of love for her, at least I hope so. Maybe she just didn't want people
to think she married an idiot!

I am also unspeakably grateful for the Body of faithful, loving, serving

believers that I have the joy of being a part of each Lord's Day. The
believers at Kootenai Community Church have read these chapters in the
form of articles in our church newsletter and provided valuable input and
encouragement. It is a joy to serve the Lord with them and grow together in
the Word of God. They are my joy and crown (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).
The elders of the flock that I serve with at Kootenai, Dave Rich and Jess
Whetsel, are among my closest friends and among the most trustworthy,
honorable, and gifted men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. It is a
gift of grace to be yoked together with them in the work of shepherding.

I am almost certain I have missed someone. As the Athenians had an

altar to the Unknown God (Acts 17:23), I offer my sincere thanks to you,
the “Unknown Contributer” and helper in this work. Thanks! Without you,
this book would not exist - I think.

I leave the most significant for last. I thank My God and Father of the
Lord Jesus Christ for His inexpressible gift - salvation in His Son. I thank
Him for choosing me for salvation and drawing me to Himself. I thank Him
for giving me the gifts of repentance and faith in July of 1987 when I first
believed unto eternal life. It amazes me daily that God has saved a wretch
such as I.

Thank You, O Gracious God for saving me, sanctifying me, and
securing me in Your Son. In Christ, I know I will be presented blameless
before Your throne with exceeding joy to Your own eternal glory!

To God alone be glory, praise, and honor both now and in eternity!
Amen.
 Preface
The book you are about to read began as a series of articles published in
the monthly newsletter of the church I pastor in Kootenai, Idaho. I
originally planned a nine-part series that grew to sixteen. I intended to
provide written answers to some oft-asked questions concerning practices
among Christians in the area of spiritual warfare.

There is great need for clear, biblical thinking on this subject. A few
reliable books exist on the subject of spiritual warfare, many of which you
will see quoted and referenced in the pages that follow. They are rare and
are quickly lost in the tempestuous sea of bad teaching.

I am under no delusions of grandeur which might cause me to believe

that I can write a definitive work on the subject. I stand on the shoulders of
the giants of the faith who have gone before. My sincere hope and prayer is
that Jesus Christ, our great King, might use this work to liberate His people
from superstition and empower them to fight the war for truth - biblically.

In Chapters 1 and 2 we examine the foundational issues of the

sufficiency of Scripture and the nature of the spiritual battle. In Chapters 3
and 4 we take a look at what the Bible says regarding the three enemies that
a Christian faces, namely, the world, the flesh, and the devil. Five chapters
(5-9), address wrong warfare practices prevalent in many Christian circles. I
will explain these practices, give examples of their use, and examine the
texts commonly cited for support. In Chapters 10-12 we tackle some key
questions: Can a Christian be demon possessed? Is Christ's authority my
authority? and, What about exorcisms? In Chapter 13 we examine the
connection between spiritual warfare and sanctification. Finally, in Chapters
14-15 we study Ephesians 6, the well-known armor of God section, in the
light of its context.

May our gracious, sovereign, triune God use this book to equip the
saints, refute those who contradict, defend the once-and-for-all delivered
faith, contend for the truth, advance His Word and glorify His most holy
name!
Let us test all things and hold fast to that which is true!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Jim Osman

Pastor/Teacher

Kootenai Community Church

 An Introduction
There are few topics in Christianity that are as clouded by
misunderstanding, false assumptions, bad information, unbiblical practices,
and mystical, superstitious, beliefs as the subject of spiritual warfare.
Consequently, the subject creates some passionate and oftentimes heated
responses from people who have invested in certain practices, techniques,
or modern conventions.

While preaching through Ephesians 6 during the worship services of the

church I pastor, I took four weeks in the middle of the chapter to present
what the Bible says concerning spiritual warfare from various passages of
Scripture. During one message titled, “Wrong Warfare,” I quoted from
popular author, Neil T. Anderson, as an illustration of a wrong approach to
certain aspects of spiritual warfare. After the sermon, a lady visiting our
church went up to another lady who was a member and said with all
seriousness, “You need to get out of this church! This man is a heretic! He
is teaching heresy!” This visitor was heavily invested in the writings and
teachings of Neil T. Anderson and my critique of some of his teachings
made me a “heretic” in her book. Obviously, this is a very controversial and
heated subject in some circles.

Spiritual warfare is a very popular topic. A quick search on Amazon's

website for “Spiritual Warfare” yielded over 2,700 products. If you think
that is a lot to digest, don't bother googling the words and trying to sort
through all that the internet has to offer. [1]

Where can a person, hungry to learn about the spiritual conflict in

which we are involved, turn to find answers? Searching for books on the
subject is likely to lead you into a swamp of very confusing waters. You are
just as likely to pick up the unbiblical teachings of Neil T. Anderson [2] as
you are to purchase something much more biblical by Charles Spurgeon. [3]
You will find a dozen different approaches to spiritual warfare from
hundreds of different authors.
 There is an ever present hunger for teaching on this subject. Christians,
young and old, new and seasoned, want to know about angels and demons.
They want to know about the spiritual struggle in the heavens that Scripture
describes. That ever-present hunger is met by a never-ending stream of
books and teachings which promise deliverance from demons, victory over
sin, and triumph in the spiritual battle.

As I will show in the pages to come, much of what is taught in Christian

circles concerning spiritual warfare is not found in Scripture at all. Much of
it is pagan, superstitious nonsense. Much of it consists of patently unbiblical
techniques which rely upon Scriptures taken out of their contexts and
twisted. Some of it is pure tradition - things we have been taught or heard
preached - which have never been tested by Scripture.

Error is rampant in this realm and I don't think it is by accident. I

believe the enemy of our souls would love to get us off track, trip us up, or
distract us with methodologies that are unbiblical, unprofitable, and
unproductive. If Satan can mislead a Christian concerning true biblical
spiritual warfare, he can neutralize that Christian's effectiveness, and in
effect, keep him out of the battle entirely.

This is a subject where Satan has a vested interest in confusing,

misleading, and deceiving God's people. Consequently, this is a subject
where discernment and clear biblical thinking is desperately needed.

The approach that people take toward this subject runs the gamut from
denial to delusion, from apathy to zeal. Some people deny that Satan exists,
others see a demon behind every bush and under every stone. Some folks
don't give a passing thought to Satan, his activity, or his ploys. Others are so
preoccupied with the demonic that they hardly have time for anything other
than battling demons, binding Satan, and renouncing curses. While some
don't give any thought to the activity of the unseen world, others are so
consumed with it that they live in constant threat, fear, or even terror of
their unseen enemy. The perspectives one can be exposed to in the realm of
spiritual warfare practices range from the orthodox to the absurd.

Why another book on spiritual warfare? I believe the Bible describes

true spiritual warfare. I believe many Christians lack a full and functioning
understanding of what spiritual warfare truly is and how it is to be waged.
With so much nonsense being taught across the Christian landscape, it is no
wonder that God's people are confused. Too much teaching on this subject
has no basis in Scripture and has more in common with pagan mysticism
than anything biblical or Christian. I hope and pray that the time and energy
invested in this book may be used by God to call His Church to Scripture as
the guide for waging an effective spiritual battle.

We must go to the Bible and ask, “What am I told to do in order to be

an effective soldier in this spiritual battle?” When we ask that question and
allow the Bible to speak for itself, we avoid the pagan mysticism, the
faithless superstition, and the terrifying preoccupation with the demonic.
We avoid the unbiblical practices that have somehow wedded themselves to
the church.

I believe this book will stretch your thinking, challenge some traditions,
and for some of us, plow new ground for us as we seek to build a biblical
theology of spiritual warfare. We will see that tradition, superstition,
mysticism, our own thinking, or worse yet, the testimony of demons
themselves, prove to be very poor foundations for theology.

A Personal Journey

Spiritual warfare is one subject that I have spent a lot of time wrestling
through. I have undergone a reformation of sorts in which I had to jettison
much of what I was taught and had absorbed as a new believer.

I understand that personal testimonies are, well, just that - personal.

They are not objective. They are nothing more than anecdotal. We shouldn't
build our theology on personal testimonies, whether our own or someone
else's. We must build our understanding of spiritual warfare on the Bible
and the Bible alone. My own story helps to illustrate the need to reject all
unbiblical and man-made practices.

At the time God saved me, I knew nothing about the Bible - nothing. I
had memorized some passages of Scripture, but my knowledge of the
background and teaching of Bible books was negligible. Though I attended
church somewhat regularly before going off to Bible College, I still was not
well-taught or discipled.

Bible College exposed me to a wide variety of diverse teachings and

practices. It was not what I was taught in the classroom that shaped my
theology of spiritual warfare, but what I picked up in my conversations and
time with other students. The student body consisted of students from all
kinds of backgrounds. Some were very charismatic and had been exposed
to “power encounters” and “exorcisms.”

With or without the approval of staff and teachers, certain books and
tapes made the rounds through the student body as teachable, zealous, and
ambitious young adults gobbled up nearly everything that had a Christian
flavor to it without stopping to examine it against Scripture. We had zeal in
abundance, passion in excess, but discernment in scarcity.

I heard students promoting practices such as praying a hedge of thorns,

naming demons, renouncing past generational curses, and binding and
rebuking Satan. There were even some people who promoted exorcisms as
a legitimate means of warfare against Satan and his hosts. For the first time
in my Christian life, I met folks who believed that Christians could be
demon possessed.

Neil T. Anderson's books and teachings became common fare on the

bookshelves and in the dorms. Many of his practices were adopted and
promoted among the student body. Two books of Christian fiction were
setting the Christian world on fire: This Present Darkness and Piercing the
Darkness, by Frank Peretti. For some in the student body, these two books
functioned as a manual for effective spiritual warfare. Books by converted
occultists were passed around enthusiastically. After all, who could possibly
think they were equipped to do battle with demons if they had never read
anything by supposed “former satanists” like Mike Warnke and Rebecca
Brown?

I was also exposed to an audio tape which offered a methodology for

spiritual warfare promising the salvation of loved ones for whom certain
prayers were prayed. Who wouldn't want that? The tape laid out a
methodology which included binding Satan, renouncing generational sins
and curses, naming demons and binding them, praying a hedge of thorns,
and pleading the blood of Jesus over people, places, and things.

It all sounded good to me - for a while. I prayed the prayers, I pled the
blood, I dutifully bound demons and rebuked Satan, thinking that I was well
on my way to spiritual victory and true sanctification. I was waging real
warfare! Or so I thought.

At the same time, I was learning in my classes about the sovereignty of

God, the limitations that Satan has, and what the Bible teaches about
sanctification in the Christian life. For a long while I was able to
compartmentalize my theology, not seeing that what I learned in the
classroom did not mesh well with what I practiced in the dorm.

Now don't get me wrong, I was not some wacky charismatic demon
hunter trying to cast demons out of every object. I didn't perform exorcisms
or see visions of demons or anything like that, but I had imbibed a theology
of the demonic that did not mesh with Scripture. The day came when I
finally realized that what I was learning from Scripture in my classes did
not match what I was learning from other books and students in my dorm.

My change in thinking started when I overheard some discussions

among the Fourth Year students about what they were learning in their class
on Christian living, which that particular week, covered the subject of
spiritual warfare. They spoke of the amazing things they were learning -
things they had never thought of before. Suddenly, the pieces were coming
together for them and they were realizing that what they had believed for so
long was wrong. It now seemed so ridiculous and out of step with Scripture.
They spoke of being liberated from so much superstition and fear.

I heard one student, whom I loved and respected, mention that “binding
Satan” was a completely unbiblical practice.

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

He began to share with me what he was learning in his class on spiritual

warfare. I realized that what he was sharing with me was a perspective and
worldview which I had learned in class, but never translated to practice. I
listened and offered a few arguments and questions. I wasn't trying to refute
him, but I did want some more information. What he was sharing seemed so
simple, practical, and, above all, biblical. Nothing he said contradicted what
I had learned in my classes. The light started to dawn and I began to see
some contradictions in my own thinking.

I started to ask questions of some of the other Fourth Year students.

Finally one of them said, “You just need to read the book.”

“What book?! How do I get my hands on this book?”

On his recommendation, I made my way to the campus book store and

bought A Holy Rebellion, by Thomas Ice and Robert Dean Jr. [4] I devoured
that book. I read and re-read nearly every chapter in a short period of time. I
compared it to Scripture and found that, unlike my previous theology of
spiritual warfare, this book offered a perspective that fit with what I was
learning from the Bible. I couldn't argue with it. I found myself saying,
“Yeah, that's right. That makes so much sense. How come I didn't think of
that? How could I not see that?”

Over the course of a couple of short months, I went through a radical

reformation in my thinking. I came to understand that the Bible and the
Bible alone serves as our guide in the area of spiritual warfare. I was
liberated from a mystic, superstitious approach to spiritual warfare as
suddenly as if a light had been turned on. I started to see as folly what I had
thought was biblical. It all began to make sense.

How Will You Respond?

I know that among those who read this book there will be some who
were liberated long ago from their preoccupation with the demonic. Like
me, you once thought that real spiritual warfare consisted of doing hand-to-
hand combat with demons to take back territory Satan had conquered. At
one time your view of spiritual warfare had more in common with Frank
Peretti's This Present Darkness than with anything I present in this book.
You left all that behind. Due to the teaching of Scripture, through some
means, you came to understand that real spiritual warfare is not about
TERRITORY but TRUTH. I trust that you will find this book encouraging,
affirming, and equipping.

Others who read this book are still where I once was. You have been
taught that spiritual warfare is about taking back territory from Satan. You
have been instructed to pray a hedge of thorns, name demons, and bind
Satan. You have never thought through some of these things and never been
challenged in your thinking. The fact that these things aren't taught in
Scripture is going to be completely new to you. You have never questioned
the assumptions or the practices that result from them. Much of what I have
to say will shock you.

Do one thing for me: test it all by Scripture (Acts 17:11). Go to the
Scriptures and see if what I say from the text of the Bible is true or not.
Rightly interpret. Give due diligence. Think it through. Examine and test
everything I say and everything you believe. The truth will win.

Still others will read this book who have never heard of binding Satan,
pleading the blood, praying a hedge, territorial spirits, naming demons, or
generational curses. This is all new to you. In that case, do one thing for
me: test it all by Scripture (Acts 17:11). If you haven't heard of these things
before, you will. You need to give some careful consideration to what the
Bible teaches on these matters so you are not caught off guard or deceived.

Some will be encouraged. Some will feel a sense of liberation as old

perspectives give way to a new approach to spiritual warfare - one they had
never considered. Some, hopefully a small number, will be angry, feeling
that their favorite teachers have been attacked and their discernment
questioned. Some will feel as if I am trying to rob them of their most
precious tools in the fight against evil. I am not. Actually, I am trying to
equip you with tools - biblical tools - so that together we may “resist in the
evil day” (Ephesians 6:13).

Endnotes
1. Google results for “Spiritual Warfare” yielded 6,310,000 results. [Back]
2. Winning Spiritual Warfare by Neil T. Anderson came in at number nine
in an Amazon.com search. [Back]

3. I highly recommend Spiritual Warfare in a Believer's Life, a collection of

sermons by Charles H. Spurgeon on the subject. This book came in at
number twelve on Amazon.com's list. [Back]

4. I probably read that book five times before I was ever required to read it
in Fourth Year. It contained all my notes, observations, highlighting and
scribbles from all my study, research and meditation. It was so worn it was
nearly falling apart! I lent it to someone and I can't remember whom.
Subsequently, the book was republished under the title Overrun By
Demons: The Church's Preoccupation with the Demonic. Now it is
currently published under the title What the Bible Teaches About Spiritual
Warfare by Kregel Publications. [Back]
Part 1: Establishing Biblical Principles
 Chapter 1
Our Source of Intelligence
It is a well known maxim of warfare that you must “know thy enemy.”
Ancient Chinese military general Sun Tzu said, “If you know the enemy
and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.” He
also said, “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand
victories.” [1]

War cannot be waged without intelligence. Commanders in the field

have to know the location, direction, and intention of their enemy. Nations
spend billions of dollars each year gathering intelligence on known and
potential enemies. The nation with superior intelligence has a greater
chance of winning the war. Handicap a nation's ability to gather intelligence
and you handicap its ability to fight an effective war.

We are engaged in a war. It is not a war against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, powers, against spiritual forces in heavenly places
(Ephesians 6:10-12). The stakes are high, the battles are real, and the
enemy is a mighty one. In fact, he is stronger, smarter, and more adept at
winning this war than we are. We need intelligence about our enemy to
effectively engage the battle. After all, we don't want to be fighting the
wrong battle in the wrong way with the wrong means! That would mean
certain defeat.

A nation engaged in a war can gather intelligence from a number of

sources. They might rely upon satellite photos, surveillance planes, spies,
inside operatives, or traitors from the other side. They may glean valuable
information from leaks, intercepted communications, anonymous tips, wire
taps, or captured enemy combatants. These and a host of other means are all
fair game in the world of modern warfare.

Where do we get our intelligence for the battle that we wage? The
Bible.
 The Bible Alone!

That's it. One source. No others.

We have only one source of intelligence that we are commanded to use.

All our information comes from one channel. We have nowhere else to turn,
no other source.

If you are responding with incredulity right now, your view of Scripture
is far too low. If you are among the many who would be tempted to think,
“Man. That's it? I am doomed. If that is all I have, then I might as well give
up now,” your view of the Bible and its sufficiency is deficient.

Your response should be, “No problem, because that is all I need.”

What else could you need? The God who wrote the Bible cannot lie
(Titus 1:2) so we can be assured that all the information that He has given
is absolutely true. Further, He knows infinitely more about angels, demons,
and the spiritual battle than any other source could ever hope to offer. He
knows the path to victory. He knows the past, present, and future perfectly.
He knows the outcome and has assured that outcome. He knows the enemy
better than the enemy knows himself. God also knows each one of us: our
weaknesses, our needs, and our frailties. We have the one absolutely
perfect, reliable, and trustworthy source for all intelligence.

I doubt that many would question my assertions regarding God and His
Word. The danger is not that you and I would deny these truths in the area
of spiritual warfare, but that we might fail to apply these truths in the area
of spiritual warfare. No true believer would ever question God's
omniscience or His truthfulness. However, believers do fail to understand
how these truths should inform our view of spiritual warfare.

Is the Bible Enough?

All errors in Christian theology and practice can be traced back to an

inadequate view of Scripture. The modern church's low view of Scripture is
evidenced by its willingness to dabble with psychology, its readiness to
absent the Bible from the preaching ministry, and its constant pursuit and
embrace of extra biblical revelation. [2]

The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture is so foundational to

Christian theology and practice that we find ourselves drawn back to it time
and again. Before we can build a theology of spiritual warfare, we must first
establish a firm understanding of and commitment to the sufficiency of
Scripture. We will see in the chapters to follow, errant belief and practice in
the realm of spiritual warfare has its genesis in a failure to derive theology
from Scripture alone. Sadly, there is no sphere of the Christian life where
this doctrine gets jettisoned more quickly than it does in the theology
behind modern spiritual warfare practices.

In the chapters that follow, we will have to come back to a basic

theology of Scripture and ask, “How does this apply to spiritual warfare?”
All errant theology regarding spiritual warfare methodology is a result of
failing to apply the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture to this subject.
All the silly practices, all the preoccupation with demons, and all the pagan
mysticism masquerading as truth, result from the practical denial of the
sufficiency of Scripture.

We begin where we must, with the Bible. We have to be reminded of

what the Bible says concerning itself.

The Sufficient Source of Truth

When we affirm the Bible to be the only reliable source of information

regarding angels, demons, and spiritual warfare, we are not asserting
something of the Bible that the Bible does not claim for itself. How do we
know the Bible is sufficient and reliable? Let's take a look at just a couple
of key passages.

2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable

for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work.” [3]
 The Apostle Paul described the Scriptures as “inspired” and
“profitable.” Paul told young Timothy, Scripture is “inspired” or literally
“God-breathed” (θεόπνευστος). The NASB translates it as “inspired,” but
the NIV better translates it as “God-breathed.” That is to say the product
you hold in your hand was given by the breath of God Himself. This is the
claim the Bible makes for itself.

When we affirm that the Scriptures are God-breathed, we do not mean

that the Bible contains the Word of God (as if God's Word is found
somewhere within Scripture). [4] We do not mean that the Bible becomes
the Word of God when we read it or experience it personally. [5] Rather, it
is the Word of God - whether men believe it, obey it, and trust it or not. It is
an objective, revealed truth from the God of the universe Who has not only
given us His Word but preserved and protected His Word. Consequently, we
have the very words of God's revelation.

Since the Bible is God-breathed, it is the inerrant, infallible, true, and

accurate source of information regarding life, eternity, history, reality, God,
salvation, Heaven, Hell, and the unseen world of angels and demons. God
cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

Therefore, the Scriptures are to be believed, trusted and obeyed.

Scripture is not a collection of archaic observations by religious men
collected over hundreds of years. The Bible is God's Word - holy, infallible,
and true. Of the many sources available to us by which we might get
information concerning the spiritual realm, the Bible alone is vouchsafed as
absolutely inerrant.

The second word Paul used to describe Scripture is “profitable”

(ὠφέλιμος). The word means “useful.” The Scriptures are useful “for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” When
the Word of God is used in this way it results in the man (or woman) of God
being “adequate, equipped for every good work.” The word “equipped”
(from ἐξαρτίζω) means “to make someone completely adequate or
sufficient for something; to furnish completely; to cause to be fully
qualified; adequacy.” [6] The Word of God equips the Christian, making
him adequate for life, ministry, and certainly the spiritual battle.
 What do you need to make you adequate for spiritual warfare? What
provides you with all the tools necessary to fight the battle? All we need is
the God-breathed Scriptures which equip and mature the man of God for all
areas of life and service. If we have Scripture, we have all that is necessary,
and need nothing more. We have to get that truth ingrained deep in our
souls. Countless teachings on spiritual warfare direct us to look elsewhere
for information about the enemy and the tactics to fight him.

In earthly warfare between nations, intelligence has to be constantly

vetted, analyzed, and verified before it is trusted. Those who gather
intelligence have to constantly ask if a photograph has been faked, if the tip
is legitimate and if the source is trustworthy. We need not doubt for one
moment our source of intelligence because it is the very Word of the God of
Truth.

Like Paul, Peter pointed his readers to the Scriptures as the sufficient,
God-given revelation of truth. 2 Peter 1:3-4: “. . . seeing that His divine
power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,
through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and
magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by
lust.”

God has granted [7] us everything pertaining to life and godliness. All
we need we have been given in Christ. We came to a true knowledge of
Him who called us and we were saved, becoming partakers of the divine
nature and escaping the corruption that is in the world by lust.

By His glory and excellence, God granted us everything necessary for

life and godliness. That is a statement on the complete sufficiency of
Scripture in the life of a Christian. We have been granted salvation by His
calling. We have been given all that is necessary to live the Christian life.
This complete sufficiency is found in His precious and magnificent
promises - His Word. All God has promised us we find in His Word.

Between our salvation in Christ and the Word of Christ we have our
complete sufficiency. What else could we possibly need? When we consider
the rich blessing of God's Word, the salvation we have been granted, and
the fact that we are partakers in the nature of God through the indwelling
Holy Spirit, can we really say, “Ah, that's nice, but it's not enough. I need
more.”? No! That is an insult to divine grace and to the Word of God.

It Is All We NEED

In affirming the Bible is sufficient as the source of intelligence in our

spiritual battle, we are not saying the Bible contains all that CAN be known.
God has not revealed everything there is to know about Himself, His will,
Heaven, Hell, angels and demons. However, He has revealed all we NEED
to know and all He wants us to know.

God has not told us everything that is going on in these realms

[spiritual realms], but He has told us all that we need to know to
protect ourselves and carry out our mission successfully. When we
begin to rely on information based on sources other than the Bible,
we may render ourselves vulnerable because we have
unknowningly overstepped our bounds. [8]

The Bible does not claim to be the only source of all truth [9], or to
reveal all that can be known about these subjects. [10] The Bible does claim
to give us true and accurate information and it does claim to give us all the
information we need for any and every situation that arises in our lives. [11]

Now for the Rub

I doubt many, if any, of the people who read this book would reject the
inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. I assume that most readers would
readily affirm all that I have said concerning Scripture thus far. You likely
have a high view of Scripture.

The danger we face in the realm of spiritual warfare is not that we

would deny the authority and reliability of Scripture outright, but that we
would fail to apply that belief. As Ice and Dean write,

. . . even among those who affirm the inerrancy and infallibility of

Scripture, many Christians deny this authority of Scripture in the
 way they apply (or fail to apply) Scripture to their daily lives. Many
Christians do not seem to view the Bible as sufficient for every
good work when we look at certain practices which they have built
upon viewpoints found outside the Bible. This is especially true in
the area of spiritual warfare. [12]

We must constantly return to Scripture to build our thinking and

practice on the Bible alone. We need to challenge commonly held practices
and beliefs with Scripture and test all things against the Word of God. We
should seek to build our theology of demons, demon possession, demon
exorcism, and spiritual warfare on Scripture and Scripture alone.

Bad Methodology

There are two approaches commonly employed by Christians in

building their theology of spiritual warfare.

The first method we can call “the empirical method.” This method is
the most prevalent in our day. The empirical approach seeks to learn as
much as possible about demons, demonic possession, and how to fight
demons from any source. People who have been demonized or spent time in
the occult are interviewed. Information is gathered. Experiences are collated
and mined for details. It is not uncommon to find people building entire
theologies and practices based on information gleaned from ex-Satanists,
witches, or even from an interview with a demon itself! The empirical
method gathers data from observations and experiences.

The second method is to base our understanding on revelation. We

study the Bible and the Bible alone! Is that too simple for you? Does this
method strike you as inadequate, antiquated, and passe?

I favor this method!

When the first method is employed and we base our theology on

experiences, there is no end to the silly theology and unbiblical practices
that inevitably result.
 For instance, I have heard people claim that when dealing with demons
you need to give them specific commands. Not any old command will do,
but you have to command them “in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Son of
God.” They claim there are demons named “Jesus,” so it does no good to
command demons in the name of Jesus because if you don't specify which
Jesus, then you are just calling upon the name of one of the demons named
Jesus.

Does the Bible say there are demons named Jesus? No. So how do these
folks know there are demons named Jesus? People who are “authorities” in
the realm of spiritual warfare will tell you they have exorcised demons
named Jesus. They have talked with demons named Jesus. This is
information gleaned from demons! Is it reliable information? Hardly. It is a
theology and practice based on an experience coupled with information
gleaned from a demon.

Someone will counter, “But the person performing the exorcism

commanded the demon to tell the truth 'in the name of Jesus Christ the Son
of God and by the power of His blood.' If you command them to tell the
truth by the name and blood of Jesus, they have to tell the truth.”

Does Scripture say this? No. Again, how would they know? They were
told by a demon this is how you get demons to tell the truth. Once again,
they are basing their practice on experience and demonic testimony.

None of these concepts are even remotely based on Scripture. It is quite

laughable, and yet, Christians buy it hook, line, and sinker. You can find
books on the subject of spiritual warfare by the hundreds. These authors
will affirm on one page the authority and sufficiency of Scripture and on the
next page promote a methodology of spiritual warfare based not on a single
verse of Scripture, but on their experience, their interviews, and their
encounters with demons.

Techniques and information gleaned from demons being taught as

though it were the truth of God is the highest form of blasphemy. It
dishonors God, besmirches His Word, and impugns His character. These are
doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1) being taught as if they are the truth of
God. To treat the testimony of demons as if it were as pure, trustworthy, and
true as the Word of God itself is blasphemy, pure and simple.

Anytime we base a technique for dealing with demonized people on

anything other than the clear teaching of the Word of God, we are
doomed to failure. In fact, using any approach based on information
not directly derived from the Scriptures is in practice a denial of the
authority and sufficiency of Scripture. [13]

It is absolutely crucial that in the area of spiritual warfare we build our

theology on the Bible and the Bible alone. Let me be as clear, concise,
straightforward, and gracious as I possibly can. I don't care what you have
experienced. I don't care what someone you know has experienced. I don't
care what your cousin's mother's best friend's uncle's missionary brother has
experienced in some remote tribe somewhere in the distant reaches of the
Amazon jungle. I don't care what some popular spiritual warfare “expert”
says, or what experience suggests, or what a demon has said, or what an ex-
Satanist knows. Neither should you!

We have a perfect source of truth that provides all that we need to fight
the battle. Everything must be based on Scripture and Scripture alone. In
the pages to come you will see just how far some have strayed from this
first principle. May God keep us in His Word!

Endnotes
1. Sun Tzu is believed to be the author of The Art of War. [Back]

2. I have written a lengthy series on Hearing the Voice of God which

contains an entire article on the sufficiency of Scripture. You can view those
articles at our church website at
http://kootenaichurch.org/newsletters/hearing-the-voice-of-god/ . [Back]

3. All Scripture quotations in this work are taken from the New American
Standard Bible (NASB) 1995 Update (La Habra, Lockman Foundation,
1995) unless otherwise noted. [Back]
4. Some teach that within the pages of Scripture, hidden in the words, or
hidden in the teachings of the Bible, the Word of God is mystically
contained. They would say that it is then up to us to read and experience the
Scriptures in order that we might discover the Word of God contained
within them. [Back]

5. This idea was popularized by the neo-orthodox movement of the mid

twentieth century which taught that when the Bible is experienced and
passages “come alive,” then, and only then, do they become the Word of
God to us. That is a hopelessly relativistic approach that Paul would have
rejected. [Back]

6. J.P. & Nida Louw, E. A., Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New
Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition)
(New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 679. [Back]

7. This is a perfect tense indicating something that is past and completed. It

is not something that continues or needs to be repeated. It cannot be
duplicated, added to, or improved upon. [Back]

8. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Jr., Overrun By Demons: The Church's
New Preoccupation With the Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers,
1990), 20. [Back]

9. For instance, the Bible does not claim to be a complete source for all
truth about oceanography, architecture, quantum physics, or mathematics.
But where the Bible speaks, it always speaks truth and cannot err. [Back]

10. We are not told what demons look like, what they are named, if they are
named, or how they are structured. There is a lot about angels and demons
that we are not told in Scripture and that is by God's design and wisdom.
[Back]

11. Ice and Dean, 22. [Back]

12. Ibid., 22-23. [Back]

13. Ibid., 34. [Back]

 Chapter 2
Truth or Territory?
Having established that Scripture is our only reliable source of
information about the spiritual realm, we now need to define “spiritual
warfare.” Spiritual warfare is the most widely misunderstood subject in
modern evangelicalism. When most Christians hear or read the words
“spiritual warfare,” they envision some sort of mystical hand-to-hand
combat that is waged with demons by certain types of prayers, mantras,
incantations, or practices such as binding Satan, praying a hedge of thorns,
exorcisms, or rebuking demons in an attempt to take territory from Satan
and claim it for Christ.

Not only are these specific practices not the least bit biblical, [1] but
neither is the notion that spiritual warfare involves direct interaction against
demons in order to gain spiritual or physical territory.

We can only look to Scripture for a description of spiritual warfare and

allow the Bible to define this warfare for us. We must not adopt occultic,
mystical practices or worldviews. We are not free to make up practices that
we think would be effective in the spiritual battle. We can only turn to the
Bible and allow God to tell us what constitutes real spiritual warfare.
Consequently, any practice not founded upon a sound interpretation of
biblical texts in their context must be rejected. All our thinking and
understanding of spiritual warfare must be grounded in Scripture.

A Biblical Description of Spiritual Warfare

We turn to a familiar passage - one that is often quoted but seldom

rightly understood.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the

flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but
divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are
destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against
 the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all
disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete (2
Corinthians 10:3-5).

Perhaps you were expecting Ephesians 6 and a discussion on the armor

of God, or some passage from the gospels where Jesus commanded and
exorcised demons. We will deal with those passages in time, but we begin
at a more foundational level and answer the question: “What is spiritual
warfare?”

In 2 Corinthians 10, the Apostle Paul defines and describes the essence
of spiritual warfare. In these verses, he tells us how we fight, what we fight,
and why we fight. In 2 Corinthians 10, we have a definition and
description of spiritual warfare which plays a critical role in equipping us to
engage our enemy.

As with any Bible text, we need to give some attention to the context in
order to ensure we are rightly understanding the meaning of the passage.

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians as a defense of himself, his co-workers and

his ministry. After writing 1 Corinthians, some people in the church at
Corinth had started what can only be described as a character assassination
campaign against Paul. There were men in Corinth who claimed to be
apostles. They were apparently very talented, gifted, and persuasive men
whose constant attacks on Paul swayed the hearts and loyalties of the
Corinthian believers. These false teachers impugned Paul's motives. They
claimed he was in ministry for the money. They said Paul lacked integrity.
They suggested he was a hypocrite who said one thing and did another.
Even the people who worked and served with Paul were not immune from
their attacks. These charlatans attacked Titus and impugned his motives.
They claimed that neither Paul nor Titus had God-given authority. They
mocked Paul's physical appearance, his abilities, and his preaching.

Paul responded with a blistering description of these men as “false

apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2
Corinthians 11:13-15). He said that since Satan appears as an angel of
light, so too his (Satan's) servants would likewise appear as servants of
Christ. Rather than being messengers of Christ, they were, in reality,
demonically inspired and empowered false teachers - messengers from
Satan. [2]

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to defend himself and his co-workers against

the attacks of the false teachers. He defended Titus, who traveled with him,
reminding the Corinthians of Titus's integrity, willingness to work, and
blameless life. He defended his own apostleship, authority, power, ministry,
conduct, motives, and, most importantly, the message of the gospel - which
Paul contended was the truth. Occasionally Paul quoted his Corinthian
critics. For instance,

For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which

the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I
will not be put to shame, for I do not wish to seem as if I would
terrify you by my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty
and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his
speech contemptible” (2 Corinthians 10:8-10).

His critics were saying, “Paul sure can write a strong letter for being
such a weak and unimpressive person. He's not so tough. He is not even that
great of an orator. He is contemptible and his speech is pathetic.”

Paul was planning a trip to Corinth to deal with these issues in person,
though he certainly didn't want to. In fact, he hoped that the Corinthians
would deal with this nightmare before he arrived.

In the beginning of this chapter Paul said,

Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of

Christ - I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold
toward you when absent! I ask that when I am present I need
not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be
courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked
according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:1-2).

If they said Paul was strong in his letters, wait till the little man showed
up in Corinth! He told them in verse 2, he hoped he would not need to be as
bold and strong in confronting them as he was intending to be. This was a
warning! “You deal with this situation before I arrive or I will deal with it,
and if I deal with it, you are not going to like it!”

In verse 6 of Chapter 10, Paul said he was “ready to punish all

disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” The obedience Paul
had in mind in this Corinthian situation was a wholesale rejection of these
men, their methods, and their attacks on Paul. If the church was willing to
reject these men and reaffirm Paul and his message and ministry, then Paul
would come and punish the disobedience of these men.

In verse 2, Paul said he was coming and it was not going to be pretty. In
verse 6, Paul said that he was coming to punish all disobedience.
Sandwiched in between those verses is this text on spiritual warfare. In
verses 3-5 Paul drew a stark comparison between his method of ministry
and that of these “other men.” Paul described his own ministry, contrasting
it with the ministry of these false teachers.

With all that context and background, let's look at these verses in detail
and see how we fight, what we fight, and why we fight.

The “How” of Our Warfare

The false teachers in Corinth claimed Paul's methodology and tactics in

ministry were fleshly and worldly. They labeled Paul's ministry as “not
spiritual enough.” They said it was “fleshly” and wasn't dealing with real
spiritual issues. According to them, Paul wasn't doing real spiritual battle,
but only engaging on a fleshly level.

He answered in verse 3-4, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do

not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not
of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

The word “flesh” here is not used in its ethical or moral sense. Paul is
not saying we walk “carnally” or “immorally.” It is used in its normal, more
literal sense, meaning “we are normal men.” He simply meant that he
participated in normal human existence with all of its inherent limitations.
Fortunately, our method of doing battle is not limited by our physical nature
or our human frailties. We do not wage war merely according to the flesh.
[3] Though we walk physically, we battle spiritually.

God has given us certain weapons which are to be used in spiritual

warfare. Since the battle we fight is not a physical battle, but a spiritual one,
the weapons we employ are likewise spiritual and not physical. When Paul
says that the “weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,” he means that
they are not of human making or design. We have heavenly weapons, given
by God for the advance of truth, not designed by men for the defense of
territory.

Paul highlighted a very real temptation that we often face, namely to

approach our life, walk, ministry, or warfare from a purely human vantage
point. We walk in this world and we are constantly bombarded with the best
of human wisdom, human methodologies, human thinking and worldly
ways. We are surrounded by new and improved theories of how ministry is
to be done, how demons are to be fought, how the Christian life is to be
lived. We are often told that we can accomplish divine ends with worldly
means. Nothing could be further from the truth!

In coming chapters we will address methods of spiritual warfare which

are completely of men's making and not God-given at all. Spiritual warfare
“how-to manuals” are filled with tactics and methods which are birthed in
the minds and thinking of men and demons and not derived from the Word
of God. We have to make sure our “weapons” are not of human origin.

Though we walk here in the flesh, we do not use fleshly means to

accomplish God's end. A read through 1 and 2 Corinthians gives us some
examples of “fleshly weapons.” The Corinthians trusted in human wisdom
and human understanding which they elevated above divine wisdom. They
cherished displays of human abilities, gifts, and talents. They criticized Paul
because he was not as gifted in oratory as others. They formed divisions
around different teachers and boasted in their own abilities. They sought
approval from men and large followings. These are the types of fleshly
weapons Paul rejected. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul revealed that when
he came to Corinth, he purposely refused to engage the Corinthians on that
level, even though he knew that he could gain a following if he adopted
such man-centered methods of ministry. Instead, he opted for the
foolishness of preaching and the wisdom of God, the very opposite of what
was sure to draw a following in Corinth. [4]

Satan loves to deceive us into using methods that are fleshly -

gimmicks, campaigns, and publicity stunts (methods of our own making) -
and to abandon the weapons that God gives us which are divinely powerful.

Did you notice in this passage that Paul does not tell us what our
weapons are? He does give us some clues. So far we have seen three things
about our weapons.

First, they are spiritual not fleshly.

Second, the weapons are mighty in God. They pack divine power. That
cannot be said for any human methodology or wisdom; they never carry
divine power.

Third, these weapons destroy strongholds. They destroy fortresses.

They are “divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (v. 4). That
brings us to the next issue: against what are our weapons aimed?

The “What” of Our Warfare

You might still be wondering what these weapons are. What spiritual
weapon do we have which is given by God, endued with His power, and
can destroy fortresses? Before we can answer that question, we have to find
out what these fortresses are. What is it we are fighting? What is the target?
Are we fighting the ACLU, the homosexual lobby, abortion doctors, or
political parties? Who is our enemy? What are our weapons aimed at?

2 Corinthians 10:4 gives us the answer: “For the weapons of our

warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of
fortresses.” What are these fortresses we are to destroy in spiritual warfare?

Some say these fortresses are demonic strongholds, heavenly power

structures, generational curses, incantations, demonic hierarchies. They
therefore conclude that our weapons involve methods and means which are
intended to weaken demonic power, hinder the devil, release people from
curses, pray down these strongholds, and ward off spirits.

How does Paul describe these fortresses? He says that “we are
destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the
knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ” (10:5). He uses the words “speculations,”
“knowledge of God,” and “thought.” Those words tell us all we need to
know about the nature of spiritual warfare.

The word translated “speculations” or “arguments” (NASB, NIV)

means “thoughts” or “imaginations.” It refers to “reasonings” or “thought
processes.” The fortresses we are destroying are not physical fortresses.
They are not demonic mantras, spells, or curses. They are not demonic
hierarchical power structures. The fortresses are mental fortresses. We
destroy “thoughts” and “reasonings.”

The next phrase further describes these fortresses as “every lofty thing
raised up against the knowledge of God.” “Lofty thing” shows the pride
of these mental fortresses. The term “lofty thing” was used to describe the
towers that would encompass military fortresses. The towers would rise
high into the sky and provide defense.

These mental fortresses are against the knowledge of God. Paul is not
just describing innocent thoughts. He is talking about mental fortresses,
reasonings of the human heart, prideful, self-reliant, man-centered human
philosophies and speculations. The war we wage is against the proud, lofty,
God-defying speculations of the human heart that are raised up in
opposition to the true knowledge of God.

Man's Mental Fortresses

Mankind is surrounded by the knowledge of God. He has knowledge of

God in creation and he chooses to suppress that truth in unrighteousness. [5]
While not hearing any audible voice, man is surrounded by God's creation
which ceaselessly testifies to its Creator. [6] Men have knowledge of God
revealed in their conscience which constantly accuses them of breaking the
law of God written on their hearts. [7] How does man respond to the light
of creation and conscience? He suppresses the truth in unrighteousness
because he loves darkness rather than light. [8] Man's intellect is darkened
and his mind is at enmity against God. [9] Instead of submitting to the truth,
men erect mental fortresses which keep them hostage and safe in unbelief.
They hole up in their lofty, pride-filled thinking which insulates them
against the knowledge of God. These fortresses consist of worldly
arguments, reasonings, science (falsely so called), thoughts, and
philosophies which militantly stand, raised up, hostile to God and the true
knowledge of Him.

Wishing to be the center of his own self-sufficient universe, man in his

unregenerate state does not want to turn from his sin or submit his pride-
filled heart to the Sovereign God. He holds himself hostage in his mental
fortress surrounded by his reasons for unbelief. His towers of “philosophy,”
“knowledge,” “science,” and “evolution” form his defense against the truth.

To the unregenerate man, insulated from the knowledge of God by his

mental fortress, the preaching of the cross is foolishness. [10] Men, in
partnership with the forces of darkness, erect all kinds of “speculations” and
“lofty thoughts” against the truth. Evolution, atheism, moral relativism,
tolerance, political correctness, theological liberalism, rationalism,
naturalism, humanism and many others are examples of Satanic deceptions
erected in the minds and hearts of men.

Man willingly believes anything but the truth and he uses the lies
offered by Satan to build the bulwarks against it. Satan is pleased because
he works to entrench men in error while blinding them to the truth. Man
loves the darkness and hates the light and so he gladly settles in behind his
lofty imaginations and speculations.

Philip Hughes describes Christian warfare this way:

Hence it is that the Christian warfare is aimed at the casting down

of the reasonings which are the strongholds whereby the
unbelieving mind seeks to fortify itself against the truths of human
depravity and divine grace, and at the casting down also of every
proud bulwark raised high against the knowledge of God. [11]
 A war is waging for the truth. Satan, the great liar and murderer from
the beginning, deceives men with his crafty lies. He and his host of demon
helpers are constantly promoting, teaching, and advancing their lies. These
lies are the proud speculations of the human mind and heart.

We are at war over truth! Spiritual warfare is a truth war. We fight lies
by advancing truth. When truth advances, God is glorified and the forces of
darkness suffer defeat.

How do we fight? We fight a spiritual war with spiritual weapons. What

are we fighting? We are fighting the reasonings, thoughts, and speculations
of error erected in the hearts of men.

Now some related questions: What are our weapons? What is “mighty
in God for the destruction of fortresses?” What does God use to destroy
error and advance truth? What contains divine truth able to pierce right to
the heart, bring conviction, remove blindness, destroy human wisdom,
confound the wise, and bring people to a knowledge of the truth? The Word
of God.

The gospel and the Word of God are the means of waging true spiritual
warfare. Once we understand that true spiritual warfare is a war over the
truth, then we are left with little doubt as to the identity of our weapon. It is
the gospel of truth contained in the Word of Truth.

With this understanding as a background, read the following familiar

verses.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God

for salvation to everyone who believes. . . (Romans 1:16).

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are

perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE
WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL
SET ASIDE.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the
wisdom of the world? For since the wisdom of God the world
 through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-
pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save
those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks
search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews
a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who
are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God
and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23-24).

Can you see the spiritual warfare language in these passages? God
destroys human wisdom which is against the knowledge of God. He does
this through the Word preached. The gospel is powerful for the destruction
of these fortresses. It is powerful under God to bring every thought captive
to Christ.

God does not use man's fleshly methods to wage this spiritual warfare.
God uses the one tool that He has endued with divine power - His Word.
The preaching of the Word and the preaching of the gospel is not a fleshly
weapon of human origin. It does not rely upon the wisdom of man for its
effectiveness! This weapon of truth is “not according to the flesh.”

Paul described his preaching ministry in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2:1-

5.

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with

superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the
testimony of God. [12] For I determined to know nothing
among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with
you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my
message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that
your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the
power of God.

If Paul had wanted to use weapons of the flesh, he would have used
“persuasive words of wisdom.” He would have tried to impress the
Corinthians with his oratory and rhetoric. Paul did not rely upon those
fleshly means, however impressive they might have been to the Corinthians'
worldly sensibilities. He preached the truth of the gospel in the power of the
Spirit.

In 2 Corinthians 6:3 Paul defended his ministry so it “would not be

discredited.” He described the difficulties he had endured in ministry. Yet in
the midst of afflictions, hardships, and distresses, Paul's ministry was “in
purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in
genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons
of righteousness for the right hand and the left” (2 Corinthians 6:4-7).

One of the elements of the armor of God is the “sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God.” [13] Paul was a true and effective warrior in the
spiritual realm. He was always concerned with the truth of the gospel and
its faithful proclamation. In the context of discussing spiritual warfare, Paul
requested prayer that “utterance may be given to me in the opening of
my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for
which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may
speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:18-20).

Gospel proclamation is powerful in God unto salvation. It delivers

people from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, from error to
truth, from Satan to God.

The “Why” of Our Warfare

Paul explains the reason we engage in the battle for truth in verse 5: “. .
. we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2
Corinthians 10:5).

The word translated “thought” at the end of this passage is different

from the word at the beginning of our passage translated “speculation.” The
word translated “thought” was used to describe the motive and intent of the
mind. You could say we are fighting in order to bring every intention, every
thought, and every device of the mind into obedience to Christ.

Who are we taking captive? We are taking as captives the very ones
who once locked themselves in their mental fortresses. Once disobedient to
Christ, held up in their castle of lies, the gospel is mighty in God to destroy
their vain speculations and make them prisoners of Christ.

This Is Not What We Typically See!

This biblical description of spiritual warfare is quite different from that

which is taught in most Christian churches today. We are told that true
spiritual warfare is hand-to-hand combat with demons, casting spells,
praying certain prayers, and taking territory from Satan. True spiritual
warfare is not a battle for territory but a battle for truth.

Ironically, while the modern church seems preoccupied with battling

demons, it has developed complete apathy toward the truth. The modern
church's reckless disregard for truth has handicapped its ability to wage real
spiritual warfare. The church has laid aside its one God-given weapon in
favor of fleshly man-made weapons which can never tear down the mental
fortresses in which men are held captive.

It is not uncommon to turn on Christian TV or radio and hear Satan

being bound, rebuked, and exorcised. Churches host 24-hour prayer vigils
and practice spiritual mapping. “Deliverance Ministries” abound, and yet
what is the state of the church?

Most churches are filled with “Christians” who cannot articulate the
gospel to save their life. They tolerate false teachers by the dozens and
support their ministries. The modern church has lost its ability and even
willingness to discern truth from error. Churches are not interested in
standing for the truth or preaching and teaching the truth. We are told that
truth divides and needlessly offends people. Instead we should focus on
unity, love, purpose, and more positive things. Tough subjects like sin, hell,
wrath, judgment, repentance and the righteousness of God are not only
neglected but avoided entirely.

Could Satan be more pleased with the modern fascination of the

church? I doubt it. You can bind Satan all day long. He doesn't care, just so
long as you do not share the gospel, stand for truth, or assault the errors and
lies of his strongholds. You can rebuke him until you are blue in the face
and he will go right along deceiving multitudes. He doesn't care, just so
long as your love and focus is not the truth, sound doctrine, and preaching
the gospel! Binding Satan and rebuking Satan are completely useless
practices that accomplish absolutely nothing. They are unbiblical practices,
manufactured in the minds of men for a church that has abandoned its call
to be the “pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

Satan loves a church full of people ignorant of the gospel, who are
apathetic about its defense. He thrives in churches where the lines between
right and wrong, truth and error are blurred and ignored. He rejoices when
he hears church leaders say that we should not concern ourselves with
issues of truth and doctrine. He delights in “Christians” who think that truth
should be sacrificed for the sake of unity and love. He loves “Christians”
who are ignorant of the truth, for those are the most ineffective warriors of
all.

So what is spiritual warfare? How do we define it? Is it exorcisms,

deliverance ministries, confessing the sins of your ancestors, and
renouncing generational curses? Is it rebuking Satan, binding Satan, and
casting demons into pits? Is it praying down territorial spirits and claiming
places and persons for God in the blood of Christ? No! No! A thousand
times no!

Spiritual warfare is the bold proclamation of the truth of the gospel to

lost sinners. The gospel, and the gospel alone, is powerful in God unto
salvation. The gospel destroys the anti-God fortresses composed of Satan's
lies. It delivers them from the kingdom of darkness and the dominion of
Satan. We must proclaim and defend the truth “to open their eyes so that
they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan
to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance
among those who have been sanctified by faith” in Christ (Acts 26:18).
Spiritual warfare is a battle over truth, not territory. It is not hand-to-hand
combat with demons, but the proclamation and defense of the truth of God.

We are in the business of setting men free by making them captives of

Christ. We use the only divinely powerful weapon in our arsenal which is
the truth of the gospel and we proclaim it boldly and watch the strongholds
crumble. We proclaim, preach, teach, stand for and defend the truth so that
the proud, unregenerate, sinful man will see his isms, arguments,
rationalizations, and worldly-wise philosophies come crumbling down
around him. He is left without excuse, naked before the truth of God and
God's Word. Satan's lies are exposed and destroyed by the truth. This is true
spiritual warfare - a battle of truth!

Now go out and fight the good fight!

Endnotes
1. We will examine these practices and the passages that are used to support
them in the following chapters. [Back]

2. I believe that these false teachers, and one in particular, was Paul's “thorn
in the flesh.” These were messengers of Satan who proved a constant source
of pain for Paul. [Back]

3. This passage is loaded with military imagery. The warfare imagery was a
favorite for Paul. Ephesians 6 contains a lot of warfare imagery and the
battle armor of a Roman Soldier is used as an object lesson for Christian
battle. We see similar imagery in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, “Suffer hardship with
me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service
entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please
the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” See also 2 Timothy 4:7 and Jude 3
for references to fighting. Paul viewed the Christian life as a long battle, a
long struggle, a constant fight. [Back]

4. 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:9. [Back]

5. Romans 1:21ff. [Back]

6. Psalm 19:1-6. [Back]

7. Romans 2:12-16. [Back]

8. John 3:19-21; Romans 1:18ff. [Back]

9. Romans 8:6-8. [Back]

10. 1 Corinthians 1:18ff. [Back]

11. Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, The New International Commentary on the

New Testament, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), 352. [Back]

12. Those would have been fleshly weapons. [Back]

13. Ephesians 6:17. [Back]

 Chapter 3
The Enemy and His Army
One of the first commandments of warfare is “Know Thy Enemy.” This
certainly applies in the arena of spiritual warfare. We cannot afford to be
ignorant of Satan's devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). Our ignorance of him and
his methods only makes his job easier. Scripture reveals a tremendous
amount of information about Satan and his demonic horde, in order that we
might know who our enemy is, how he works, and how we can stand strong
against his schemes.

It is never pleasant to spend time discussing the devil. I get no joy out
of giving him any press time at all. Though this may be unpleasant, it is
necessary. We need to have a theology of Satan in order that we might be
kept from two opposite and equally dangerous extremes.

First, many people ignore or disbelieve his existence. Satan is portrayed

in our culture as nothing more than a myth, a legend, a debunked
unscientific notion of a bygone superstitious era. He is caricatured as a
fiendish little man-like figure in a red suit with a cape, tail, and pitchfork.
The world is not alone in its ignorance concerning the devil; his existence
and reality are largely denied even in the church.

A recent Barna survey of over 1,800 “self-described Christians” found

that “four out of ten strongly agree that Satan is 'not a living being but is a
symbol of evil.' An additional two out of ten said they 'agree somewhat'
with that perspective.” [1] In other words, 60% of “Christians” think that
Satan is only a symbol for evil and not a real living being. No wonder the
church is falling victim to his every ploy and deception. Most of those in
the church don't even believe they have a real enemy!

Second, many people become preoccupied with Satan and his powers.
There are many who fall into the ditch of not only believing he exists, but
of attributing to him far more power, influence, and ability than he really
has. They see a demon behind every bush, under ever rock, and behind
every event. Many Christians live in constant fear and unending terror of
Satan and his demons. They fear touching something, walking by
something, or saying something which will give the devil a foothold and
influence in their lives. Their constant preoccupation with the demonic
shifts their focus from victory in Christ to their own victimization at the
hands of evil forces.

Our ability to stand against the forces of wickedness in heavenly places

requires that we know our enemy and understand his methods. In this
chapter we will cover a very brief theology of Satan in order that we might
avoid both extremes.

A Brief History of the Devil

The Bible contains numerous references to Satan and he is called by a

number of different names. He is referred to in seven books of the Old
Testament. Every writer of the New Testament mentions Satan. In the
gospels alone he is mentioned twenty-nine times. Twenty-five of those
twenty-nine mentions are by Jesus. [2]

Satan appears very early in human history (Genesis 3), to our first
parents in the garden. When writing Genesis, Moses did not explain how or
why the devil existed, nor does he explain what made him evil. Moses
actually assumes that his readers already believe in Satan. The final
reference to Satan in the Bible foretells his doom. “And the devil who
deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day
and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

First, we know that Satan is a created being. Jesus Christ, the second
person of the Triune God is the Creator of all things (Colossians 1:15-16)
and that includes all of the angelic host. There is only one uncreated eternal
being in all of the universe and that is God. God did not create evil or create
evil beings. Angels were part of God's creation which He declared to be
“very good” (Genesis 1:31).

As to the time of the creation of the angels, it is difficult to be dogmatic.

I believe we can safely say that it was sometime prior to the creation of the
heavens and the earth. It may have been during the creation week of
Genesis 1. [3] By Genesis 3, Satan had been created and had rebelled. So
the fall of Satan happened sometime between the “very good” of Genesis
1:31 and the appearance of this tempter in Genesis 3:1. Exactly when
angels were created and how long after the creation Satan fell, we are not
told.

Second, we know that Satan is a living personal being. He has all the
traits of personality. He has an intellect. He is crafty. He plans and plots and
uses all his resources to oppose God. He opposes God's plans, and His
people. His ability to deceive and scheme is an evidence of his intellect,
reason, emotion, and will. Another evidence of his personality is his ability
to communicate with others, including Jesus (Luke 4:1-12).

Satan is not just a power, a force, or a myth. He is not a legend, a

symbol, or the personification of evil. He is a real being with intellect, craft,
will, a plan, and an ability to carry out his plan. Personal pronouns are
applied to Satan in the Bible. All these things indicate that he is a personal
being. He is not a human, nor was he once a man. He is a created being - a
cherub.

Third, we know that Satan is a fallen angel. He once had a position of

immense importance and prominence among the angels that God created.
Two Old Testament passages describe Satan's original condition and his fall
from that position (Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28).

Ezekiel 28 is addressed to the “leader of Tyre” (v. 2); [4] however,

beginning in verse 12, Ezekiel addresses the “king of Tyre” and describes
this person in such a way as to rule out the possibility that Ezekiel was
describing a man. Whereas verses 2-10 are addressed to the actual human
king, verses 11-19 describe the evil spiritual power - Satan - who energized
that ruler. The verses could not be addressed to the human “prince of Tyre.”
They can only apply to Satan himself.

Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say
to him, “Thus says the Lord God, 'You had the seal of
perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in
Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your
 covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the
onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the
emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and
sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were
prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I
placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you
walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in
your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness
was found in you'” (Ezekiel 28:12-15).

Ezekiel goes on to describe Satan's fall and God's subsequent judgment

upon him. Satan, the “covering cherub,” was “filled with violence” and
“sinned” and so he was “cast as profane from the mountain of God” (v. 16).
His heart was “lifted up,” and he “corrupted [his] wisdom by reason of [his]
splendor” (v. 17). Those verses describe his fall.

Isaiah uses the same literary device in his prophecy against the king of
Babylon (Isaiah 14:4-23) as we get a glimpse behind the king of Babylon
to one who was “fallen from heaven,” the “star of the morning, son of the
dawn” who had “weakened the nations” (v. 12). This describes Satan who
said in his heart, “I will ascend to Heaven; I will raise my throne above
the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses
of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make
myself like the Most High” (vv. 13-14; cf. Genesis 3:15).

Satan once lived in the courts of God as one of God's cherub angels. He
was a beautiful, brilliant, lovely, glorious angel - until unrighteousness was
found in him. Pride was his downfall, and Satan was cast from Heaven,
probably to the newly created earth. [5]

Fourth, we know a lot about Satan from the names that Scripture gives
him. The name “Satan” means “adversary,” and shows his true character as
the one who opposes God and His plans and purposes.

He is also called “devil.” That is the second most common name for
Satan. “Devil” is the translation of the Greek diabolos (διάβολος) which
means “one who engages in slander – slanderer.” [6] This describes his
activity as one who hurls accusations and slanders and tears down God and
His people. 1 Peter 5:8 calls him “the devil, [who] prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

He is also called the “serpent” since, in his temptation of Eve, he used a

serpent (Genesis 3:1-6). This name speaks of his craftiness, subtlety, and
beguiling nature.

His power and scope of influence are described when he is called “the
prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). His temporary control of
this present world system is in view when he is called the “god of this
world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). As the god of this world, Satan is busy
blinding unbelievers to the truth. As a result, the “whole world lies under
the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19) during “this present evil age”
(Galatians 1:4).

A large part of his work is in view when he is called “the tempter” (1

Thessalonians 3:5). The devastating destruction of his ways explains why
he is called “the dragon” (Revelation 12:3-4, 7, 9, 13, 16-17).

Finally, he is called “the evil one” (John 17:15; 1 John 5:18-19), and
the “father of lies” (John 8:44). Those are just a few of his names. They
describe not just his works, but they are indicative of his character.

We Are Not Ignorant of His Schemes

Not only does Scripture reveal much about Satan's creation and
character, but it informs us of his contrivances. He is a schemer. Satan
opposes everything that God does. Even if it might mean his eventual
downfall and destruction (and it certainly does), He seeks to thwart all the
plans and purposes of God.

We know something of his ways since we are not to be “ignorant of his

schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:2) in order that we might “stand firm against
the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). One of the downfalls of many
Christians is their total ignorance of Satan's schemes and tricks. However,
when we look to Scripture we see all we need to know about Satan's
operations and his goals.
 Satan tempts people to sin and turn away from God (Matthew 4:3; 1
Thessalonians 3:5). Satan energizes and promotes every false religion in
the world. All idol worship and false religion is a sacrifice to, and worship
of, demons (1 Corinthians 10:20). He is the author of all deception and
falsehood. With the help of his servants (2 Corinthians 11:15). He inspires
false teachers (1 John 4:1-4; 1 Timothy 4:1-3) and promotes his soul-
decaying error under the banner of truth and light (2 Corinthians 11:14-
15).

He loves to falsely accuse Christians and to deceive people into

believing those false accusations. He loves to divide the church, sow
disunity, and destroy peace. He splits up families, causes strife between
brethren, and undermines unity in the church and in families. These are the
works of Satan.

All anti-God, worldly thinking is satanically inspired. The whole world

lies under his power (1 John 5:18-19) and the whole world system is his
creation (1 John 2:15-17). Every way of thinking that is opposed to God,
every philosophy, every false doctrine, every lie, every worldview, religion,
and thought which is raised up against the truth of God is from Satan (2
Corinthians 10:3-5). All those who promote, defend, and believe his lies
have fallen prey to him and are either knowingly or unwittingly doing his
bidding.

He does not present his lies and deceptions in any truthful manner. He
makes sin look alluring, when in fact it is a soul-rotting poison. He tricks
men into thinking that they can steal a pleasure and never pay the debt. He
appears as an angel of light. He disguises error as truth and makes it sound
like truth, look like truth, and feel like truth. He hides the darkness and
deceives people into thinking they are walking in light when they are
walking in complete spiritual darkness.

He is amazingly effective at making lies believable, sin desirable,

temptation unavoidable, and error irresistible. He is so effective that the
only hope we have of being able to spot his lies is to be intimately familiar
with the truth. We must be so well versed in the truth, so faithful to the
truth, and such a doer of truth that he will not be able to deceive us with his
lies. Apart from the word of God, we are sitting ducks!
 His Army

We have looked at Satan's creation, his character, and his contrivances.

Scripture also tells us of his company.

Satan does not work alone. He has a host of evil spirits who are allied
with him in his evil purposes. Satan is the ruler of demons (Matthew
12:22) and they do his bidding. They are united with him in his opposition
to God and His people. Scripture indicates that these demons sinned at the
same time that Satan did. They joined him in his rebellion and will join him
in his doom. Jesus spoke of “the eternal fire [which] has been prepared for
the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Revelation 12:4 refers to the
fall of Satan and indicates that he took one-third of the angelic hosts with
him. [7]

The other demons were originally created perfect by God and likewise
fell. They, like Satan, are living, real, personal beings. They are active in the
world today, involved in the same demonic activities that we attributed to
Satan earlier. In Scripture, they are called “unclean spirits” (Matthew
10:1), “demons” (Matthew 12:24), and “evil spirits” (Luke 7:21).

Much of Jesus' ministry involved delivering demoniacs from their

demon possession. [8] Those who were possessed by demons demonstrated
unusual strength (Mark 5:1-5; Acts 19:13-16). It seems that in the New
Testament demons had the ability to inflict various diseases and mental
derangements upon their victims. Robert Lightner notes,

They inflicted various diseases on people, such as dumbness

(Matthew 9:33), blindness (Matthew 12:22), a form of epilepsy
(Matthew 17:15-18), and mental derangement (Mark 5:1-20). Do
demons do these things today? The Bible does not answer this
question, but it would seem that they could and probably sometimes
do. However, not all physical and mental illnesses are the results of
demonic activity. Even in the New Testament times the two were
distinct (Matthew 4:24; Luke 7:21). [9]

His Limitations
 In God's Word we learn of Satan's creation, character, contrivances,
company and also his constraints.

All I have written to this point would probably cause panic, terror,
sleepless nights and anxiety attacks. But this is not the full story. No
treatment of Satan and his demons would be complete without also learning
of their limitations.

First, demons are greater than man in knowledge but they are not
omniscient. [10] Angels are considered to have great wisdom (2 Samuel
14:20) and knowledge (Matthew 24:36). Even fallen angels have
knowledge beyond the natural realm (Luke 4:34). Yet they are not
omniscient beings. Only God is omniscient.

Second, though demons are stronger than men, they are not omnipotent.
Angels are said to be greater in power and might (2 Peter 2:11; Psalm
103:20). They are called “mighty angels.” Demons in their fallen state still
retained that strength and superiority over men (Acts 19:13-16), though
they are not almighty. Only God is omnipotent.

Third, though demons are more mobile than man, they are not
omnipresent. They have to roam and walk about on the earth (Job 1:7;
Zechariah 1:11; 1 Peter 5:8). Angels have to move and sometimes there
are even delays because of their inability to instantly transport themselves
(Daniel 10:10-14). Satan cannot be in more than one place at any given
time. Only God is omnipresent.

An important limitation on Satan's power is seen in Job 1-2. Satan was

unable to touch anything that Job owned, or to afflict Job in any way
because God had placed “a hedge around him and his house and all that he
has, on every side” (Job 1:10). Satan had to receive permission from God
before He could touch Job's possessions (Job 1:12) or his health (Job 2:6).

We can take comfort in the fact that Satan can do nothing unless God,
by His sovereign hand, for His sovereign purposes, and in accordance with
His secret will allows it! Satan can only do what God gives him the
freedom to do. He cannot do anything at any time to anybody, anywhere
without God's permission. Satan is like a dog on his master's leash. God
allows him to go so far and no further, to do so much and no more.

God is allowing Satan to work his plan with a certain degree of

freedom. I believe that God restrains more of his evil than He allows. God
is sovereign over all things, and that includes Satan and his demons, their
evil schemes, and their activities.

Satan is not as powerful as God, and God is not “trying” to defeat Him.
Satan is a crushed and defeated foe whose doom is certain. Ultimately,
Satan's doom was secured the instant he fell in prideful rebellion, since it is
impossible that God should fall from His throne or that His plans and
purposes fail.

Satan's end and destruction was publicly secured on the cross where
Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of
them, having triumphed over them” (Colossians 2:15). Jesus, through
death, rendered “powerless him who had the power of death, that is the
devil” (Hebrews 2:14-15). 1 John 3:8 says that “the Son of God appeared
for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” He has certainly done
so. The ruler of this world has been judged (John 16:11).

The Christian's Response

What then should be our response?

Do you remember the two extremes we need to avoid? To ignore Satan,

disbelieve his existence, and not at all be concerned with his schemes is to
be blinded to a very real and very dangerous enemy. To be fixated on Satan
and preoccupied with Him is to give far too much attention to an already
defeated foe. There is certainly a balanced, middle-ground approach.

In order to avoid the first error, we must be alert. We have to know our
enemy, his tactics and his limitations. We need to be wise to his schemes of
division, deception and destruction. We need to be able to identify satanic
attacks and stand against them. We need to be able to discern the difference
between truth and error, right and wrong. We need to keep our heads up and
stay engaged in the game. A certain degree of wariness is appropriate. We
must walk circumspectly, knowing the times and discerning truth.

In order to avoid the second error, we must be firm. We have to rest in

the victory, the armor, and the safety secured for us. Christ has won the
victory. Satan is limited. He is active, but he is defeated. The “check mate”
has been secured and now it is only a matter of time and a few moves and
the Victor will appear and put down all His enemies.

We are in Christ and cannot be snatched away by Satan (John 10:25-

30). Our salvation is secure. Our victory over death and every enemy has
been secured by Christ and affirmed in His resurrection (1 Corinthians
15:50-58). We have the spiritual armor necessary to stand against the wiles
of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-17). Christ has provided all we need - we
must stand therein!

An understanding of the Bible's teaching on Satan and his demons will

keep us from falling to his temptations and attacks and from constantly
living in fear of him. Be alert. Be firm in your faith.

Endnotes
1. http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/260-most-
american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exis [Back]

2. Robert Lightner, Angels, Satan, and Demons (Nashville: Word

Publishing, 1998), 66. [Back]

3. God said to Job that “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of
God shouted for joy” when He “laid the foundation of the earth” and when
He “laid its cornerstone” (Job 38:1-7). Apparently angelic beings had
already been created by the time God began the creation of the heavens and
the earth. [Back]

4. The “leader of Tyre” or “prince of Tyre” was at that time Ethbaal III who
ruled the entire Phoenician seacoast city of Tyre. [Back]
5. The philosophical problem of how a perfect angel could sin and thus fall
from perfection is not without a solution. We won't address that at this time
as it is beyond the scope of this chapter. [Back]

6. J.P. & Nida Louw, E. A., Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New
Testament: Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition)
(New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 433. [Back]

7. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary:

Revelation 12-22 (Chicago: Moody Press, 2000), 7-8. [Back]

8. We will examine this practice in Chapter 12. [Back]

9. Lightner, 92. [Back]

10. This summary of the limitations of demons is borrowed from Henry C.

Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdman's
Publishing Company, 1949), 134-135. [Back]
 Chapter 4
The World and the Flesh
After the last chapter, you may be hoping that our discussion of the
forces allied against us is over. It is daunt to think that Satan and all his vast
army is entrenched in their opposition to us. The last thing we want to hear
is that Satan and his demons are not our only enemy, but the truth is, we
have two more!

When most people hear the words “spiritual warfare” they envision
some sort of cosmic battle between angels or between men and demons.
The focus is typically on Satan and his demons. When asked to name the
Christian's enemy, most would unhesitatingly answer, “The devil and his
demons.” Though that answer is true, it is not complete. We actually have
three enemies, not one.

Our study of the subject of spiritual warfare would be inadequate if it

failed to account for all three enemies. We have taken the time to
understand the powers and restrictions, and the abilities and inabilities of
the devil in the previous chapter. Now we will turn our attention to the other
two enemies we fight: the world and the flesh.

The Danger of Ignoring the Enemy

One thing I enjoy doing with my children is wrestling. We writhe

around on the floor in the front room while I taunt and tickle and do
everything in my power to not let any of them escape my clutches. They
scream and laugh and try their best to fight back. When the kids were
smaller, I could take on all four of them at once without a problem. That is
no longer the case!

Occasionally, I would notice that one or two of the kids would stand off
to the side, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. They wisely stayed
just out of arms' reach, keeping their distance, and patiently waiting. I soon
found that all I had to do to invite an attack was to turn my back to the
waiting child. By focusing all my attention on one of the other kids, those
waiting in the wings sensed a weakness, a blind spot, and thus, their
opportunity. They would quickly move in for the attack and try to get the
upper hand.

This same scenario gets played out in the arena of spiritual warfare.
Spiritual warfare is not a battle waged against one single enemy. It is a
battle we wage against three separate enemies who all work in concert
against the Christian.

If our focus is on only one of the three enemies, we will quickly find
that we are losing the battle on the other two fronts. Too often, attention is
focused on the devil and defeating him while the battle against the world
and the flesh is neglected. “As a result of being so preoccupied with only
one phase of the battle, many Christians have suffered great infiltration on
the fronts of the world and the flesh.” [1]

We see the results of being preoccupied with the demonic in the church
today. A quick search for resources on spiritual warfare will turn up no lack
of material. Deliverance ministries, study resources, books, and tapes
abound. Never in the history of the church has so much material been
available to supposedly equip us for battling spiritual forces.

At the same time, it is obvious that the church is losing its battle against
the world and the flesh. Worldliness has not only infiltrated the church, in
most sectors, it has entirely taken over. A love for all things temporal, an
infatuation with relevance, and an embrace of modern culture has
handicapped the Church. Pastors and ministry leaders crave acceptance in
academia and political circles. The average Sunday morning at your local
“seeker driven church” feels more like a buffet of pop culture than a feast
on God's Word. Worldly thinking and man-centered theology are the driving
forces behind nearly all church growth methodologies. Consequently, these
worldly churches think that evangelism entails pandering to the desires of
unbelievers and crafting a message that does not confront their worldly
thinking.

How are Christians doing in battling against the flesh? Are we beating
that enemy? Hardly. Statistics show that professing Christians are just as
likely to lie, steal, divorce, view pornography, gossip, and cheat on their
taxes as their pagan counterparts. Disunity, pride, self-centeredness, greed,
and discontentment are not traits exclusively found among unbelievers.
They have become firmly entrenched in the modern church. Doesn't this
seem a bit incongruous?

Though many factors could account for this, we certainly cannot deny
the fact that while seeking to do battle with Satan and his demons, most
Christians have turned their back on the other two enemies. Consequently,
the world and the flesh are winning victory after victory in the lives of
believers. We may be fighting with all our might and standing strong
against the wiles of the devil, but if we have adopted the godless thinking
that characterizes the world while constantly living in the flesh, what is the
point?

Only a balanced warfare against all three enemies simultaneously will

ensure our victory. Let's familiarize ourselves with our other two enemies.

THE WORLD

By “the world,” I do not mean, and Scripture does not mean, all the
individual people in the world. We are not speaking of “the world” in the
sense of every person on the planet.

By “the world” we mean the system of thinking, the way of life, the
perspective of this world which leaves no room for God. It is the godless
mindset composed of the “lust of the flesh,” “the lust of the eyes,” and the
“boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:15-17).

You have probably heard people refer to “worldly Christians.” Usually

such a label is associated with certain activities such as smoking, going to
movies, listening to certain styles of music, playing cards, drinking a glass
of wine or watching football on Sundays. The biblical concept of
worldliness has less to do with certain activities and more to do with certain
ways of thinking. Sexual immorality, drunkenness, revelry and the like are
sins of the flesh and are not worldliness, per se. These things may be
encouraged or justified by worldly thinking and the world system, but they
are deeds of the flesh.
 Worldliness is a way of thinking, an overall philosophy of life, which
stirs the flesh to indulge in specific sins. It is a mindset and a worldview, a
systematic approach to life which leaves no room for God and His Word. It
is a way of thinking that is humanistic, man-centered, and self-sufficient.

Lewis Sperry Chafer described the world system, writing:

The cosmos [meaning “world”] is a vast order or system that Satan

has promoted which conforms us to his ideals, aims, and methods.
It is civilization now functioning apart from God - a civilization
which none of its promoters really expect God to share, who assign
to God no consideration in respect to their projects. This system
embraces its godless governments, conflicts, armaments, and
jealousies, [as well as] its education, culture, religions of morality,
and pride. It is that sphere in which man lives. It is what he sees,
what he employs. To the uncounted multitude it is all they ever
know so long as they live on this earth. It is properly styled “the
satanic system,” which phrase is in many instances a justified
interpretation of the so meaningful word “cosmos.” It is literally a
cosmos diabolicus. [2]

Whenever we think like the world, we are thinking exactly the way that
Satan wants us to! We are told,

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and
the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the
world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one
who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17).

James 1:27 says that “pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our
God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to
keep oneself unstained by the world.” James rebuked those who fraternize
with this enemy saying, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship
with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a
friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). The
wisdom that is of this world “is not that which comes down from above, but
is earthly, natural, demonic” (James 3:15).

Christians are hated by the world because we are not of this world (1
John 3:1, 13). We should not love this world, but instead overcome it (1
John 4:4; 5:4) since the whole world system “lies in the power of the evil
one” (1 John 5:19).

Winning against the World

The oft-heard slogan in Christian circles is true: “Believers are in the

world, but not of the world.” Believers do not belong to this world because
we have been chosen out of the world. “If you were of the world, the world
would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you
out of the world, because of this the world hates you” (John 15:19). Having
been born of God, the evil one cannot touch us (1 John 5:18-19) because
we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the
kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).

What then is our relationship to this world? Though we are not of this
world (John 17:14, 16), we do live in this world (John 17:15). We are left
in this world to evangelize it while we remain separate from it.

A number of New Testament passages speak of our separation from the

world in our lifestyle and behavior. “Do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what
the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans
12:2). The grace of God instructs us to “deny ungodliness and worldly
desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God
and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:12-13). We are to “keep oneself
unstained by the world” (James 1:27), and never wish or seek friendship
with the world (James 4:4). We have “escaped the corruption that is in the
world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4) and “have escaped the defilements of the world
by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, . . .” (2 Peter 2:20).

When you “let your light shine before men in such a way that they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew
5:16), then “you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent,
children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the
word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16).

We separate from the world when we live and think differently from the
godless system which permeates every corner of human thinking, culture,
and conduct. Jesus was our model of how to live in the world while
confronting the world system.

Christ bore witness to the sinfulness of the world's conduct by

demonstrating the moral perfection of God in His life; so also, by
allowing the holy character of God to radiate in his life, the believer
exposes the sinfulness of the world's practices, showing that they
are contrary to God's holy character. Christ also bore witness to the
truth by showing men who God is and what He requires of them; so
also, the believer bears witness to the truth, relating the life, death,
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. In these two ways the believer
fulfills his responsibility of being a witness to the world. [3]

We wage war on the world system by standing against its godless

philosophies, speculations, and lofty, self-reliant thinking. We proclaim the
truth, bringing every thought of the unbeliever captive to the obedience of
Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). The degree to which believers individually,
or the church corporately, begins to adopt the world's thinking on marriage,
ministry, truth, and all aspects of life and living is the degree to which they
lose the spiritual battle.

Satan does not have to possess you in order to get you to do his will. He
does not have to oppress, control or personally attack you. All he has to do
is to get you to think and act like the world, and you are doing his will.
Scary, isn't it?

THE FLESH

On June 29, 2010, a CBS headline read, “FBI: 10 Russian Spies

Arrested in U.S.” Posing as innocent civilians in New York, Washington,
and Boston, these ten Russian agents sought to infiltrate U.S. policy-making
circles to gather intelligence about U.S. weapons, diplomatic strategy and
political developments. [4]

According to the news story, “These deep-cover agents are the hardest
spies for the FBI to catch and are dubbed 'illegals' in the intelligence world
because they take civilian jobs with no visible connection to a foreign
government, rather than operating from government jobs inside Russian
embassies and military missions.” [5]

Few threats are feared as much as “the traitor” - a rebel within the
camp. They work covertly to overthrow the government and subvert its
interests. They can be far more effective than outside threats.

Just as nations have their traitors, spies, and rebels within the camp, so
does the Christian have theirs - the flesh. The other two enemies that we
face - Satan and the world - are both external enemies. Neither one of those
enemies has the power to make any person disobey God. That which gives
Satan and the world-system the opportunity to operate in the believer's life
is the flesh.

Where Did It Come From?

“Flesh” is the word that the New Testament most often uses to describe
the sin nature which is the ruling principle within all the fallen children of
Adam. The moment that Adam sinned in the garden, he acquired a sin
nature. It is a principle, an influence, a disposition to sin which completely
rules the unbeliever. It is the desire to assert one's own will and authority
over God in every area of life. It is passed on, at conception, to all of
Adam's descendants.

Romans 8 is a key passage on the nature, extent, and influence of the

sinful nature - the flesh. All who are in Adam are in the flesh and controlled
by the flesh. Thus they “cannot please God” because they are “hostile
toward God” and are not “subject to the law of God” (Romans 8:1-17).
Apart from the new birth, the unbeliever has no new nature, no spiritual
capacity to do anything pleasing to God. They are slaves of sin (John 8:34).
 The flesh produces a wide range of sins and sinful activities (Galatians
5:19-21). It also produces what, on the surface, appears to be good deeds
and righteous acts. None were more outwardly righteous than Saul of
Tarsus (Philippians 3:2-6) and yet all his righteous activities were sinful
because he was seeking to establish his own righteousness apart from Christ
(Philippians 3:7-11). What is it that prompts someone to do religious
activities in an effort to gain God's favor? The flesh. The flesh in its pride
seeks to establish itself and its own efforts as meritorious before God.

Our Main Enemy

The clear teaching of the New Testament is that the flesh, not the devil,
is the major and most influential enemy that the Christian faces. [6] The
world is not our most powerful and influential enemy. The devil is not our
most powerful and influential enemy. The flesh is our most powerful and
influential enemy!

As Ice and Dean accurately point out,

The 21 letters in the New Testament were written to address the

important issues confronting Christians in this age, the church age.
It is reasonable to expect that if anything is an important issue for
the believer in this age it will be given a comprehensive treatment
in these letters, and that if something isn't an issue it will probably
be ignored.

The silence of these letters in some areas speaks volumes. For

example, demons (or evil spirits) are mentioned only ten times, and
most of these simply relate to certain factual truths about demons. . .
. On the other hand, in these same letters are over 50 references to
the flesh as the primary enemy of the Christian (and “the flesh” is
only one way that this sin nature is referred to). It is obvious that the
New Testament perspective is that the major area of conflict is in
the arena of the flesh. [7]

To quote one of my Bible College friends, “Satan doesn't need to tempt

me to sin or make me to sin. My flesh is more than capable of causing my
downfall.” Yet, the bulk of spiritual warfare teaching today is aimed at
conquering Satan - an already defeated foe.

Winning against the Flesh

Though we once were slaves of sin and in bondage to the flesh,

salvation has delivered us from the power of that sinful nature. Romans
6:17-18 says, “But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you
became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were
committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness.”

Since we have been identified with Christ in His death, burial, and
resurrection, our “old man” is crucified, dead, and gone. We are no longer
the person we once were in Adam. We are now new creatures in Christ (2
Corinthians 5:17). [8] Though our old man (our identity in Adam) is dead
and gone, the sin nature continues. We still have to battle against the flesh.
This is what leads to the struggle that Paul describes in Romans 7 where
we do the deeds we don't want to and do not do what we want to do.
Though I am no longer “in Adam,” and though I have been set free from the
power of sin, there still dwells within me a sinful nature, the flesh which
wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-24).

How are we to deal with this propensity toward sin, the flesh? Romans
6 is key. First, we are to know that our old self was crucified with Christ and
we are no longer slaves of sin (vv. 1-10). Second, we are to consider
ourselves to be free from sin, dead to sin (v. 11), and not let sin reign in our
body by obeying it in its lusts (v. 12). We must believe that sin no longer
has power over us and then live in light of that fact. We accept by faith,
believing it true, that we are no longer slaves to sin. Third, we choose
obedience and obey God and His Word. In this way, we walk by faith
believing what Scripture says about our emancipation from sin.

Victory over sin comes down to choosing to obey righteousness. If we

present ourselves as slaves of righteousness and choose to do righteousness,
then in obeying righteousness we become slaves of righteousness. If we
choose to yield our bodies to sin, then we will becomes slaves to sin. The
unalterable law of sanctification is that we become slaves to the one whom
we obey (Romans 6:16). Romans 6:19 says, “For just as you presented
your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further
lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness,
resulting in sanctification.”

We are engaged in a step-by-step, day-by-day, decision-by-decision

walk with Christ. Our sin nature has power over us only if we choose to
obey it. We are engaged in a lifelong, daily, habitual battle against the flesh.
The Spirit wages war against the flesh and the flesh against the Spirit
(Galatians 5:17) for as the Apostle Peter reminds us, the fleshly lusts wage
war against our soul (1 Peter 2:11).

The Christian life is not lived on some mystical plane, free of this daily
battle. We live our lives shackled to this body of death, this sinful flesh, and
we long for the deliverance that will come either at death or the Lord's
return (Romans 7:24-25; 8:18-25).

The Puritans used to use a phrase that has unfortunately fallen into
disuse: the mortification of sin. We kill sin. It is our enemy. We fight the
fight, wage the war. We put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13),
resisting temptation, choosing obedience, waging war against the enemy
within, by the grace and strength of Christ.

The Enemies Unite

We have three enemies - the world, the flesh, and the devil. These three
work in concert with each other against the believer. To give you some idea
of how they work together, consider the following illustration offered by Ice
and Dean in their book, Overrun By Demons:

All unbelievers are in bondage to Satan, making them his unwitting

allies against God. He makes them dance in harmony to the tune of
the world-system.

This system operates similar to the way a radio station functions.

Satan is the program director who selects the agenda for the station.
The demons and fallen humanity produce the programming, which
propagates and reinforces the agenda (false doctrine). The station
 then transmits the message over the air. However, you cannot pick
up the station unless you have a receiver tuned to the right
frequency. Fallen humanity is all tuned in to the radio station
“WORLD” with the volume turned all the way up. The receiver is
the flesh, which is attracted to Satan's frequency. All three work in
harmony: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The unbeliever's nature is sympathetic to the evil nature of the

world-system, so the two are attracted. The main difference
between the two is that the world-system characterizes the corporate
expression of Satan while the flesh embodies these same
characteristics on a personal level. When an individual becomes a
believer in Jesus Christ this alignment is broken and all-out war
begins between the Christian and the world. [9]

Endnotes
1. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Jr., Overrun By Demons: The Church's
New Preoccupation With The Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers,
1990), 61. [Back]

2. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. II (Dallas Seminary

Press, 1948), 77. Quoted by Ice and Dean in Overrun By Demons, 60-61.
[Back]

3. Allan S. Maitha, The World: Enemy of the Believer (Th.M. Thesis from
Dallas Seminary, 1970) as quoted in Overrun By Demons, pg. 73. [Back]

4. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/28/world/main6627393.shtml
posted online as of October 26, 2010. [Back]

5. Ibid. [Back]

6. Romans 7:14, 18; 8:1-17; Galatians 3:3; 5:13-21; Ephesians 2:3. [Back]

7. Ice, pg. 76-77. [Back]

8. The “old man” refers to the person we once were in Adam before being
saved: Ephesians 4:22, 24; Romans 6:6; Colossians 3:9-10. [Back]

9. Ice and Dean, 69-70. [Back]

Part 2: Exposing Unbiblical Practices
 Chapter 5
Carnal Weapons: Hedges
It is time to turn a bit of a corner. The material we have covered so far
has served to build a biblical framework by which we can evaluate certain
practices. We have laid a foundation upon which a biblical theology of
spiritual warfare can be built.

We have affirmed that the Bible and the Bible alone should govern our
theology of spiritual warfare (Chapter 1). We have seen from 2 Corinthians
10 that spiritual warfare is not a hand-to-hand battle with demons over
territory, but a battle over truth waged with the Word of God (Chapter 2).
We have spent some time considering our three enemies, and how they
work in concert with one another (Chapters 3 & 4).

In the next few chapters, we will evaluate certain practices which are
often associated with spiritual warfare. These practices are assumed by
many to be biblical. The language of certain spiritual warfare techniques
has made its way into the Christian vernacular, and well-intentioned
believers have adopted these methods, often without ever pausing to
evaluate them in the light of Scripture.

Why Bother?

Imagine a soldier on the front lines who ignored the commands of his
superior and chose to prosecute a battle according to his own designs. The
soldier may think that his method of fighting the enemy is better or more
effective than his commander's. He might believe that what he has practiced
for so many years could not possibly be wrong. No matter his motives, to
fail to follow the orders of his commander, and to go outside the boundaries
set by his superior, is gross insubordination and disobedience to clear
commands.

We have a Commander-In-Chief who has described our warfare,

commissioned us, and equipped us to fight. If He has given orders as to
how this battle for the truth is to be waged, then we are negligent at best and
disobedient at worst to ignore His instruction and adopt methodologies that
He has not sanctioned nor commanded.

Our Superior is no mere fallible human. He is infallible and omniscient.

To engage in spiritual warfare practices which He has neither commanded
nor approved is disobedience, insubordination, and outright foolishness.
Why would we want to fight such a powerful enemy using carnal, fleshly
weapons of man's making? Why would we want to live and battle in our
own strength? To do so is to invite disaster. [1]

It is necessary that we evaluate certain practices which have crept in to

the modern understanding of spiritual warfare. Some of the things we are
going to be discussing might be things you have read about, seen and heard
others do, or even done yourself. I contend that well-intentioned people
have taught a lot of spurious things concerning spiritual warfare. Some have
become such a part of the warp and woof of modern American
evangelicalism as to make questioning them an act of treason! Yet question
we must.

We have a responsibility to evaluate our thinking and behavior in light

of Scripture and seek to conform our lives to God's Word. If what we have
been taught concerning spiritual warfare is not founded upon the text of
Scripture, we should be quick to abandon it, however dear the practice may
be or however effective we might perceive it to be. If we don't analyze the
specifics of our practices in light of Scripture, then we end up plugging our
“carnal weapons” into a biblical paradigm. That result is confusion and
ineffective warfare.

Nothing you read in the next few chapters is intended to be hateful

criticism. Please don't take it that way. Criticism can be good if it is done
rightly. Our desire should always be to bring our thoughts, motives,
practices and beliefs to the anvil of God's Word to pound them into
conformity to His revealed truth. A necessary corollary to teaching the truth
is to identify error and offer correction. When God's people are engaged in
unbiblical practices, the loving thing to do is to point it out and correct it. It
is unloving to allow someone to continue in an error which will prove to be
a danger to their spiritual well being. [2]
 Engaging the battle with wrong methods is as bad or worse than no
warfare at all. My prayer is that God's people will abandon unbiblical
thinking, extra-biblical and unbiblical practices, and engage in true spiritual
warfare, according to the orders and example of our Commander given to
us in His Word. If we don't address erroneous practices and expose the
unbiblical methodologies currently used, then we can't build a biblical
methodology in its place. It is impossible to build a new building where an
old, useless one currently stands. It is therefore necessary to do a little
destruction on the proposed site before any construction can take place.

Woven into the Fabric

Practices such as binding Satan, praying a “hedge of thorns,”

renouncing generational curses, naming and praying against territorial
spirits, exorcising demons from Christians, pagans, or inanimate objects,
rebuking the devil, and pleading the blood of Jesus have become virtually
woven into the fabric of modern notions of spiritual warfare. The
legitimacy of these practices is assumed and never questioned. These have
become so much a part of the fabric of the prayers and lives of some people
and churches, that to question their legitimacy, in some circles, qualifies
one as a “heretic.” [3]

I suspect that some who are reading about these things have never, prior
to reading this book, been exposed to any of this teaching or these practices.
Consider yourself very fortunate! You might find it hard to believe that
people actually do this, but trust me - they do. These things are not isolated
to some fringe movement within Christianity. They are taught in
fundamentalist, conservative, Bible-believing, and gospel-centered
churches. They are not the unique property of the charismatic movement.

I am in no way questioning the intentions of those who practice or teach

the methodologies evaluated here. I only seek to evaluate the practices.

Praying the Hedge of Thorns

If you have never been exposed to this teaching before, you are
probably asking yourself, “What in the world is that?!?”
 Supposedly, this is the practice of erecting a “spiritual hedge” around
persons, places, or things in order to prohibit satanic influence or attack.
Once a “hedge of thorns” is prayed around someone, Satan and his demons
can't get through. This is different from the practice of binding Satan. In
binding Satan, he is kept from doing something (supposedly) that he
otherwise could do. In praying the hedge of thorns, you are not taking
Satan's ability away, but rather protecting someone from him. It is taught
that the practice of “praying a hedge” prevents demonic/satanic influence in
the life or mind of the person protected by the hedge.

The “hedge” is often treated as an all-purpose hedge. You might pray it

for your spouse, your family, your home, your children, your job, your car,
your church, or even your town. If you want to win unbelievers to Christ,
first pray a hedge of thorns around the person so they cannot be attacked or
influenced demonically.

Those who “pray a hedge” usually pray something like this, “Lord, I
pray a hedge of protection around this house in Jesus' name. I pray a hedge
of thorns around my kids in Jesus' name. I pray a hedge around Bob, who
needs salvation. And Lord, I pray a hedge of thorns around the church
service this Sunday, in Jesus' name. . .”

Apparently, praying this one time is not sufficient, for we are

encouraged by experts in spiritual warfare to pray it regularly, at least daily,
if not several times a day. I'm not sure if this is because the hedge breaks
down over time, or if Satan is crafty enough to find a means of getting over
or through the hedge. I would think that if this methodology was effective at
all, it only needs to be done one time. Why can't we simply pray a hedge of
protection (hedge of thorns) around everything and just prevent Satan from
influencing anything at all? Better yet, why not just pray a hedge of thorns
around Satan himself and all his demons? Rather than building a hedge
around everything and everyone to keep the devil out, why not pray a hedge
around him to keep him in? It would be a Hedge of Thorns Penitentiary for
Satan.

I was first exposed to this teaching at a Basic Youth Conflicts Seminar

in Spokane, Washington taught via video by Bill Gothard. He mentioned
this practice and gave details on how to effectively do it. He also cited the
“supporting” references of Hosea 2:6 and Job 1:10. It was not too long
after that I was exposed to this teaching in a much more developed form. It
sounded biblical. It made sense to me that we could prohibit Satan from
influencing people or places by using this practice. When I looked up the
Bible verses, they did mention a “hedge.” I assumed it must be biblical.

But is that really what these passages teach? An examination of these

oft-cited texts shows that biblical support for “praying the hedge” is thin
indeed. Let's take a look at each of these texts in their contexts.

Hosea 2:6

“Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will
build a wall against her so that she cannot find her paths.”

At first glance you'll notice a reference to “hedge” and “thorns.” Some

jump at that and say, “See? There it is! That is the 'hedge of thorns!'”

You don't have to be a careful student of Scripture to recognize that the

mere mention of “hedge” and “thorns” in one verse is not sufficient to
support the elaborate practice described above. A consideration given to the
context in which this verse appears shows its true meaning and reveals that
no such practice of “praying a hedge” against demonic forces is in view by
Hosea. In fact, this is a perfect example of wrenching a verse from its
context and using it to prop up a teaching that is completely foreign to the
meaning and intention of the passage.

Punishment Not Protection

Hosea was a prophet that God called to be an unusual object lesson to

the nation of Israel. God commanded Hosea to “take a wife of harlotry and
have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking
the LORD.” Hosea did this in marrying Gomer (1:2-3). Even the names
given to the children of Hosea and Gomer bore prophetic significance as a
sign and message to the nation (1:4-11).

This was a powerful prophetic object lesson. The practices of harlotry,

adultery, and impurity are commonly used to illustrate the defiling and
polluting nature of the spiritual apostasy of the nation. [4] To forsake their
God by covenant and turn to other gods in idolatry was as the sin of harlotry
and adultery. Hosea's marriage to Gomer and her subsequent unfaithfulness
proved to be a vivid picture of God's covenant relationship with the nation
of Israel and the pollution of that covenant by their persistent idolatry. Their
apostasy was likened to harlotry.

It is in that context that we come to Chapter 2 of Hosea's prophecy.

With that in mind, read the entire context while noticing the emphasized
references to the unfaithfulness of the nation.

Hosea 2:1-13

1 “Say to your brothers, 'Ammi,' and to your sisters, 'Ruhamah.' 2

Contend with your mother, contend, For she is not my wife, and I
am not her husband; And let her put away her harlotry from her
face And her adultery from between her breasts, 3 Or I will strip
her naked And expose her as on the day when she was born. I will
also make her like a wilderness, Make her like desert land And slay
her with thirst. 4 Also, I will have no compassion on her children,
Because they are children of harlotry. 5 For their mother has
played the harlot; She who conceived them has acted shamefully.
For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, Who give me my bread and
my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.' 6 Therefore,
behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will build a
wall against her so that she cannot find her paths. 7 She will
pursue her lovers, but she will not overtake them; And she will
seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go
back to my first husband, For it was better for me then than now!'
8 For she does not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the
new wine and the oil, And lavished on her silver and gold, Which
they used for Baal. 9 Therefore, I will take back My grain at harvest
time And My new wine in its season. I will also take away My wool
and My flax Given to cover her nakedness. 10 And then I will
uncover her lewdness In the sight of her lovers, And no one will
rescue her out of My hand. 11 I will also put an end to all her gaiety,
Her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths And all her festal
 assemblies. 12 I will destroy her vines and fig trees, Of which she
said, ‘These are my wages Which my lovers have given me.’ And I
will make them a forest, And the beasts of the field will devour
them. 13 I will punish her for the days of the Baals When she used
to offer sacrifices to them And adorn herself with her earrings
and jewelry, And follow her lovers, so that she forgot Me,”
declares the Lord.

It is difficult to miss the point! Does the passage sound like it has
anything to do with spiritual warfare? Does it sound like it has anything at
all to do with instruction on how to prevent satanic influence, demonic
oppression, or with protecting the righteous? It does not. In fact, the passage
describes a judgment, not a protection! Hosea is describing a coming
judgment of God upon the nation that involved “hedging them in with
thorns” so that they would return to Him. The text has nothing to do with
protecting God's people from Satan. It was not done for His people, but
against them. The hedge of thorns is not protection but judgment!

God was revealing that the nation was about to experience severe
judgment for its spiritual harlotry. God would “hedge up her [the nation]
way with thorns” and “build a wall against her [the nation - His people by
covenant] so that she cannot find her paths.”

What “way” was God promising to hedge with thorns? It would be the
nation's idolatrous paths, their pursuit of other gods. Notice the references
to pursuing their spiritual harlotry:

She said, “I will go after my lovers” (v. 5).

She will pursue her lovers, but not overtake them (v. 5).

She will seek them, but will not find them (v. 5).

She used to. . . follow her lovers (v. 13).

It is those paths of unrighteous pursuit of spiritual adultery and harlotry

that God is describing through Hosea. The judgment of God upon the nation
would be a path of difficulty and pain - hedged as with thorns.
 The metaphor is an easy one to understand. You can imagine being on a
straight and narrow path on which both sides are hedged with thorns. To
turn to the right or to the left, to seek to depart from said path would only
result in running into thorns - misery! In fact, that is evident in the very next
verse. Hosea 2:7 says, “She will pursue her lovers, but she will not
overtake them; And she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she
will say, ‘I will go back to my first husband, For it was better for me then
than now!’”

The whole intention of God hedging in the nation from its perverse
ways, was so that in experiencing the misery of spiritual harlotry, they
would say, “I will go back to my first husband [God - their covenant
partner].”

What types of misery [thorns] was God promising the unfaithful nation?
Look at this list from the chapter:

She will be stripped naked (v. 3).

She will be exposed (v. 3).

She will be made like a wilderness (v. 3).

She will be made like a desert land (v. 3).

She will be slayed with thirst (v. 3).

God will have no compassion (v. 4).

God will withhold the provision of grain at harvest (v.9).

God will withhold the provision of wine (v. 9).

God will take away provision of wool and flax (v. 9).

God will uncover her lewdness (v. 10).

God will prevent rescue from her dire situation (v. 10).
 God will put an end to her happiness (v. 11).

Festive assemblies and celebrations will end (v. 11).

God will destroy vines and fig trees (v. 12).

She will be punished for worship of Baal (v. 13).

All of those things are the thorns that would afflict God's people. God
was saying, “I will bring judgment on this nation because of their harlotries
with other gods. I will make these people so miserable in their sins, I will
remove every blessing, and make every pursuit of idols so painful, that they
will eventually return to Me.”

If you told Hosea, “Oh, so we can pray this 'hedge of thorns' around our
loved ones for protection from Satan and demonic influence,” he would
respond, “Huh?!”

Obviously such a notion is entirely foreign to the context. Yet this

whole theology of spiritual warfare and a whole prayer practice is built
upon the mention of “hedge” and “thorns” in the same verse without any
consideration of what the verse actually teaches.

Hosea 2:6 has nothing at all to do with spiritual warfare and protection
from demons. Nothing. It refers to an act of God in judgment to punish the
nation and prevent them from pursuing their idolatrous lusts.

Nothing in Hosea 2 indicates that such a hedge can be created through

prayer. There is nothing here that teaches that this was a result of prayer.
There is no mention of Satan or how such a “hedge of thorns” prevents his
activity. There is no indication that you and I can even do anything to
construct such a hedge. It is not even a literal hedge. It is a metaphor for
punishment not protection. It is a figure of speech, and one that has nothing
at all to do with spiritual warfare.

Job 1
 Doesn't the book of Job mention a hedge that protected righteous Job?
Yes, in fact, a second passage pressed into service to support the practice of
praying a hedge of protection is Job 1:8-10. “The Lord said to Satan, 'Have
you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a
blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.' Then
Satan answered the Lord, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not
made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?
You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased
in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will
surely curse You to Your face.'”

Some would say, “See, there is a hedge mentioned there, one of

protection that kept Satan from attacking Job.”

That is certainly true. The text does mention a hedge and this hedge
does seem to afford some protection to Job, but does this passage support
the elaborate theology and practice of “praying a hedge” which is so
common in many Christian circles?

What was this hedge and where did it come from? This hedge was
clearly God's sovereign protection and blessing on Job. That is evident from
the fact that Satan challenged God to remove such blessing and protection
in order to show that Job would curse Him.

You can read the whole first chapter of Job and you will see that it is not
a manual on spiritual warfare. The point of the passage is not to teach us
how to pray effectively against Satan. In Job 1, we get a glimpse into the
spiritual realm at something we cannot affect: God's sovereign protection of
His people and the continuance or removal of that protection for His own
sovereign and Self-glorifying purposes.

Job 1 does not prescribe spiritual warfare tactics. That is the furthest
thing from the mind of the author and the context. Does the passage say that
this hedge was made of thorns? No. Does the passage say that this hedge
was placed in response to the spiritual warfare prayers of Job or of others
on his behalf? No. In fact, this was the sovereign protection of God over
Job, something Satan could not penetrate without God's permission. It was
put in place by God and God alone and removed by God and God alone!
 All that we can say about this hedge is that it refers to God's sovereign
protection of Job and all that was his. We are not told to pray for this. Nor
do we have any examples of someone praying for this. We simply see in
this passage that Satan's reach is limited by the sovereign hand of God.

I argue that such a hedge is already the present possession of each

individual believer - every saint. Satan would kill all of us if he could. What
is it that prevents him from harming God's people or even killing them?
Nothing but God's sovereign protection of His people. Why am I not dead
right now? Why are my wife and kids preserved at any given moment? God
keeps evil at bay by His sovereign hand. Satan is on a leash and it stretches
no further than God allows. One lesson we learn from Job 1 is that if we are
preserved from anything it is because God is protecting us. If we are not
preserved from something, it is because God has allowed it.

Clearly it goes way beyond what is written to teach that such a

protection against Satan can be constructed, and needs to be constructed
through a specific mantra-style prayer in order to protect one from demonic
influence and attack. Hosea 2 and Job 1 are not in any way connected. The
hedge in one refers to protection, in the other, punishment. One refers to the
sovereign protection of God upon possessions, the other refers to God
moving to afflict people by removing their possessions. The only thing
those two passages have in common is that neither of them teaches the
practice of praying a hedge of thorns!

Biblical Interpretation Gone Awry

Notice how the practice of praying the hedge is “derived” from

Scripture. The word “hedge” is mentioned in two totally unrelated passages.
One of them also mentions thorns. Therefore, we must be able to pray a
hedge of thorns around people to protect them. Huh?!

What if I told you that you needed to pray a tower next to someone to
protect them from Satan. After all, Satan can't attack someone who has a
tower prayed up next to them. How do I know? Because towers are for
defense in the Bible. What verse teaches this? Well, the Bible describes
towers that protect (Psalm 61:3) and the same psalm speaks of prayer (v.
1). Therefore we should pray towers over people for their protection so
Satan can't successfully attack them.

If I started teaching that goofiness, you would rightly charge me with

twisting Scripture and creating doctrines out of whole cloth. The mere
mention of certain words in the Bible does not condone whatever practice
we want to assign to those words. We must always ask, “What does that text
teach?” Neither of the passages we have examined teach anything remotely
connected to the modern practice of praying hedges around people.

A Prayer for Protection

So what about praying for protection? Does that mean it is unbiblical to

pray for God to watch over us and protect us from the attacks of our
spiritual enemies? Certainly not (Ezra 8:21-23). There is nothing wrong
with praying for protection for one's self or others. The Psalms are filled
with references to praying for protection from enemies. [5] These prayers
have nothing to do with hedges and thorns, or even Satan and demons.

It is unbiblical to teach that “praying a hedge of thorns” around

someone or something is necessary to advance the Kingdom of Christ or to
halt the work of Satan. It is unbiblical to promote certain mantra prayers as
an effective tool in the war against Satan. I take issue with the abuse of
Hosea 2:6 and Job 1:10. That is a central issue.

Reforming Prayers

“Okay, so there might be no biblical justification for the practice, but

does it really matter? Aren't we just splitting hairs? Certainly God knows
what I mean and He can answer that prayer, right? What harm does it do to
go on praying hedges of thorns around people?”

It might not do any harm, but does it do any good? Why not pray a row
of trees? Why not pray a field of grass - a big field that Satan will have to
spend time traveling across before he gets to us? Why not pray a circle of
tomato plants? Maybe Satan doesn't like tomato plants. Pardon my tongue-
in-cheekness, but I am just trying to illustrate silliness by being silly.
 Praying a hedge of thorns has no more biblical warrant than praying a
circle of tomato plants. If there is no biblical warrant for it, why do it? Why
teach others to do it, and why model it for others? We want our prayers to
be guided by Scripture. We want to prosecute this battle according to the
instructions of the Commander-in-Chief. We should concern ourselves with
praying biblical prayers. The teaching of Scripture should guide our
prayers. We ought to use the language of Scripture and pray for those things
that are in keeping with the will of God as revealed in Scripture.

Now, I believe that it is God's will to protect His people. How does He
do that? He does it through truth. When we embrace the truth, understand
the truth, live the truth, and appropriate the truth, then we are taking every
thought captive to obedience of Christ and waging effective warfare (2
Corinthians 10:3-5). We can pray for people the way that Paul did
(Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-19; Philippians 1:3-11; Colossians 1:9-12).
Remember, we are involved in a truth war - a battle for the minds of men
waged with the truth, not imaginary hedges of thorns.

It is biblical to pray for God to sovereignly protect someone who is in

danger. It is biblical to pray that God would deliver someone from the
influence and power of Satan. It is biblical to pray that God would cause
someone to come to a knowledge and love of the truth and to be delivered
from lies. It is biblical to pray that men and women might hear the truth,
understand the truth and be delivered from darkness to light, from the
kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of Christ (Acts 26:18). Those are all
biblical, intelligent, and meaningful prayers.

On the contrary, praying a “hedge of thorns” is neither meaningful nor

biblical. It is stringing together a few words that happen to be mentioned in
various Bible passages and using it as a prayer weapon. Satan does not fear
such prayers!

Conclusion

Once again, if our Commander-in-Chief has not commissioned us to

prosecute the war in this manner, what business do we have doing it? Do we
know better than He? Dare we presume that our methods are superior to
His? If this were an effective warfare tool, do you not think He would have
told us about it? Would we have to wrench verses from their context and
abuse their meaning in order to establish a practice commissioned by God?
Never. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.

Endnotes
1. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us that our warfare is not to be waged using
weapons, methods, or tactics which are of man's creation. We are not free to
adopt any practice which we might invent. [Back]

2. Jesus and the Apostles constantly confronted unbiblical practices and

beliefs (Matthew 5-8; John 3, 8, 10). Whole books of the Bible were written
to this very end (Galatians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Colossians, 1
Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Peter, 1 John, Jude).
[Back]

3. There was a time when I thought all of these were biblical methods of
spiritual warfare. However, I believe that a careful look at Scripture reveals
these practices are based upon bad interpretation and verses cited out of
context. [Back]

4. Ezekiel 16:20, 25; 23:43. [Back]

5. Psalm 7, 17, 57, 59, 94, just to name a few. There are many. [Back]
 Chapter 6
Carnal Weapons: Hexes
The only exposure Ryan ever had to anything spiritual was rooted in the
occult. [1] His mom and dad dabbled in occult practices such as tarot cards,
ouija boards, and séances. His mother avidly read books on astrology,
horoscopes, and New Age Spirituality.

Ryan's parents were by no means pioneers in the field from within their
larger family. His maternal grandmother had boasted of being a wiccan high
priestess, and though Ryan had never known his great-grandfather, he had
heard about his involvement in these same practices from his father, who
proudly followed in his grandfather's steps. All told, Ryan could count
nearly a dozen family members who had some involvement in some form
of spiritism, divination, astrology, or occultism.

Until he arrived at college and met his roommate, an evangelical

Christian named Mark, Ryan had never met anyone who took the Bible
seriously, let alone someone who diligently read it and attended Bible
studies. Mark and Ryan began to have long discussions about spiritual
realities, spirit beings, the occult and the Christian faith. After attending
almost a dozen Bible studies with Mark, and a long lunchtime discussion
with Mark's pastor, Ryan became convinced of his need for a Savior.

Ryan came to see the weight of his sin and his need for forgiveness and
repented of his sin and embraced Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The
radical difference in Ryan's conduct and outlook was immediately manifest.
He had a hunger for the Bible like he had never had for anything in his life.

As if a light had been turned on, Ryan suddenly saw the horrors of the
spiritual entities that lay behind his parents' activities. He was grieved over
the lost, deceived condition of not only his parents, but others in his family
who were involved in the occult. Ryan's concern turned to fear, when, at his
weekly Bible study, he heard a fellow student suggest that he may have
inherited a demon from his parents. This Christian went on to explain that
the punishment of God would be visited upon Ryan and his children
because of his parents' sin of witchcraft, and unless Ryan specifically
renounced the sins and demons of his parents, then Satan's influence would
be allowed to continue for generations to come. To protect not only himself,
but his future children, Ryan was encouraged to deal directly and
specifically with demons that supposedly had become entrenched in his
family by generations of occult practices.

Does any of this sound familiar? Have you been exposed to teaching
like this on the subject of spiritual warfare?

Must I verbally renounce sins, demons, or curses in order to be

delivered from them? Does God punish children (even those who have
become believers) for the sins of their parents? Can a person inherit a
demon? Does someone saved from an occult background need a further
work of God in their lives to prevent satanic influence? What does the Bible
mean when it says that God visits the sins of the parents on the children to
the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20:5)?

I get asked these questions often by people who have been exposed at
one point or another to this type of teaching. It is rather prolific in many
Christian circles. Answering these questions deserves our focused attention.

The Teaching

Commonly referred to as “generational curses” or “generational sin,” it

is a part of a larger theology of spiritual warfare that includes binding Satan,
performing exorcisms (even of Christians), and praying against territorial
spirits.

The practice of renouncing generational sins or generational curses is

based on Exodus 20:5. “. . . I the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the
fourth generations of those who hate me. ”

Some use this verse to teach that God will punish children for the sins
of their parents. Others go further, and teach that one can be under a curse
because of their parents' sin: a curse which must be persistently renounced
and fought against. Yet others go even further and teach that a child can
actually inherit a demon from their parents, particularly if their parents were
involved in sins of witchcraft or idolatry.

It is believed that unless the Christian consciously and verbally

confesses in prayer the sins of their ancestors, and renounces those sins and
all their attendant curses and consequences, Satan will have a “legal hold"
in the believer’s life which will keep that believer from spiritual freedom,
sanctification, spiritual growth, and the blessings of God. This “legal hold”
can result in demonic oppression and even demonic possession of a
Christian.

Much is made of the dangers associated with adopting children, since

demons can supposedly transfer through bloodlines and thus gain access to
unsuspecting Christian homes. [2] After discussing the dangers of demons
attaching themselves to adopted children, Mark Bubeck, in his book The
Adversary, offers a recommended prayer of “Renunciation and
Affirmation”:

As a child of God purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, I

here and now renounce and repudiate all the sins of my ancestors.
As one who has been delivered from the power of darkness and
translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son, I cancel out all
demonic working that has been passed on to me from my ancestors.
As one who has been crucified with Jesus Christ and raised to walk
in newness of life, I cancel every curse that may have been put upon
me. I announce to Satan and all his forces that Christ became a
curse for me when He hung on the cross. As one who has been
crucified and raised with Christ and now sits with Him in heavenly
places, I renounce any and every way in which Satan may claim
ownership of me. I declare myself to be eternally and completely
signed over and committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. All this I do in
the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. [3]

Bubeck then includes this note: “None of us knows what works of Satan
may have been passed on to him from his ancestry. Therefore, it is well for
every child of God to make the above renunciation and affirmation. It is
advisable to speak it out loud.” [4]
 Not one to shy away from offering special incantations for nearly any
situation, a special and far more extensive prayer for adopted children or
foster children is given along with this reminder: “A renunciation and
affirmation of this type should often be a part of one's prayer ministry for
his adopted child.” [5]

This type of formulaic prayer is not unique to Mark Bubeck. It is also

found prolifically in the writings of popular author Neil T. Anderson. In his
book Released From Bondage, Anderson writes,

The last step to freedom is to renounce the sins of your ancestors

and any curses which may have been placed on you. . . . Familiar
spirits can be passed on from one generation to the next if not
renounced and your new spiritual heritage in Christ is not
proclaimed. You are not guilty for the sin of any ancestor, but
because of their sin, Satan has gained access to your family. . . . In
addition, deceived people may try to curse you, or Satanic groups
may try to target you. [6]

Anderson even suggests formulaic prayers for cleansing apartments and

houses that may have been formerly occupied by unbelievers and which
might still carry a curse. Taking this unbiblical teaching to its logical
conclusion, Anderson saddles the reader with this burden: “Adopted
children can be especially subject to demonic strongholds because of their
natural parentage. But even an adopted child can become a new creation in
Christ, and must actively renounce old strongholds and embrace his or her
inheritance as God's child.” [7]

Like Bubeck, Anderson offers a prayer to effectively break the curse:

I here and now reject and disown all the sins of my ancestors. As
one who has been delivered from the power of darkness and
translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son, I cancel out all
demonic working that may have been passed on to me from my
ancestors. . . . I renounce all satanic assignments that are directed
toward me and my ministry, and I cancel every curse that Satan and
his workers have put on me. I announce to Satan and all his forces
that Christ became a curse for me. . . . I reject any and every way in
 which Satan may claim ownership of me. I belong to the Lord Jesus
Christ, who purchased me with His own blood. I reject all of the
blood sacrifices whereby Satan may claim ownership of me. I
declare myself to be eternally and completely signed over and
committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. [8]

In a section entitled “Generational Sin,” Thomas B. White writes in his

book The Believer's Guide to Spiritual Warfare,

Those who have had experience with deliverance know that in some
cases there are demonic powers that have worked within a family
bloodline for many generations. This phenomenon is clinically
documented. . . . If sin occurs, especially sin related to idolatry or
witchcraft, and it remains unresolved, the enemy has a legal right to
accuse and oppress. . . . We observe a connection between
genealogical sin and oppression in current generations. [9]

I could multiply examples of this ad infinitum, ad nauseum! It is not

difficult to see that there is “a new generation of Christians who are
beginning to see the [spiritual] world through a grid that has more in
common with Greek and Persian mystery religions than with Christianity.”
[10] Indeed! When did Christianity start resembling the dialog of a Harry
Potter novel?

Exodus 20 in Context

As you read through the prayers above, you will notice language that
comes directly out of Scripture: “I have been crucified with Christ,”
“translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son,” etc. (Galatians 2:20;
Colossians 1:13). Though the language might be gleaned from Scripture for
some of the statements, that does not necessarily mean that the overall
theology is biblical.

Does the Bible teach that demons and curses can be transferred though
bloodlines? Can we inherit demons and curses? Must these curses be
renounced verbally, forcefully, and repeatedly in order for the child of God
to be free or protected from Satan?
 The verse which serves as the linchpin in this theology, and one you
will hear quoted constantly in support of this practice, is Exodus 20:5. I
have found that the full context is seldom quoted and even less frequently
understood. Here is the verse with its context:

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the
earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord
your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on
the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who
hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who
love Me and keep My commandments (Exodus 20:4–6).

The underlined part of verse 5 is usually isolated from its context and
used to teach that God visits punishments and curses on the descendants of
those who hate Him, even to the fourth generation. Interestingly, and most
telling, is the fact that verse 6 is almost entirely ignored by spiritual warfare
teachers in explaining the meaning of verse 5. And verse 6 is not a separate
paragraph, or even a separate sentence. It is the rest of the sentence of verse
5! A careful look at the passage will show that it has nothing at all to do
with the modern teaching of “generational curses.”

First, there is an obvious parallelism present between verse 5 and verse

6 that is central to understanding the meaning of the passage.

Verse 5 - “visit iniquity”

Verse 6 - “show lovingkindness”

Verse 5 - “to the fourth generation”

Verse 6 - “to the thousands”

Verse 5 - “of those who hate God”

Verse 6 - “of those who keep His Commandments”

 This Hebrew parallelism contrasts two actions of God, two numbers of
generations, and two groups of people. The two groups in contrast are
“those who hate Me [God]” versus “those who keep My [His]
commandments.” The two numbers of generations contrasted are “the third
and the fourth generations” versus “thousands.” The two actions of God
contrasted are “visit iniquity” versus “show lovingkindness.”

There is nothing difficult to understand about this passage. It is a Jewish

literary device used for expressing comparison and showing a preference
for one thing over another. God would rather bless a thousand generations
of those who love Him than curse three or four generations of those who
hate Him. His preference is to bless those who keep His commandments.

Psalm 30:5 is another example of this comparative parallelism, “For

His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last
for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.” The abundance and
enduring blessing of God's favor is highlighted when contrasted with God's
anger.

Deuteronomy 7 expresses the same thing, though the order is reversed.

Deuteronomy 7:9-10 says, “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is
God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a
thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His
commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy
them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his
face.” This is the same thing expressed in Exodus 20, showing it is God's
preference and nature to bless and show lovingkindness.

Second, it cannot be assumed that the ones punished in verse 5 are

“righteous” people or believers. The most natural interpretation is that God
would visit circumstantial punishments on those who hate Him. [11] We
should not assume that those being punished are the righteous descendants
of those who hated God. It would make more sense, and be in keeping with
teaching from the rest of the Old Testament, that those being punished, even
in the third and fourth generation, are also God-hating idolaters who have
followed in the footsteps of their apostate parents.
 Third, the interpretation of spiritual warfare teachers does not hold up
when consistently applied. They will say that verse 5 teaches that a curse or
demon can be transferred to children for three or four generations because
of the sin or activities of ancestors. Yet they will not be consistent and take
verse 6 in the same way! Would they also suggest that God will bless a
thousand generations (in spite of their personal and persistent sin) because
of the righteousness of one ancestor? Yet, to be consistent, they would have
to affirm this. Verse 6 says that God will show lovingkindness for a
thousand generations because of the one who kept His commandments. If a
Christian can be punished and afflicted because of the un-renounced sins of
his father, grandfather, or great-grandfather, then will unbelieving
descendants be blessed because of a righteous ancestor 597 generations
ago? Certainly not!

Fourth, we notice the complete absence of any mention of demons or

evil spirits, or even curses of the type Anderson and others suggest. The
passage is not describing demonic strongholds, spiritual warfare, or how to
renounce curses, but rather the Ten Commandments - not spirits, but sin and
its consequent punishment. It is an unimaginable and unjustified stretch to
take anything in this passage and build on it a theology regarding demons or
generational curses.

Fifth, Scripture consistently teaches that each person is punished for his
own sins, and not the sins of another. An essential passage on this very
subject is Ezekiel 18. In Ezekiel's day people quoted a proverb: “The
fathers eat sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge” (18:2). They
seemed to believe (wrongly) that though the fathers did the crime, the
children were cursed or punished for it. Ezekiel spent 32 verses refuting this
very teaching to show that “the soul that sins, it shall die” (18:4).

In contrast to modern “generational curse” teachers, Ezekiel affirms

that, “The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment
for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s
iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the
wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20).

The Problems Are Many!

 Anderson tries to show his practices are legitimate by citing similar
examples from church history:

The early church included in its public declaration of faith, “I

renounce you, Satan, all your works and ways.” The Catholic
Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and many other liturgical
churches still require this renunciation as part of confirmation. For
some reason it has disappeared from most evangelical churches.
You must not only choose the truth but disavow Satan and his lies.
[12]

I know why the practice vanished from Evangelicalism - because it is

patently unbiblical!

Apart from the rampant quoting of Scripture out of context and abuse of
those verses, there is a myriad of other problems with this theology. I'll
begin with what I consider to be most offensive.

First, this theology denies the sufficiency of the cross, the atonement,
and the gospel. This is the most serious and yet subtle error propagated by
those who teach these doctrines. They would affirm vocally, and forcefully,
that they do, in fact, believe in the power of the cross and the sufficiency of
the gospel, but their practice is a patent denial of these very things.

Apparently one-time repentance from a life of sin, the cleansing of the

blood of Christ, forgiveness of all sins - past, present, and future - is not
sufficient in itself to free one from bondage to sin and the power of Satan.
Something else is necessary, namely, reciting and renouncing verbally all
the sins that the Holy Spirit will bring to one's mind. The prayers of
renunciation must be spoken in order to break the power of Satan and
eliminate his strongholds - to revoke his “legal right.”

Scripture says that the one who trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation has
been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and set free from him who
had the power of death, namely the devil (Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 2:14-
18). The child of God has been adopted into the family of God and is
indwelt by the Spirit of the living God. The gospel has justified him freely,
fully, and forever. To suggest that anything more is necessary apart from the
gospel is an affront to the sufficiency of the work of Christ on the cross.

These renunciation and affirmation prayers allegedly accomplish things

that Scripture says have already been accomplished and secured for the
believer by the death of Christ. No further “work” on my behalf is
necessary to effect that deliverance.

If the believer is in Christ, he is a new creation. All old things have

passed away. Period. To suggest that without the verbal, specific
renunciations of Satan, he will continue to have a “legal claim” on my
family, possessions, and life is to say that the work of Christ did not break
that “claim” (although, as we have seen, the whole idea of that “legal
claim” is suspect from the beginning)!

What is the significance of being in Christ, if freedom from Satan is not

secured in Him? What good does the work of Christ actually do if I need to
further continually renounce sins and curses and cleanse my surroundings
of Satan's strongholds through incantation-like prayers?

Second, this theology is an attack on the sufficiency of Scripture. You

will search the Bible in vain for any of the prayers offered by Anderson,
Bubeck, and others. There are no prayers for renouncing curses, protecting
adopted children, cleansing houses, apartments, or hotel rooms, or binding
Satan from dreams. There are no prayers offered for canceling Satan's
claims, demonic curses, or generational-bloodline-demonic influences. Not
one. Not only do we not find any examples of them, we are never told to
pray such prayers.

As Ice and Dean point out, “In fact, there is not one example in the
entire Bible of a saved person being under a satanic curse which had to be
broken by Christian exorcism or distinct confession. [13]

One is left to wonder how ill equipped we would be without all the
incantations, prayers, and formulas offered by spiritual warfare teachers.
We are told they are essential, and yet we don't find them in Scripture - only
in the books by “spiritual warfare experts.” Without those books, countless
millions would live lives of bondage to Satan and his generational demons
and curses, and that because all they had was the Bible! Imagine!

Anderson makes the following claim: “To be completely free from the
past, we have found it necessary for each person to specifically renounce
every false religion, false teacher, false practice and every means of false
guidance that he or she has participated in.” [14] In my opinion, this reveals
incredible hubris. It may be unintended, but it is hubris nonetheless. When
someone teaches that something outside of Scripture - not commanded,
illustrated or patterned in Scripture - is necessary for our sanctification and
deliverance, he is saying that Scripture is not sufficient. He is implicitly
claiming that God neglected to provide us with information necessary for
our life in Christ. But do not fret! We have Anderson to thank for providing
what the Holy Spirit overlooked.

Third, this theology leads to bondage, not freedom. Though these

spiritual warfare teachers would say that this teaching helps to set people
free, “it instead binds them to a superstitious worldview where Satan is not
only present on every front, but he must repeatedly be renounced on each
and every one of those fronts or he will control them.” [15]

Christians are unwittingly adopting a pagan, mystical, voodoo-magic-

type worldview in the area of spiritual warfare. They are being encouraged
to constantly fear the power, curses, influence, presence, and claims of
Satan over them, their possessions, and their family. Without the uttering of
incantations, formulaic prayers, and constant renunciations, they can never
hope to be free, resulting in bondage to a patently unbiblical worldview and
theology of angels and demons.

Fourth, this is an insult to adopted children everywhere! To burden

adoptive parents with the unbiblical and unjustified fear that their adopted
child could be carrying some “bloodline curse” which requires special
attention not procured at the cross is cruel at best.

The theology of generational curses, generational sins, renunciation

prayers, hexes, and curses is completely unbiblical. The cross has secured
your salvation, justification, deliverance, sanctification, glorification, and
total freedom from the kingdom of darkness. Those in Christ are delivered.
Period. Having professed and embraced Christ, you need not renounce
anything. You are new and complete in Him. Rest in it - without fear!

Endnotes
1. Though the characters and circumstances of this story are fictional, they
represent real events and real teachings that permeate the Christian Church.
[Back]

2. Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 147-148.

Bubeck defines “transference” as “the passing on of demonic powers from
one generation to the next” and then goes on to cite a number of anecdotes
to prove his doctrine. [Back]

3. Ibid., 148. This prayer was actually composed by Ernest B. Rockstad of

Faith and Life Ministries in Andover, Kansas, whom Bubeck refers to as
“one of God's most experienced veterans in this subject of warfare.” [Back]

4. Ibid., 149. [Back]

5. Ibid., 150. Indeed, Anderson, Bubeck and White offer prayers for
cleansing hotel rooms, houses, breaking curses, adopted children, foster
children, bedtime, and a host of others. One quickly gets the impression that
we would be lost without the formulaic incantations which are said to be of
such great value against the demonic forces. [Back]

6. Neil T. Anderson, Released From Bondage (Nashville: Thomas Nelson

Publishers, 1993), 250-251. [Back]

7. Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene, OR: Harvest House

Publishers, 1990), 207. [Back]

8. Ibid., 207-8. [Back]

9. Thomas B. White, The Believer's Guide to Spiritual Warfare (Ann Arbor:

Servant Publications, 1990), 62. [Back]
10. Chuck Colson, J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, et. al., Power Religion
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 278. [Back]

11. Examples of these circumstantial punishments would include expulsion

from the land and other punishments that would come from not keeping the
Mosaic covenant (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). [Back]

12. Released, 70. [Back]

13. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Overrun By Demons: The Church's New
Preoccupation With The Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers,
1990), 181. [Back]

14. Neil T. Anderson, Helping Others Find Freedom in Christ (Ventura,

CA: Regal Books, 1995), 247. Emphasis added. [Back]

15. Elliot Miller, “Spiritual Warfare and the Seven Steps To Freedom,”
Christian Research Journal 21.3 (1999), 16. [Back]
 Chapter 7
Carnal Weapons: Binding Satan
No analysis of modern spiritual warfare methodology would be
complete without a look at the practice of “binding Satan.” To say that this
practice enjoys popularity in charismatic circles is to state the obvious, but
of all the false practices of modern spiritual warfare teachers, this one
enjoys immense popularity in both charismatic and non-charismatic circles.

As with the other practices we have examined, we want to allow

Scripture to be our guide as we seek to bring our beliefs and practices under
the authority of God's truth. When we do this, we find there is no biblical
teaching and no example in Scripture for binding Satan.

What Is this “Binding” Thing?

I have no doubt that most Christians today are familiar with the practice
of binding Satan. You have probably heard this during a prayer meeting,
Bible study, devotional time, and even from a pulpit during a Sunday
service. “The practice of binding Satan and/or the demons and evil spirits is
not only something which Christians do during public and private
deliverance sessions, but it is often a personal activity exercised on a
regular basis by a growing number of Christians.” [1]

It is believed that by binding Satan, his activity is limited, hindered, or

prohibited in the sphere in which he is bound. For instance, a person might
pray that Satan will be bound from blinding a person to whom they wish to
present the gospel with the belief that this will improve the likelihood that
the person will trust Christ as Savior. Someone might pray that Satan would
be bound from a certain event (concert, worship service, etc.) and thus
prohibited from having any influence or power over that event. Or someone
might pray that Satan be bound from a geographical location (a new house,
a neighborhood, a church, bedroom, workplace, or hotel room) with the
belief that uttering such a prayer cripples Satan's ability to interfere or enter.
[2]
 The prayer might be anything from an innocent desire expressed to
God, to a direct command to Satan. I have heard people pray both ways. I
used to know a man who, innocently enough, would humbly ask God,
“Lord, would you bind Satan from having any influence here?” On the
other end of the spectrum are the nearly insane rantings of televangelist
Robert Tilton directed toward the demonic forces that he believes are
attacking his followers in TV- land:

Satan, you demonic spirits of AIDS [3], and AIDS virus - I bind
you! You demon-spirits of cancer, arthritis, infection, migraine
headaches, pain - come out of that body! Come out of that child!
Come out of that man. . . Satan, I bind you! You foul demon-spirits
of sickness and disease, infirmities in the inner ear and the lungs
and the back. You demon-spirits of arthritis, sickness, and disease.
You tormenting infirm spirits in the stomach. Satan, I bind you! You
nicotine spirits - I bind you! In the name of Jesus! [4]

Even the very conservative teacher, Bill Gothard, advocates the practice
of binding Satan by the name and blood of Jesus Christ. In his book
Rebuilders Guide, Gothard offers “The Prayer to Bind Satan and Build a
'Hedge of Thorns,'”: “Heavenly Father, I ask You to rebuke and bind Satan
in the name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.” [5]

Gothard cites Mark 3:27 and Jude 9 in support of the practice [6] and
writes, “Before we attempt to reclaim a loved one who has come under
Satan's power, we must first bind Satan. Otherwise, he works through that
loved one to create a reaction toward every attempt of restoration.” What
will happen if you don't bind Satan before trying to restore a loved one?
Gothard answers, “Attempting to spoil Satan's house without binding him
will only result in arguments.” [7]

My intention is not to pick on Bill Gothard. Frankly, I could quote a

number of rather conservative teachers who would parrot that advice. The
teaching has crept into every nook and cranny of the Church.

Spiritual warfare teacher Mark I. Bubeck, [8] while telling a story about
a suicidal “Christian” who called him in the middle of the night for advice,
records the following about that conversation: “I prayed with him, binding
up all of Satan's powers that were seeking to destroy him.” [9] In the same
book, while giving a list of “dos and don'ts” for dealing with the demonic in
confrontation warfare, Bubeck instructs us, “Do bind all powers of darkness
working under any wicked spirit to him, commanding them all to leave
when he does.” [10]

Like Bubeck, Neil T. Anderson's entire approach to spiritual warfare is

based on the presumed authority of the believer over the devil. Anderson
teaches, “God has granted us the authority to 'bind what shall be bound in
heaven' . . . The effectiveness of binding the strongman (see Matthew
12:20 [sic]) is dependent upon the leading of the Holy Spirit and subject to
the scope and limits of the written Word of God.” [11]

True to his style, Anderson offers a formulaic prayer which supposedly

binds Satan from interfering with loved ones:

We agree that every evil spirit that is in or around (name) be bound

to silence. They cannot inflict any pain, speak to (name)'s mind, or
prevent (name) from hearing, seeing or speaking. Now in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ I command you, Satan, and all your hosts
to release (name) and remain bound and gagged so that (name) will
be able to obey God. [12]

If you ever tune in to CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) in hopes

of being exposed to sound theology, you'll be sorely disappointed. During
one broadcast of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson advocated binding Satan in
order to deal with a satanic attack within one's home. During the “Bring It
On” segment, Robertson was asked this question by “Gilbert”: “Our
household has been under attack lately by the devil. Are we supposed to
rebuke the devil in Jesus' name or just look to God to take care of the matter
for us?” [13]

Robertson responded by saying,

I think you need to wage spiritual warfare and you need to

understand what you are doing. But, uh, I,. . . I ,. . . I, think we
should say, if you want something to say, is, 'I bind you, Satan and
the forces of evil, and, uh, In the name of Jesus, I bind your power',
 which means you nullify the power of what he's exercising against
you. . . . That is the way you deal with this situation. [14]

Proof Texts to the Rescue!

Those who teach and practice this method of dealing with the devil will
typically offer a few standard Bible verses as biblical support. Here they
are:

Matthew 12:29: “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and
carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will
plunder his house.” [15]

Matthew 16:19: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:18: “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall
have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have
been loosed in heaven.”

You will notice immediately the mention of “strong man,” “bind,”

“binding in Heaven,” and “binding on earth.” These phrases are all that is
needed by some to build an entire theology of spiritual warfare that
involves formulaic prayers to bind Satan. However, a proper interpretation
of each passage in its context yields an entirely different understanding of
Jesus' words. We'll take a look at each one.

Matthew 12:29 and Context [16]

Matthew 12:29: “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and
carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will
plunder his house."

As the teaching goes, Satan is the strong man, and sinners are his
possession. In order to rescue loved ones from his grasp and influence, we
must first “bind Satan” so that he cannot resist our effort to “plunder his
house.” When verse 29 is all that is read, then it is easy to see how people
could be led to the false conclusion that this passage is describing the
modern practice of binding Satan. In reality, nothing of the sort is being
described.

The context of Matthew 12 has nothing to do with spiritual warfare at

all. This is a record of an historical event in the life of the Lord Jesus in
which He healed a demon-possessed man. The crowd began to wonder if
Jesus was who He claimed to be: the Son of David (12:23). That was the
proper conclusion, but not the one that the Pharisees wanted the people to
reach. In an attempt to dissuade the crowd from concluding that Jesus was
the Messiah, they offered an alternate explanation of His ability to cast out
demons saying, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of
demons” (12:24).

To show the lunacy of such a charge, Jesus pointed out that everything
He did as a demonstration of His Messianic credentials was directly
opposed to Satan. Why would Satan cast out Satan (12:26)? Why would he
fight against himself by empowering Christ to wage war against Satan
since, clearly, everything that Christ did, opposed Satan's works and power?
How could such a kingdom stand (12:25)?

Surely Jesus must be stronger than Satan if He was able to come into
this world and war so effectively against his kingdom and plunder his
captives. Jesus was not empowered by Satan, but was overpowering Satan.
That is the meaning of verse 29. True, Satan is the strong man in the verse,
but the binding is an analogy to show Christ's strength over Satan, not a
command or example that we are to follow! Jesus was not instructing us
about how to handle Satan. He was refuting the claim that His power came
from the devil!

The central issue of the passage is, “By whose power did Christ
perform His miracles - God's or Satan's?” Jesus offered a simply analogy. It
must be by God's power, since only God is strong enough to destroy and
plunder Satan's kingdom. The pharisees charged Jesus with building Satan's
kingdom. Jesus claimed that He was ransacking Satan's kingdom.

Matthew 12:29 is not a universal command to all believers on how to

effectively deal with the “strongman,” but an historic illustration of Christ's
personal power over Satan. Any use of that verse to support the practice of
binding Satan is at best doing violence to the context!

Matthew 16:19 and Context [17]

Matthew 16:19: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Advocates of binding methodology wrongly say that Jesus is giving

instructions on how to “build His church” (v. 18) which can only happen if
we bind Satan on earth so that he will be bound in Heaven (heavenlies).
This is taken as a mandate for believers to bind Satan with the
accompanying promise that when we do, he will be bound by Heaven.

A quick look at the context reveals that these words were uttered in
response to Peter's great confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the
Living God” (16:16). It is in response to Peter's confession of Christ that
Jesus utters the words in verse 19. Since Jesus is responding to Peter's
confession, whatever the “binding” and “loosing” refers to, it must have to
do with Jesus building his church (v. 18).

We notice again the context has nothing whatsoever to do with spiritual

warfare. Jesus was not giving His disciples instruction on how to conquer
Satan. That notion is completely foreign to the text. Spiritual warfare is not
mentioned, nor even alluded to. Not to be deterred by the context, modern
spiritual warfare experts ignore the subject at hand and read into the text a
mandate for “binding warfare.”

The key to the passage is in the terms “bind” (deo, Gk.) and “loose”
(luo, Gk.) As Ice and Dean note, “That was a phrase used in Christ's day by
Israel's religious leaders regarding what was forbidden (bound) and what
was permitted (loosed).” [18] These words need to be understood in the first
century Jewish context in which they were spoken. This meant something
to Peter and the original readers that had nothing to do with hindering or
limiting Satan's activity through a magical formula uttered in prayer.
 In connection with the use of these words in Matthew 16:19 and 18:18,
the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says, “Jesus does not give
to Peter and the other disciples any power to enchant or to free by magic.
The customary meaning of the Rabbinic expressions is equally
incontestable, namely, to declare forbidden or permitted, and thus to impose
or remove an obligation, by a doctrinal decision.” [19] Peter, as a
representative of the Apostles, was given a certain degree of authority, to
make doctrinal declarations and obligations in the church. [20]

New Testament Greek scholar Dr. A.T. Robertson explains the

significance of the tense of the verbs that are used: “Note the future perfect
indicative (ἐσται δεδεμενον, ἐσται λελυμενον [estai dedemenon, estai
lelumenon]), a state of completion. All this assumes, of course, that Peter’s
use of the keys will be in accord with the teaching and mind of Christ.” [21]

A literal, but awkward, translation into English would read, “. . .

whatever you bind on earth is that which shall already have been bound in
the heavens, and whatever you loose on earth is that which shall already
have been loosed in the heavens.” [22] Peter was to forbid on earth, in the
church, only that which Heaven had forbidden. He was to allow on earth, in
the church, only that which Heaven had allowed. [23]

This is how the phrase was used in the first century Jewish community.
This is how Jesus used the phrase. It has nothing at all to do with spiritual
warfare or anything we do to Satan. It was a rabbinic phrase that had to do
with being given the authority and responsibility to declare on earth those
things that Heaven determined to be allowed (loosed) and forbidden
(bound). To use this passage to teach a spiritual warfare methodology
whereby Satan's activity is curtailed by our “binding prayer” is to misuse
the passage.

Matthew 18:18 and Context [24]

Matthew 18:18, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall
have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have
been loosed in heaven.”
 “Binding” and “loosing” are used in exactly the same way in this
passage as they are in Matthew 16:19. It is the same idea, but here the
practical application is to the practice of church discipline.

Jesus is saying that believers can have confidence that when they
justly excommunicate someone on earth, they are fulfilling the will
of God which has already been determined in Heaven. This should
give them confidence in what they are doing. So in this context
binding and loosing carry the idea which corresponds to our modern
judicial language of declaring someone guilty (binding) or innocent
(loosing). . . . In both passages neither word is referring to the
contemporary idea of binding Satan or the demonic. Instead, these
references refer to carrying out God's heavenly will upon earth as it
has already been determined in Heaven. [25]

Like the others, this passage has nothing to do with spiritual warfare
and binding Satan. Such flagrant abuse of Scripture ought to deeply concern
the child of God!

The Problems are Legion

There are a number of practical and common-sense problems with this

practice of binding Satan.

First, spiritual warfare teachers who advocate binding Satan based upon
these passages utter nary a word about the “loosing” part of the verses. Yet
the same passages that supposedly give authority to bind Satan mention
loosing as well. In their theology, to what could this possibly refer? Does it
refer to having the authority to loose Satan? What fool, having bound him,
would then, in prayer, turn him loose? I have heard many Christians pray
for Satan's binding, but I have never heard one pray, “I loose thee, Satan, in
the name and blood of Jesus Christ, so you can return to your normal
activities of deception and destruction.” Yet if the passages cited give
authority to bind the devil, what is the loosing in these passages intended to
do?

Second, there is no single example anywhere in the Bible where an

apostle or a prophet bound Satan. We never hear Jesus utter these words.
We have a number of prayers recorded in the New Testament and not once
do we read of them “binding Satan.” Certainly if this practice were
necessary for the advancement of the gospel and the success of the
preaching enterprise, it would have been done before Paul's missionary
journeys. If this were an essential methodology, we would expect to find the
church employing it in response to persecution or prior to gatherings for
worship. Yet we read nothing of it in the book of Acts. Nothing.

Simply put, we have no commands to do it, no teaching regulating it,

and no examples of it. There are no chains, ropes, cables, or handcuffs in
the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Third, Scripture describes Satan as “roaming about,” not bound by

believers. Peter warns Christians in 1 Peter 5:8 to “be of sober spirit, be on
the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.” If Satan can be bound by merely uttering the
phrase, “I bind Satan,” then this warning is meaningless. Indeed, with all
the binding going on today in Christian circles, one has to wonder in what
sense he is prowling around seeking someone to devour.

Fourth, the only time that Scripture says that Satan is bound is during
the 1,000-year millennial reign of Christ after this present age. [26] That
binding is not said to be the work of believers, but of an angel on behalf of
Jesus. He is bound for a specific period of time (1,000 years) which ends
his present deceptive activity entirely (v. 3). This event is not something
presently taking place, but something yet future. During the present age,
Satan roams to and fro throughout the earth, deceiving and engaging in all
his activities (Job 1:7).

Fifth, this practice doesn't even pass the “common sense test.” For
instance, how long does this binding last? Apparently, the binding is not
permanent, since it needs to be done before every service, special event, or
witness encounter. It must not be universal either, since binding Satan from
one person does not seem to prohibit him from attacking or influencing
someone else.

For as much as Satan is bound, he seems to be awfully productive and

active. Is someone loosing him? Are demons setting him free? If so, we
should just bind all demons and Satan, from everything, everyone,
everywhere, and every event. There, problem solved! Does anyone really
think this will work? This whole practice begins to look silly and useless
quickly.

To even begin to answer any of these questions, and explain how and
why and where this works, requires that people go outside Scripture and
invent answers from their own imagination. None of the above questions
can be answered from the Bible!

It Is Not Harmless but Dangerous

At this point someone might object by suggesting that the whole

practice seems very harmless. After all, what does it really matter if
someone does this?

I contend that nothing is actually going on when people pray or

command that Satan be bound. The real question is not, “What harm does it
do?” but, “What good does it do?”

There is nothing in Scripture that suggests these binding prayers do

anything at all. If it is a completely ineffective, meaningless mess of hocus-
pocus (as I contend that it is), why would you do it? It is useless. Nothing
happens! The Bible does not teach or model the use of this technique at all.
It is an unproven (and dangerous) assumption that extra-biblical practices
can be used to wage effective spiritual warfare. We are told to do God's will
God's way, not to invent our own means out of whole cloth.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us how spiritual warfare is to be waged. It is

a truth war. Disobeying God's instruction and adopting man-made means is
not waging the war in the manner given by our Commander-in-Chief. It is
disobedience.

This practice is not taught in Scripture, and we have no reason to

believe it actually accomplishes anything at all. Advocates of “binding”
methodology must answer this question: “Do I practice this because these
passages, taken in their contexts, clearly teach this practice, or do I practice
this because I want to believe it actually does something?” I suspect it is the
latter, for it is certainly not taught in Scripture.

Endnotes
1. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Overrun By Demons: The Church's New
Preoccupation With The Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers,
1990), 100. [Back]

2. Ibid. If this is starting to sound eerily similar to the spiritual worldview of

those who advocate renouncing generational curses, you are on to
something. A similar view of the demonic rests at the foundation of both
these practices. [Back]

3. The Bible does not teach that all illnesses and infirmities are the result of
demonic oppression or possession. [Back]

4. Robert Tilton, Success-N-Life Program (ca. 1991), video on file at the

Christian Research Institute. Hank Hanegraaff, Christianity In Crisis
(Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), 257. [Back]

5. Bill Gothard, Rebuilder's Guide (United States: Institute in Basic Life

Principles, Inc., 2005), 119. He further suggests that you pray, “I ask You to
build a 'hedge of thorns' around my partner, so that anyone with wrong
influence will lose interest in him (or her) and leave.” Like others, Gothard
distorts and misuses Hosea 2:5-7 to promote the practice of hedge-praying.
See Chapter 6. [Back]

6. These verses, as we will see, offer no justification at all for this practice.
The subject of rebuking Satan will be handled in Chapter 8. [Back]

7. Ibid., 154. Gothard then quotes Matthew 7:3-5, Mark 3:27 and Ephesians
6:12 in support of this claim. What do those verses have to do with this
assertion? Your guess is as good as mine. [Back]

8. He was featured heavily in Chapter 6 for his absurd teaching on

generational curses. [Back]
9. Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 91.
Emphasis mine. [Back]

10. Ibid., 125. [Back]

11. Elliot Miller, “Spiritual Warfare and the Truth Encounter,” Christian
Research Journal 21.2 (1999), 13. Taken from “Twenty Five Most Popular
Questions,” Freedom in Christ website, http://www.ficm.org. I searched and
could not find this on Anderson's website any longer. [Back]

12. Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene, OR: Harvest House
Publishers, 1990), 227, as quoted in Elliot Miller, “Spiritual Warfare and the
Truth Encounter,” Christian Research Journal 21.2 (1999), 14-15. [Back]

13. http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/vod/BIO_010510_WS
[Back]

14. Ibid. [Back]

15. Mark 3:27 cited by Gothard is parallel to Matthew 12:29. [Back]

16. For the sake of space, I will not quote the entire context which properly
includes 12:22-42. However, I would strongly encourage you to read the
verses yourself and follow along in the text as I explain the passage. [Back]

17. For the sake of space, I will not quote the entire context which properly
includes 16:13-20. However, I would strongly encourage you to read the
verses yourself and follow along in the text as I explain the passage. [Back]

18. Ice and Dean, 101. [Back]

19. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed., Vol. 2: Theological

Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-)
(electronic ed.), 60. [Back]

20. We see this in practice in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council where the
issue of Gentile salvation and circumcision were determined by the
Apostles as they did declare the mind of God on a doctrinal issue and thus
permitted certain things and forbid others. [Back]
21. A. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Matthew 16:19)
(Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997). [Back]

22. Ice and Dean, 102. [Back]

23. This, in no way, supports the notion that Peter was to function as the
first Pope with the type of papal authority assumed by the Roman Catholic
Church. This very same authority is given in the context of the individual
local church in its practice of church discipline in the next passage we will
look at - Matt. 18:18. Every believer is to declare on earth what has been
determined in Heaven. We know what these things are because the will of
God has been revealed to us in Scripture through the Apostles. [Back]

24. For the sake of space, I will not quote the entire context which properly
includes 16:15-20. However, I would strongly encourage you to read the
verses yourself and follow along in the text as I explain the passage. [Back]

25. Ice and Dean, 102. [Back]

26. Revelation 20:1-10. [Back]

 Chapter 8
Carnal Weapons: Rebuking Satan
Kim Riddlebarger says there is “a new generation of Christians who are
beginning to see the world [spiritual] through a grid that has more in
common with Greek and Persian mystery religions than with Christianity.”
[1] It is almost as if mysticism has been wedded with Christianity, resulting
in some hybrid we might call Mystianity. In no area is this more evident
than in the realm of modern spiritual warfare methodologies. The approach
to spiritual warfare so uncritically embraced by the bulk of modern
evangelicalism has more in common with pagan mysticism than anything
remotely biblical.

By this point, you have probably noticed that the approach I am

advocating toward spiritual warfare is worlds apart from that which is
practiced in most churches, taught by most pastors, and embraced by most
spiritual warfare “experts.” I believe that spiritual warfare is primarily a
truth war that we wage against false ideologies by the proclamation of
divine truth (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). People are delivered, once and for all,
from darkness to light through the gospel, not through repetitive reciting of
incantation-like prayers, renunciations, and mantras - however laden such
phrases might be with Christian verbiage.

Sadly, the average Christian view of spiritual warfare involves hand-to-

hand combat with demons as we storm the gates of hell, battle devils, and
directly engage Satan and his hoard. This is done by verbally renouncing
sins, curses, and demonic strongholds. Believers are told to pray a hedge of
thorns, bind Satan through specific “binding prayers,” and rebuke him.
Christians are taught to pray against territorial spirits, name demons, and, of
course, the perennial favorite, exorcise demons. [2] We have already
analyzed the practices of praying hedges, renouncing curses, and binding
Satan. Now we turn our attention to the practice of “rebuking Satan.”

What Is “Rebuking Satan?”

 It is believed by many modern spiritual warfare teachers that the
believer’s authority in Christ provides us with power over Satan and
demons. This power can be used to force demonic powers to obey our
commands, just as they obeyed those of Jesus and the apostles. The
emphasis that many place on “binding Satan” is one manifestation of this
view of the believer's authority. Supposedly we can limit and stop Satan's
activities with simple commands such as, “I bind you, Satan, by the blood
and name of Jesus Christ.” It is also assumed that this authority gives
believers the power to command and control demons during battle, to
verbally rebuke the devil, to exorcise demons, and even to command the
obedience of irrational and inanimate objects.

Spiritual warfare “expert”, Neil T. Anderson, advocates prayers that

involve directly speaking to Satan out loud. In his book, The Bondage
Breaker, Anderson argues that

The Word of God is the only offensive weapon mentioned in the list
of armor. Since Paul used “rhema” instead of “logos” for “word” in
Ephesians 6:17, I believe Paul is referring to the spoken Word of
God instead of the Word of God personified in Jesus. We are to
defend ourselves against the evil one by speaking aloud God's truth
. . . You can communicate with God in your mind and spirit because
He knows the thoughts and intents of your heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Your unspoken communion with God is your private sanctuary;
Satan cannot eavesdrop on you. But by the same token, if you only
tell Satan to leave with your thoughts, he won't leave because he
can't hear you. You must defeat Satan by speaking out. The good
news is that most attacks occur at night or when you are alone [this
is good news?], so resisting Satan aloud seldom results in your
having to explain to other people a vocal command instructing
Satan to leave. However, there may be times when you will need to
take a public stand against the enemy, which may include
confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9). [3]

Anderson's treatment of Scripture in this section is lamentable. The

Word of God in Ephesians 6 is the Word which God has spoken and not the
words that a believer speaks, and therefore has nothing to do with believers
mentally or vocally repeating those words.

False teachers among the Word Faith Movement are well known for
rebuking Satan and his demons and presuming their authority in Christ to
command demons to heed their will. Benny Hinn, at his Holy Spirit Miracle
Cure in Rome, Italy, said while supposedly healing a woman of cancer, “We
rebuke this spirit of cancer in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of God. . . I
command it to go out of her.” [4]

A search online for “rebuking Satan” will reveal a host of deliverance-

ministry teaching on the subject. For instance, Britt Merrick writes on his
May 19, 2010 blog,

When we are called upon to deal with demons while we are on

mission for Christ, we should deal with them the same way that
Christ did. Jesus verbally commanded demons to leave (Mark 5:8).
Subsequently, we see the church in Acts following this same model
(Acts 16:16-18). The model that we have set before us is the verbal
command and rebuke of demons. [5]

In attempting to answer the question, “Why does God ask us to speak

directly to demons?” Merrick says,

There is nothing in Scripture that indicates that demons can hear our
thoughts, read our minds, or be conscious of our inner dialogue. We
must rebuke them by speaking out loud. Jesus gave us authority to
cast out demons in His name (Mark 16:17) and displayed for us the
model of verbally commanding them. [6]

This is representative of the theology of various deliverance ministries.

The practice is widely accepted within charismatic circles.

I was surprised to find this theology applied in a very unique manner in

a special issue of The Voice of the Martyrs. Richard Wurmbrand, founder of
The Voice of the Martyrs, wrote an article entitled “Rebuking the Devil.”
[7] Wurmbrand believed that Christians have authority to command, bind,
and rebuke devils. Beyond that, he attempted to prove that when we speak
the Word of God in the name of Jesus, whatever we speak to must obey our
command, even if it is an inanimate object! He told a story to support his
claim.

American pastor Dick Eastman was much burdened about a thick

wall that divided the capital of a civilized nation - the Berlin Wall
erected by the Communists. Knowing that it separated families and
friends, he pleaded with God: “It is written that if we pray You
should move a mountain, it will move. So many pray for this. Why
don't You fulfill Your promise?”

One night Jesus replied, “I never promised that I would move

mountains if you pray. I said, 'If you (not Me) say to this mountain,
“Move!” It will move' (Matthew 17:20). Don't come to Me. Speak
to the Berlin Wall.” [8]

Pastor Eastman went all the way to Berlin to convince the wall to
crumble. It did not. He complained to Jesus, who replied, “I did not
say that you alone should do it. Take a few believers with you.” [9]

The pastor went to Berlin a second time in the company of a few

more believers and commanded the Berlin Wall to crumble. The
group made a sign of the cross on the stone before which they had
spoken.

After a few days the wall was no more. Germany was reunited.

Many factors contributed to the destruction of the infamous wall,

but who can deny that a word spoken to an inanimate object may
play a decisive role?

Actually, with all due respect, I would deny that! I don't believe for a
moment that we have the power to affect inanimate objects by speaking
God's Word to them. Taking Jesus' words about moving mountains in such a
wooden, literal sense is to abuse His Word! Later in that same article,
Wurmbrand wrote, “We too can speak to inanimate objects, even at great
distances.” One wonders then why Pastor Eastman had to fly to Germany -
twice!
 What possible biblical warrant could Wurmbrand offer for these
teachings? He writes,

Jesus commanded a tree to wither and it did. He commanded a

storm to stop and there was peace.

But He did more than that. At one point He had a conversation with
the devil. What we have in Matthew 4 might be only a resumé,
when in essence Jesus quoted the Word to him, and he was forced to
retreat. On another occasion He rebuked a devil who inhabited a
child and the devil left him immediately (Matthew 17:18).

Devils are intelligent beings. They understand what we say. We too

can make them obey our commands. . . . If Jesus is living in us by
His Spirit, we too can command devils to depart. [10]

The assumption behind all of the above teaching is that if Jesus did
something while here on earth, we too, have authority to do the same. If
Jesus spoke to a storm and calmed the sea, then we can speak to objects and
command their obedience to our wills. [11] I wonder, then, why Mr.
Wumbrand and Dick Eastman do not multiply bread and fish to feed the
hungry multitudes all over the world. Why wouldn't either of them travel to
the persecuted church and speak the Word of God to prison doors and
prison guards, and free Christians held in chains? Why didn't Mr.
Wumbrand simply command his own prison doors to open while he was
held captive? That would be the logical conclusion we would draw from his
theology.

Jesus performed signs which were intended to attest to His messianic

claims. Such signs were the prerogative of the incarnate Son of God and
never intended to be the norm for believers of every age. It is a sad abuse of
the biblical texts to suggest that these things are examples for believers to
follow today. [12]

Spiritual warfare expert Mark Bubeck shares a personal story of an

encounter he had with a demon that was supposedly oppressing his
daughter, Judy, and causing sickness and nausea. Once Bubeck was
convinced that the problem was not psychosomatic but demonic, he decided
that the best approach was to “work directly against these afflicting
powers.” [13]

After reading Scriptures which “speak of our great victory and the
power of our Lord over all of Satan's kingdom,” [14] they prayed. Bubeck
then recalls, “At this point I began to command for the powers of darkness
afflicting her to come to manifestation. I called them before her faculties
and commanded them to answer my questions.” [15] He then recalls
praying,

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command Satan and all
wicked spirits who do not have specific assignment against Judy to
leave our presence. We do not allow any interference or intrusion
into our warfare against the powers of darkness afflicting Judy. I
command all powers of darkness afflicting Judy to be bound aside.
You may not work. You may not hurt her in any way. There is to be
one-way traffic, out of Judy's life and to the place where the Lord
Jesus Christ sends you. You may never return to afflict Judy. I call
you before Judy's faculties. You must answer my questions by
giving clear answers through her mind. You may not speak
otherwise. I want no talk from you but answers to my questions. I
command the chief power of darkness in charge of this affliction of
fear, nausea, and all related problems to come to attention. I call you
to account in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is your
name? [16]

This was followed by a conversation with demons which revealed a

supposed “hierarchy” of demonic powers responsible for this affliction.
After being sufficiently convinced that the demons were fully exposed,
Bubeck “proceeded to command their departure” with prayers like, “In the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bind you all together. I bind all workers and
helpers together. . . . I command you to go where the Lord Jesus Christ
sends you. I command you to go now.” [17]

Rebuking the devil is presented as a quick and effective answer to

temptation. When the Devil tempts you to sin, we are told to rebuke the
demon of “lust,” “alcohol,” “depression,” “homosexuality,” “pornography,”
“worry,” or “gossip.” Deliverance from darkness or sin can be gained for
family members when we rebuke the devil. The same theology that leads
one to attempt to “bind Satan,” also teaches that by rebuking the devil, we
can cause him to flee or cower away from us. So it is not uncommon in
Christian circles to hear pastors and teachers rebuke Satan and command
him and his demons to leave or cease their activities. It is believed that if
Jesus rebuked Satan and his demons (Mark 1:25; Matthew 17:18), we can
also command Satan in Jesus' name and he will be obliged to obey our
commands.

Is “rebuking Satan” mentioned in Scripture? Yes, it is. But not in a way

favorable to the theology of modern spiritual warfare teachers.

2 Peter and False Teachers

Peter wrote his second epistle primarily to warn about the false teachers
that would try to secretly introduce destructive heresies denying the Master
(2:1-3). Peter wanted to prepare his readers to stand against the very real
threat of wicked, ungodly men whose doctrines posed a grave threat to the
truth and the health of the church.

In describing these men and their teachings, Peter reminds his readers
that

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and
to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of
judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its
corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they
do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas
angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a
reviling judgment against them before the Lord. (2:9-11) [18]

Like the devil, who is their father, these false teachers show their self-
centered arrogance. Their self-willed presumption and their reckless daring
are seen in the fact that “they do not tremble when they revile angelic
majesties” (v. 10). The word translated “revile” in the passage is
“blasphemeo,” from which we get our English word blaspheme. It means
“to slander” or to “speak lightly or profanely of sacred things.” The
“angelic majesties” in this context are demons (cf. Jude 8). They are are
“majesties” [19] in the sense that they possess a transcendent, supernatural
being beyond that of humans. [20]

These false teachers, in their brash rejection of authority, presumed they

were greater than fallen angels, able to control them, and so spoke reviling
evil of them. These false teachers are contrasted with angels, who are far
greater in power and might than a mere man. Yet, even though the righteous
and holy angels do not rebuke, revile, and speak evil of Satan and his
demons, false teachers do! They recklessly presume that they, mere fallen
men, have power and authority over demons to command and control them.
Sound familiar?

Peter goes on to describe these reckless false teachers as being “like

unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed,
reviling where they have no knowledge.” He assures us that they “will in
the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed” (2:12). They speak evil
of things of which they are ignorant.

Jude Agrees

Like Peter, Jude wrote to warn Christians about false teachers. Those
false teachers that Peter had warned would come into the church, Jude
notes, had come into the church (v. 4). Jude's description of these false
teachers is similar to Peter's. In fact, Jude notes the same rejection of
authority and reviling of angelic majesties that Peter warned about, saying,

Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh,
and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the
archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the
body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing
judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these men revile
the things which they do not understand; and the things which they
know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are
destroyed (Jude 8-10). [21]

Like Peter, Jude notes the rejection of authority which is endemic

among false teachers. Again, we see their arrogant presumption
demonstrated when they “revile angelic majesties.” Jude uses the very same
words as Peter to describe this act of rebuking, reviling, and speaking evil
of fallen angels. [22]

Though Peter noted that holy angels, even from their exalted, mighty,
and glorious position, do not revile their fallen counterparts, Jude offers a
very concrete example in Michael, the archangel. Michael apparently was
given charge over the body of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5-6). If not for this
passage in Jude, we would not know there was a contention between
Michael and Satan over Moses' body. Jude notes that when this happened,
Michael “did not dare to bring a railing judgment” against Satan. Instead,
Michael knew that only the Sovereign Lord was in a position to rebuke,
control, or command Satan. Michael submitted to the Lord rather than dare
to rebuke Satan and revile him.

Who Do You Think You Are?

What God's highest holy angel would not dare to do, sinful, fallen men
presume the authority to do. It is unthinkable. I have been in the presence of
Christians who boldly declare, “Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,”
and I wonder, “Who do you think you are?” Rebuking, commanding, or
ridiculing the devil are not tools of effective spiritual warfare; they are
marks of prideful, arrogant, self-willed false teachers. If you listen to false
teachers like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Robert Tilton, and Jesse
Duplantis, you will hear them constantly ridicule, rebuke, and taunt the
devil. These men are not masters in the art of spiritual warfare; they are
unreasoning beasts reviling in their ignorance, rushing headlong into error
and judgment.

Does that mean that every Christian who has uttered such phrases is a
false teacher? No, certainly not. Some people are simply mistaken about the
nature of spiritual warfare and the nature of the enemy. They are acting out
of ignorance. As Peter says, they are “reviling where they have no
knowledge.” Jude says they “revile the things which they do not
understand.” I believe that explains much of the misguided attempts at
confronting forces of darkness. “This is an example of ignorance of God's
Word leading to wrong practice in the area of spiritual warfare.” [23]
 Since we have not one, but two stern warnings against such practices,
we have to ask, “Why would anyone want to engage in this behavior? What
makes us think we have more might, more power, than Michael the
archangel?”

More Problems to Note

Apart from the fact that we are warned about such bold, brash
confrontation with fallen angels, there are a number of other problems with
this practice.

First, we don't have a single positive example of such practices in the

early church. In fact, we do have a negative example of some who
presumed such authority, but without divine warrant - the sons of Sceva in
Acts 19:11-20. Luke records this episode so that none would arrogantly
assume that the extraordinary miracles performed by Paul (like exorcisms -
Acts 19:11) were the norm for every believer. Aside from Jesus and the
apostles, we do not have any record of such bold confrontation of demonic
powers being practiced in the church.

In fact, Paul himself did not model this type of handling of demonic
powers when he was afflicted by his thorn in the flesh, a messenger of
Satan sent to torment him (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Paul did not bind the
devil, rebuke the satanic emissary, cast Satan down, revile him, or otherwise
confront the spirit behind the thorn. Yet this type of behavior is precisely
what is advocated by Bubeck, Anderson, and others.

The apostolic example is of resisting the devil (1 Peter 5:9) and

standing (Ephesians 6:10-14), not binding and rebuking. Not only does the
New Testament not provide us any examples of Christians handling the
devil in this manner, there is not even a single command or instruction on
rebuking the devil. The emphasis of the epistles rests on the victory which
has already been won at Calvary, resisting, and standing.

Second, this produces a misdirected focus. God should be the focus of

our prayers, not devils. It does not even seem wise that we should direct our
attention and prayers toward commanding, rebuking, or addressing demons.
The believer’s focus in prayer should be the glories of God, the nature of
Christ, and the work of the Triune God in His self-glorification. This
approach to spiritual warfare places the emphasis on the devil and his
activities - something I am sure he enjoys.

We do not see similar emphasis and misdirected focus in the writings of

the apostles or in the life of the early church. In all the recorded prayers of
the apostles and the early Christians, we do not find a single example of
rebuking Satan or demons.

Third, far too much is made of the power of Satan and the authority of
the believer. Satan is a defeated foe (Hebrews 2:14-15; Colossians 2:15).
This is not to suggest that we should not take the threat he presents
seriously. We should (1 Peter 5:8-9). However, modern spiritual warfare
teachers give him far too much credit. Further, they make far too much out
of the “authority” that comes with being a believer. Though we are seated
with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), that positional privilege
does not give us miracle-working power equivalent to Jesus and the
apostles.

Fourth, the God-given method for dealing with temptation is to take the
way of escape which God provides (1 Corinthians 10:13), not rebuking the
demon assumed to be behind the temptation. There is no quick fix for
temptation. We must resist it, endure it, and flee from it. We grow in
holiness as we learn to yield our members as instruments of righteousness
and not to sin (Romans 6:12-23). Rebuking a devil does not make
temptation go away. We are tempted by our flesh and led astray through our
lusts (James 1:14). The teaching on “rebuking Satan” as a means of
sanctification and victorious Christian living thwarts God's sanctification
process. This errant theology teaches that victory over temptation is
achieved through a correct verbal formula (such as, “I bind/rebuke you
Satan, in the name of Jesus”) rather than through correct moral choices.
Biblically, victory is enjoyed by denying the flesh, not defeating the devil.
Rather than viewing temptation as something to be dealt with by making
wise moral choices, this teaching adopts a ritualistic response more in
keeping with a mystical/magical worldview.

We dare not rebuke demons! This is a completely unnecessary,

unbiblical, and unwise practice. We are not commanded to wage the truth
war in this fashion. Like the practices of binding Satan, praying hedges, and
renouncing curses, rebuking demons is a tool that God has not put in our
arsenal. It is a completely man-made tactic which appeals to the pride of
our flesh. Satan does not fear our useless incantations. Let's abandon them
and exchange them for the proclamation of the truth!

Endnotes
1. Chuck Colson, J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, et. al., Power Religion (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1992), 278. [Back]

2. It is difficult not to notice how much emphasis falls on Satan and his
demons with this approach. He very quickly becomes the focus of a
believer's mind when so much effort is directed toward dealing with him.
[Back]

3. Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene, OR: Harvest House

Publishers, 1990), 84-85. [Back]

4. Video available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw-

B7sEAZO0. [Back]

5. http://brittmerrick.com/brittmerrick/?p=872. Emphasis mine. [Back]

6. Ibid. Emphasis mine. [Back]

7. All the following quotes from Richard Wurmbrand are taken from The
Voice of the Martyrs, Special Issue, 1994. I have a tremendous amount of
respect and admiration for Richard Wurmbrand and all that he has done to
assist the persecuted church around the world and inform believers in free
countries of the plight of our persecuted brethren. I have no doubt that Mr.
Wurmbrand was a godly man who feared the Lord and served Him
faithfully. I do, however, take issue with his approach to spiritual warfare,
the practices he advocated, and his sad mishandling of Scripture in this
particular issue of his publication. [Back]

8. Notice that Eastman is claiming Jesus spoke divine revelation to him

concerning the meaning of a text in Scripture. Such direct revelation puts
Eastman's claims above Scripture and beyond critique. After all, who are
we to question what Jesus Himself spoke to Dick Eastman?

During my third year of Bible college, our class attended a large missions
conference in Calgary, Alberta, at which Dick Eastman was the much-
hyped keynote speaker. During one of the plenary sessions, I heard Eastman
tell this very same story and make these same extraordinary claims,
including that he was the instrument that God used to bring down the Berlin
Wall! [Back]

9. Oh, if Jesus had only been more clear the first time that He spoke to
Eastman! He could have saved some money on airfare! Why didn't Jesus
make His will clear? Did Jesus forget to tell Eastman to take others? Of
course, common sense dives out the window when you accept by default
that someone is receiving personal revelation from God. [Back]

10. Emphasis mine. [Back]

11. This is eerily similar to the theology of the Word Faith Movement that
causes teachers like Kenneth and Gloria Copeland to claim the ability to
command weather and storms to obey them. [Back]

12. The same assumption lies behind the belief that we should be
conducting exorcisms. If Jesus and the Apostles exorcised demons, then we
also should be actively engaged in bold confrontations with the forces of
darkness. We will take a look at the Bible's teaching on exorcisms in
Chapter 12. [Back]

13. Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary: The Christian Versus Demon Activity
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 120. [Back]

14. Ibid. [Back]

15. Ibid. [Back]

16. Ibid., 120-121. Emphasis added to demonstrate the theology of

“commanding” obedience from demons. [Back]
17. Ibid. 121-122. Emphasis added. [Back]

18. Emphasis added. [Back]

19. The Greek word is doxa which means “glories.” [Back]

20. John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 2 Peter

& Jude (Chicago: Moody Press, 2005), 98. [Back]

21. Emphasis added. [Back]

22. “Although it is possible to interpret the word [doxa, 'glories' or

'majesties'] as a reference to God's majesty, the translation 'angelic
majesties' is best in light of the parallel passage in Peter's epistle”
(MacArthur, 174). [Back]

23. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, A Holy Rebellion: The Church's New
Preoccupation with the Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers,
1990), 168. [Back]
 Chapter 9
Carnal Weapons: Spiritual Mapping
What do you get when Christians abandon Scripture as the sole
sufficient guide for faith and practice, and launch out to attack the enemy in
their own strength and wisdom? You get “spiritual mapping” and the
practice of “Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare.” It is difficult to point to a
more disastrous, dangerous, and destructive practice in modern spiritual
warfare theology than that of engaging “territorial spirits.”

The practice we will examine in this chapter is sometimes referred to as

“Spiritual Mapping,” “Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare,” “Territorial
Spirits,” or even just “Mapping.” This may be the fastest-growing approach
to evangelism in the church today. This practice is not limited to
charismatic churches and has become commonplace both in the United
States and on the foreign mission field.

The Practice Defined and Described

Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare (SLSW) is the practice of engaging in

intercessory prayer for different geographical locations to overcome and
dislodge supposed demonic strongholds in those locations. SLSW teaches
that there is an extensive demonic hierarchy over geographical areas which
must be actively overcome through intercessory prayer and repentance
before effective gospel ministry will be possible. According to SLSW
practitioners, these demons must be confronted, bound, and removed before
the gospel can effectively penetrate. These regional and geographic demons
are referred to as “territorial spirits.” It is believed that territorial spirits
become entrenched in different regions because of sins committed there.
John Dawson has advocated “identificational repentance,” which is the
practice of discovering the sin or guilt which has given the demonic realm a
foothold in the area and repenting of that sin in order to break the demon's
grip.
 “Mapping” is the related practice of determining the exact boundaries
of territorial spirits assigned to different regions, nations, or cities. It is
believed that the demons must be specifically identified and named in order
to pray, bind, and exorcise them effectively. This practice has been made
popular by George Otis, Jr., famous for his Transformations videos. Like
Otis, John Dawson encourages people to research their city's history in
order to identify the particular blend of demonic forces which may be
keeping people in spiritual darkness.

The teachings of John Dawson and George Otis have been promoted by
C. Peter Wagner, who from 1991 to 1999 taught at Fuller Theological
Seminary School of World Mission. As a result of Wagner's influential
position, hundreds of pastors, leaders, and missionaries were exposed to this
practice during that time. [1]

The practice was virtually unheard of until the early 1980s, after a
series of city-wide gospel campaigns in Latin America met with unexpected
success. That success was attributed by the evangelists to days spent in
prayer, wrestling against the powers of darkness. [2] A movement was born!
Thanks to the charismatic influence of C. Peter Wagner, this teaching
gained a full head of steam and wide acceptance. In 1993 Wagner published
a book titled, Breaking Strongholds In Your City: How to Use Spiritual
Mapping to Make Your Prayers More Strategic, Effective and Targeted
(Regal Publishers), in which he confessed that he had never heard of the
term “spiritual mapping” until 1990. He admitted that it was an entirely new
practice, but was “one of the most important things the Spirit is saying to
the churches in the 1990s. . . .” [3]

Error abounds once it is believed that the Holy Spirit is saying

something different today from what He said 2,000 years ago. One wonders
how the church ever evangelized millions, penetrated unreached people
groups, and survived until today without this supposedly vital practice.

According to advocates of SLSW, once the particular sins that have

brought demonic power over a city or geographical region have been
identified, they must be repented of and renounced. Identifying these
“spirits” is often the result of personalized revelation from the Holy Spirit
in prayer. [4] In some cases, advocates of SLSW teach that the names of
demons over geographic regions should be discovered. According to
Wagner,

Another Latin American, Rita Cabezas, has done considerable

research on the names of the highest levels of the hierarchy of
Satan. I will not at this point describe her research methodology
except to mention that the beginning stages were associated with
her extensive psychological/deliverance practice and that it later
evolved into receiving revelatory words of knowledge. She has
discovered that directly under Satan are six worldwide
principalities, named (allowing that this was done in Spanish)
Damian, Asmodeo, Menguelesh, Arios, Beelzebub and
Nosferasteus. Under each, she reports, are six governors over each
nation. For example, those over Costa Rica are Shiebo, Quiebo,
Ameneo, Mephistopheles, Nostradamus and Azazel. Those over the
U.S.A. are Ralphes, Anoritho, Manchester, Apolion, Deviltook and
one unnamed. [5]

Advocates of SLSW teach that knowing this information is essential to

effective spiritual warfare and gospel ministry. They believe these demons
should be researched, known by name, prayed against, bound, rebuked, and
cast out by name through the unified prayers of God's people.

Biblical Support?

Most advocates of SLSW point to Daniel 10:13 and the reference to the
“prince of Persia” as support for this teaching. A look at this passage in its
context reveals that this veiled and scant reference does not support these
practices at all.

Daniel was given a message which distressed him greatly. It was

revealed to Daniel that the nation, in spite of their return from captivity,
would be involved in a great conflict (10:1). Daniel was so distressed that
he fasted and prayed for three weeks (v. 2). After three weeks, Daniel was
visited by an angel [6] who revealed that
 From the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and
on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and
I have come in response to your words. But the prince of the
kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then
behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I
had been left there with the kings of Persia (10:13).

After the angelic messenger explained the vision and strengthened

Daniel, he said,

Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to

fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold,
the prince of Greece is about to come. However, I will tell you what
is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands
firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince
(10:21).

This passage offers us a glimpse into the warfare waged in the spiritual
realm that Paul mentions in Ephesians 6. It is a very interesting passage of
Scripture and from it we can draw the following conclusions:

First, there is a very real spiritual battle being waged of which we are,
for the most part, completely oblivious.

Second, there was a demon or evil spirit assigned to Persia and to

Greece, whose primary goal was to oppose the plan and purpose of God in
regards to those nations, and to oppose the people of God in those nations.
[7]

Beyond that, we are not told anything. We are not told that nations
today have the same type of “prince.” We are not told what the names of the
princes of Persia and Greece were. We are not told what the names of the
princes of other nations are today. All we can conclude is that there was an
evil spiritual force behind the rulers of the nations of Persia and Greece,
probably in the same way that Satan was really the influence behind the
King of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:11-19) and the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:3-21).
 Did Daniel pray against these evil spirits? Did he even know this
resistance to Gabriel was taking place? Did Daniel cast down, bind, rebuke,
or exorcise these spirits? Did this battle involve any humans whatsoever?
The answer to all these questions is no. Daniel was not even asked to pray
for Gabriel in his return mission to fight again with the prince of Persia
(Daniel 10:20-21). The conflict was fought by God through His angels in
the heavenlies. It seems that Daniel was completely unaware of the reality
of that spiritual conflict. The Lord did not reveal to Daniel the name of
these evil demonic spirits. One would think that if this was necessary for
victory, God would have told the great prophet Daniel, but no such directive
or divine revelation was given.

If this passage does not teach us to name and pray against demonic
powers attached to various geographical locations, then what does it teach
us? It teaches us that the battle is real and God is fighting it. It teaches us
that there are real demonic forces which oppose, resist, and seek the ruin of
the people of God. It teaches us that God's holy angels eventually triumph
in God's power over all His enemies. Further, it teaches us that Satan is the
“god of this world” [8] and that the whole world, including political rulers,
and nations, lies under his sway. [9] None of this should surprise us since
we can glean the same information from other places in Scripture.

Other Problems

The practice of spiritual mapping and naming territorial spirits is

fraught with problems.

First, it is without precedent or prescription in Scripture. The Bible is

silent about this. You will read your New Testament in vain looking for
references to apostles or Christians engaged in spiritual mapping. The
practice was not even invented until around 1990. It clearly cannot find its
genesis in Scripture, or it would have been a practice of the church since the
first century.

Paul never had to name demons, spiritually map cities, or engage in

identificational repentance prior to taking the gospel into a new city. Oh, if
only the Apostle had known this principle, he might have been successful in
his endeavors! If only he had been as spiritual and wise as John Dawson
and C. Peter Wagner! Imagine what Jesus and the apostles could have
accomplished if they had taken their cues from these men! There is not a
single example or instruction in all of the Bible to support this nonsense.
Not one!

Second, this practice is an entirely man-made, carnal, fleshly activity.

We continually return to the principle stated near the beginning of this
book, that we must let the Scriptures inform our methods of spiritual
warfare. Our Commander-In-Chief has given us all the instructions and
information necessary to wage this warfare. He has not left us without
essential information. We are to wage the war in the manner He has
prescribed, not in a manner invented by some teacher of questionable
theology nineteen centuries after the Apostles.

The weapons of true spiritual warfare are not man-made and carnal (2
Corinthians 10:3-5), but spiritual mapping is. It is fleshly. It is entirely of
human origin, a goofy invention of charismatic teachers who think God is
currently revealing a practice for the church of today that He has withheld
from His people for nearly 2000 years.

To adopt this practice is to abandon the God-ordained means of waging

warfare - truth. It is to trade in a nuclear weapon for a cardboard sword. As
with all man-made methods and fads, spiritual mapping will run its course,
the books advocating it will fall out of print, and the teachers teaching it
will pass from the scene. Unfortunately, another dangerous and disastrous,
man-made fad will quickly take its place, deceiving and distracting
believers from the real battle over truth.

A third problem concerns the method by which information of the

spiritual realm is gathered. Since the Bible is completely silent on the
subject of the names of individual demons, the information about this must
be gleaned from some source outside of Scripture. Please don't miss the
obvious implication! We are told that knowing these demon's names,
hierarchy, and geographical assignment is essential to effective spiritual
warfare and the unhindered spread of the gospel. Yet Scripture does not
reveal that information. What does that tell you about Scripture? It must be
insufficient. God has not revealed all that we need to know. We must go
outside the Bible to get the good stuff, the information necessary for
effective gospel ministry! It is this completely inadequate view of Scripture
that runs rampant in Charismatic circles and among advocates of this
practice.

Take as an example the quote from Wagner cited above about the
methods of Rita Cabezas who has supposedly “done considerable research
on the names of the highest levels of the hierarchy of Satan” [10] in order to
find out that under Satan were “six worldwide principalities.” [11] Wagner
indicates that this knowledge was gleaned in two ways: first, “extensive
psychological/deliverance practice” [12] and later, “receiving revelatory
words of knowledge.” That means Cabezas gleaned some information from
her direct interaction with demons during deliverance sessions (exorcisms),
and other information was revealed by God personally to her through direct
revelation.

Do we really think that we can trust a demon to give reliable

information when asked for it? I have read books by Rebecca Brown and
Mike Warnke in which they have claimed that when a demon is
commanded to speak the truth and only the truth in the name of Jesus Christ
the Son of God, they are bound and obligated to tell the truth. Really? How
do we know that? Is there a verse somewhere in Scripture that tells us that?
Does Scripture teach that we should be interviewing demon-possessed
people in order to obtain knowledge about the satanic hierarchy? Certainly
not! Besides, should we really be trusting information that comes from the
prince of darkness, the father of lies (John 8:44)?

Christians should not base their theology, prayers, and spiritual warfare
practices on information gleaned from the enemy. We can't trust it and
should not even be seeking it! This is total nonsense!

It means nothing to advocates of spiritual mapping to point out that

Scripture is silent on the subject and the apostles never prescribed nor
practiced this method of spiritual warfare. To them, the Scriptures only
serve to support what they receive through private revelation. Sure, the
Bible does not give us the names of the six worldwide principalities of the
satanic hierarchy, but God personally revealed that to someone. According
to C. Peter Wagner, this is what “the Spirit is saying to the churches in the
1990s. . . .” [13] Apparently, it is different from what the Spirit revealed to
the church of the first century, and different from what the Spirit has been
revealing to the churches for the last 1900 years.

This is what you get when you abandon Scripture as the sole sufficient
source of information and revelation. Pandora's box is opened and out
slithers an endless parade of aberrant practices and heresies. False teaching
is justified with, “The Lord is revealing this to me/us/the church by a word
of knowledge. This is what God is showing us today. We have a fresh word
from God for our generation.” Of course that implies that Scripture is the
stale word, for a prior generation, a prior church, but is not really necessary
for us. If God is revealing this type of essential information to us today,
then really, there is no need for Scripture at all. I see this as an all-or-
nothing issue.

With this practice, “Christians” willingly set aside the more sure Word
of God (2 Peter 1:19) in favor of personalized subjective revelation and
even the testimony of demons! They affirm through this methodology that
Scripture is not sufficient to equip us for the warfare, but the testimony of
demons given during exorcisms, or personal subjective revelations from
God will do the trick. That is tragic on so many levels!

A biblical view of spiritual warfare does not treat Scripture as an

appendix to my personal revelations and the testimony of demons, but as
the only sufficient source of truth by which the war is waged. Our
Commander-in-Chief has not left us without adequate information, and He
is not changing the battle plan in the middle of the war.

If God is revealing this information to these modern-day spiritual

warfare “experts,” should we not be writing this in the back of our Bibles as
additional revelation? Should it not be published with each Bible as the
67th book? Certainly, if this is what the Spirit is speaking to the church
today, it is just as authoritative and relevant - dare I say, more so - than what
the Spirit said to the church of the first century. After all, this is supposedly
essential to the health and success of the church!

Fourth, this methodology diminishes the power and authority of the

gospel. This should come as no surprise. If the Bible itself is treated as less
credible than personal revelation and the words of demons, it should come
as no shock that the gospel should be undermined as well.

We are told that, prior to evangelizing a city, a region, or a nation, the

area must be researched, repented for, and prayed for in a unified fashion.
We are told that specific demonic strongholds and spirits, and even the
demons themselves, must be addressed, rebuked, exorcised and cast down
in order to break the hold of Satan and make a way for the gospel. Not
according to the Apostle Paul. The gospel itself is the “power of God unto
salvation” (Romans 1:16). It needs no help. God is sovereign and will save
whomever He wants, whenever He wants, and Satan does not, and cannot,
stand in the way of God redeeming His elect.

The preaching of the Cross is attended by the Spirit of God (1

Thessalonians 1:5), and is powerful to the saving of the soul, demonic
strongholds and satanic activity not withstanding. One thing and one thing
only is necessary for God to redeem a sinner: the preaching of the gospel.
This is why Paul devoted his life to that end (Acts 20:20-24).

The preaching of the gospel does not need our research into a city’s sins
and history. It does not need our “identificational repentance,” our spiritual
mapping, prayer walks, naming of territorial spirits, or discovery of Satan's
hierarchy. If the success of the gospel depended on such fleshly, carnal,
man-made activities, God would have revealed it in Scripture through the
Apostles.

The gospel spread from Jerusalem (Acts 1) to the farthest reaches of the
Roman empire (Romans 15:17-25) in only thirty years. How did it do this
without prayer walks, spiritual mapping, and praying through demonic
strongholds? How did the Apostles plant churches in idolatrous, demonic,
fleshly, sinful cities like Corinth and Athens without identifying the six
worldwide principalities and the names of demons supposedly assigned to
oppress those regions? They believed that people would be born again by
the Spirit-empowered declaration of the gospel. The gospel causes people to
be born again, and the entrance of the gospel breaks the powers of darkness
and delivers captives from the kingdom of Satan (Colossians 1:13-14).
 The gospel does not need the implementation of man-made spiritual
warfare strategies for its success. It does not require that we glean
intelligence from demons and pray accordingly. The power of the gospel
resides in the will of the Trinity to bring redemption to God's elect through
the preaching of it. This methodology makes the success of evangelism
dependent upon human ingenuity and activity rather than the sovereignty
and power of God. This diminishes the power of the gospel.

Fifth, and I have saved this for last, it is just a silly practice. Let's accept
for a moment that everything that SLSW and spiritual mapping advocates
claim is true. Don't you think that Satan would just shuffle his hierarchy
around every few weeks to keep us off balance? If knowing the names and
territories of demons gives us the ability to bring down Satanic strongholds,
don't you think that after we had interviewed enough demons and received
enough words of knowledge, Satan would just reassign his minions?

If the demon assigned to Kootenai, the city in which I pastor a church,

is named “Luciferious,” [14] and the success of evangelism in our city
depended on naming and praying specifically against this demon, then once
we found that out, don't you think Satan would just give the demon of
Ponderay (a neighboring city) control over Kootenai, and reassign
Luciferious to Ponderay? Then we would be back at square one! He would
keep us forever guessing, chasing shadows, trying to hit a moving target.
Then we would have to interview more demons and get more words of
knowledge to find the name of the new demon ruler assigned to Kootenai.
Minutes later, he would be reassigned and we would be back at the
beginning.

If we have identified these spiritual strongholds, named them by name,

cast them down, rebuked them, and exorcised them, then why after twenty
years of this superior knowledge from God have we gained no ground?
Should not the named and mapped regions be filled with the gospel, sound
doctrine, and good churches? Yet can anyone name a single city in which
this nonsense has been employed which has experienced dramatic revival
and gospel renewal? Seattle, San Francisco, Miami and Minneapolis are all
still in the clutches of the evil one.

Nothing but a Distraction

 Satan is content if Christians focus their time, attention, efforts, and
prayers on things that accomplish nothing. He is delighted if we use every
man-made, silly convention under the sun to fight him. Provided Christians
are not resting in the sufficiency of Scripture (truth), fighting the war
against his lies with the truth (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), and proclaiming the
gospel of truth, his kingdom can advance.

Well meaning, but deceived, Christians have bought his lie that
Scripture is not sufficient. He has thus removed from the church, it's one,
infinitely powerful weapon. He has distracted the soldiers with goofy games
and silly strategies that are powerless. They have the appearance of real
warfare, but the substance of a shadow. They are illusions and distractions.

The one true war - the truth war - wages on. The church has laid aside
truth and embraced mysticism. Our armory has been exchanged for carnal
weapons of man's making and man's devising. The word of God takes a
back seat to the testimony of demons. That is the sad state of modern
evangelicalism and its view of spiritual warfare. Spiritual mapping and
naming demons is just one manifestation of it.

Test all things, and hold fast to that which is true!

Endnotes
1. Other leaders in this movement include David Yonggi Cho, Cindy
Jacobs, Dick Bernal, and Larry Lea. The A.D. 2000 United Prayer Track
is the ministry currently headed by George Otis, Jr. [Back]

2. http://www.plymouthbrethren.org/article/418 [Back]

3. C. Peter Wagner, Breaking Strongholds in Your City: How To Use

Spiritual Mapping To Make Your Prayers More Strategic, Effective and
Targeted (Ventura: Regal Books, 1993), 11-12. [Back]

4. John Dawson, Taking Our Cities For God: How To Break Spiritual
Strongholds (Lake Mary: Creation House, 1989), 154. Obviously I would
take issue with anyone who teaches that God is revealing to the church
today, information essential for the proclamation and success of the gospel.
[Back]

5. C. Peter Wagner and F. Douglas Pennoger, eds., Wrestling with Dark

Angels (Ventura: Regal Books, 1990), pp. 84-85 as quoted in Thomas Ice &
Robert Dean, Jr., Overrun By Demons: The Church's New Preoccupation
With The Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1990), 31. [Back]

6. Some people take this to be the pre-incarnate Christ, the Angel of the
Lord, which I think is unlikely, since Christ would not need the assistance
of Michael to defeat the prince of the Kingdom of Persia (10:13ff). On this
occasion, God chose to use an angel to bring a message to Daniel. This was
probably Gabriel, who earlier was used to bring a message to Daniel (see
Daniel 8:15-17), though we cannot be sure. [Back]

7. In the same sense, Michael, the archangel, is called a prince of Israel in

Daniel 12:1. “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard
over the sons of your people, will arise.” Michael has a special relationship
to Israel (Daniel 10:21; Jude 9). [Back]

8. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. [Back]

9. 1 John 5:19. [Back]

10. Wrestling, p. 84-85. [Back]

11. Ibid. [Back]

12. Wagner would not comment on her methodology, but the mention of
psychological practices makes one wonder if hypnotism was involved.
[Back]

13. Breaking Strongholds in Your City, 11-12. [Back]

14. I am just picking a demon-sounding name out of the air for this! [Back]
Part 3: Explaining Biblical Perspectives
 Chapter 10
Can a Christian Be Demon-Possessed?
No discussion of spiritual warfare would be complete without
addressing the issue of whether or not a Christian can be demon-possessed.
How one answers this question will, to a large extent, determine their
approach to spiritual warfare. It will determine what type of pastoral
counsel one is expected to give or receive. It will determine the way in
which a believer battles against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Entire ministries have been founded for the purpose of exorcising

demons from Christians and teaching Christians how to exorcise demons
from others. It will be no surprise to discover that believing a Christian can
be demon-possessed fits nicely in the broader theology of spiritual warfare I
have been critiquing in the previous chapters. I do not believe that it fits at
all with a biblical view of spiritual warfare.

In this chapter I'll answer the arguments used to support the doctrine
that Christians are subject to demon possession. The subject of exorcisms is
a different, yet related, topic that I will examine in a later chapter.

The Two Views

Can a Christian be indwelt and controlled by a demon?

Some would answer that question with “yes,” though they would not
necessarily like the phrase “demon-possessed” and would instead prefer the
term “demonized.” They would argue that while a believer cannot be
“owned” by a demon, [1] he or she can be indwelt and controlled by a
demon. Those who believe that a demon can inhabit a Christian also believe
that the remedy for such indwelling and control is an exorcism.

Others would answer the question with “no.” They would argue that a
demon cannot indwell a believer because a believer is indwelt by the Holy
Spirit. They affirm that a demon can attack a believer, deceive a believer,
tempt a believer, and even oppress (both physically and spiritually) a true
believer. Notice that these are all activities external to the spirit/soul of the
believer. Those who believe that a demon cannot indwell a Christian would
promote resistance, not exorcism, as the proper method for dealing with
satanic attack.

What Is Demon Possession?

We need to begin by defining some terms. Ice and Dean offer a helpful
summary of the New Testament usage of the terms for demon possession:

The New Testament uses more than one term to refer to demon
possession. First is the Greek word daimonizomai, which is a
participial form of the more commonly used noun for demon
(daimonion). Daimonizomai is usually translated “to be possessed
by a demon,” or when it is used to describe a person in that
condition, it is rendered “demoniac.” The word is used 13 times, [2]
all in the Gospels, and is usually referred to by the English
expression “to be demonized.”

The second term in the Greek is “daimonion echein,” “to have a

demon.” This phrase is used eight times in Matthew, Luke, and
John. [3] The Greek grammar conveys the idea that the subject is
characterized by having a demon indwell him. . . . “Demonized”
and “to have a demon” are used in Scripture of only one extreme: to
be inwardly controlled by an indwelling demon. They are never
used to describe a case involving anything less. For example, these
terms never describe Satan's activities of accusation, temptation,
deception, or persecution; they describe only the extreme case of
being inwardly controlled by a demon. [4]

Those who argue that a Christian can be demonized seek to distinguish

between being “owned” by a demon (possessed) and simply being
“controlled by a demon at various levels.” In contrast to Ice and Dean, Fred
Dickason writes,

“Diamonizomenos” does not mean “owned by a demon,” but simply

“demonized.” This basically describes the condition of a person
 who is inhabited by a demon or demons and is in various degrees
under control with various effects. The idea of ownership is foreign
to the New Testament word and its usage. Satan and his demons
own nothing. God owns them. [5]

Those who believe that a Christian can be demonized make no

substantial distinction between being oppressed by a demon and being
possessed by a demon. Someone tempted, attacked, influenced from
without is, in their view, “demonized.” So too is the one indwelt by a
demon. It is a matter of degree.

Those who deny that a Christian can be demon-possessed would draw a

sharp distinction between a demon indwelling a person from within and a
demon attacking, tempting, or oppressing a person from without. While we
agree that a demon can attack a believer from without, we deny that a
demon could control a believer from within.

By “demon-possessed,” we mean indwelt and controlled by a demon. It

is obvious that a demon cannot own a person, but they can indwell people
and animals, and it is to this we refer when we use the term “demon
possession.” The terms used in Scripture for a person who is “demonized”
describe the extreme of being controlled by a demon. The question remains,
“Does Scripture teach that this can be true of a believer?”

This is no small distinction! Upon this issue a large amount of the

teaching of modern spiritual warfare tactics rests. If believers are just as
susceptible to all the influences of Satan and his control as unbelievers, then
Christians need to have Satan's influence removed (exorcised) from them.
Our standing in Christ is no more secure from the devil than that of an
unbeliever. In fact, we are just as open to his attack and control as the
rankest pagan.

The Danger of Experience-Based Theology

We must be sure that our understanding of demon possession be based

on the biblical data and not on experience or clinical research. The danger
of building a theology on experience can be seen in the writings of late
scholar Merrill F. Unger.
 In his book Biblical Demonology, published originally in 1952, Unger
emphatically declared that “to demon possession only unbelievers are
exposed.” [6] Unger later admitted that this assertion “was based on the
assumption that an evil spirit could not indwell the redeemed body together
with the Holy Spirit.” [7] By the time that Unger published his later book in
1971, he had changed his opinion. This change was not based on the text of
Scripture, which he said “does not clearly settle the question.” [8] Rather,
Unger had received letters from Christian missionaries from all over the
world who testified that they had witnessed “Christians” being demon
possessed. Ungers's change in doctrine was not based on an exegetical
study of the biblical text, but on experience.

Unger then went on to say,

. . . most Christians would hesitate to say that a believer can become

demon-possessed. Such cases are rarely seen, if ever, in the United
States. However, in lands where demon-energized idolatry has
flourished unchecked by the gospel for ages, new believers who
were delivered from demon possession have been known to become
repossessed when they return to their old idols. The testimonies of
numerous missionaries in pagan areas support this evidence. [9]

Was Unger convinced by Scripture to change his position? No. He

stated, “Everyday experience adds its testimony to that of Scripture that
believers can be oppressed and enslaved by demon powers.” Though Unger
tries to get the biblical data to fit the experience, it is clear that experience is
the determining factor and not Scripture. What type of experience does
Unger have in mind? He quotes Hobart E. Freeman, a pastor: “In my
personal experience, the majority of those for whom I have prayed for
deliverance from occult oppression or subjection were Christians, including
ministers and the wives of ministers.” [10]

Another advocate of this position, Thomas White, writes, “I am aware

that this position stirs the opposition of many who stand firm with the
notion that the Holy Spirit and an evil spirit cannot cohabit the same vessel.
But the bottom line is this: Scripture does not exclude the possibility, and
clinical reality affirms it time and time again.” [11] Once again, the silence
of Scripture (supposedly) on the issue is interpreted in light of experience to
support the belief that Christians can be indwelt and controlled by a demon.

Proof Texts to the Rescue!

Several biblical examples are typically cited to support the teaching that
a believer can be possessed by a demon. We will examine each one to see
if, indeed, the case can be made.

King Saul

King Saul is sometimes cited as an example of a believer that was

possessed and/or controlled by a demon. 1 Samuel 16:14 records, “Now the
Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord
terrorized him.” [12]

To cite King Saul requires quite a bit of question-begging. Those who

use Saul as an example are assuming that Saul was a genuine believer. That
is not an assumption that can remain unchallenged. Though at the time of
his anointing as king, it appears that he was a man of God (1 Samuel 10),
his subsequent behavior was inconsistent with that of a genuine believer
(James 2:14). [13] The fact that he was chosen as king and used by God
does not prove that he was a believer, since God used pagan kings such as
Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar as His chosen men to accomplish His various
purposes.

Even if we grant for the sake of argument that Saul was a believer, it
does not prove that a Christian today can be demon-possessed. The ministry
of the Holy Spirit to believers in the Old Testament was remarkably
different than today. The Holy Spirit did not permanently indwell believers
in the Old Testament (Psalm 51:11). [14] That fact alone makes it
impossible to draw any parallels between King Saul and a present day
believer.

John Wimber and others would equate Saul's being tormented by a

demon with demon possession. However, there are three reasons why the
example of Saul is not a case of demon possession. [15]
 First, the evil spirit is said to have been sent from God, not Satan. In the
New Testament examples, there is no doubt that the evil spirits exorcised by
Jesus were, in fact, sent and empowered by Satan. [16]

Second, the evil spirit that tormented Saul is said to leave when David
played his harp, [17] and no demon is said in Scripture to depart at the
playing of music. Instead, Jesus and the Apostles cast out the demons in the
name of the Lord.

Third, and most significantly, the texts all say that the evil spirit came
upon Saul or would depart from upon him. The text never says that an evil
spirit entered Saul. The language of demon possession is that of entering
into someone and not just coming upon someone. The language of these
passages is what we would expect if it is describing an external attack
which can happen to a believer.

Saul is offered as the clearest example from the Old Testament that a
Christian can be demon-possessed. However, it cannot be assumed that Saul
was a believer. Neither are the circumstances of his situation in any way
parallel to the instances of demonization in the New Testament. After
examining the case of Saul, I believe we can say that this case does not at
all prove the point.

Daughter of Abraham

The Daughter of Abraham mentioned in Luke 13 is also cited as an

example of a true believer being possessed by a demon. Luke 13:11 says,
“And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused
by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.”
After Jesus healed the woman, the Pharisees were indignant because it was
the Sabbath. Jesus replied, “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she
is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been
released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16).

The fact that Jesus called her a “daughter of Abraham” is cited as proof
that she was a believer. Her sickness caused by an evil spirit is seen as
evidence that she was possessed (or demonized). Neil T. Anderson writes,
 Verse 16 states that her physical disability was caused by satanic
bondage. This woman was not an unbeliever. She was “a daughter
of Abraham” (verse 16), a God-fearing woman of faith with a
spiritual problem. . . . Notice that this woman wasn't protected from
demonic control by being inside the synagogue. Neither the walls of
a synagogue nor the walls of a church provide sanctuary from
demonic influence. Admittedly, this event occurred before the cross.
But it is an indication that demons can physically affect believers.
[18]

Remember that physical affliction and total control are all part of being
“demonized” in his view. According to Anderson, if a believer can be
afflicted, he can be controlled and indwelt, since he makes no substantive
distinction between the two. Anderson jumps from “spiritual problem” and
“sickness caused by a spirit” to “demonic control.” To him, it is all the same
thing. Anderson's point that the walls of a synagogue or church could not
protect one from demonic control is silly. Nobody believes that walls of a
building can protect one from a spirit. However, I do believe that the work
of the Sovereign God on the cross and His redemption of His people does
provide sanctuary from demonic possession and control.

As with the case of King Saul, there is a bit of question-begging in the

argument of Anderson. He is assuming that the “daughter of Abraham” was
a genuine believer. Agreeing with Anderson, Fred Dickason contends that
the woman was a true believer because (1) she worshiped at the synagogue,
(2) she glorified God because of her healing, (3) the phrase “daughter of
Abraham” implies salvation since Jesus seemed to suggest that she was a
true Israelite with Abraham-like faith (a believer). [19]

However, the fact that she worshiped at the synagogue is no sure

indication she was a believer, since the Pharisees in the passage also
worshiped at the synagogue and we would never consider them to be true
believers. They were, in fact, opposing Jesus and His teachings. People can
worship in a synagogue or a church and not be true believers. To borrow the
language from Neil Anderson's silly analogy, being inside the walls of a
synagogue or even a church do not indicate that one is a believer.
 Second, there is no mention in the text that the woman became a
believer, and even if she did, it would have been as a result of her
deliverance rather than a cause of it.

Third, the phrase “daughter of Abraham” is no sure indication she was a

believer. It is most likely simply used ethnically to indicate that she was a
Jew. Right before His reference to her as a “daughter of Abraham," Jesus
said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or
his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?” (Luke 13:15).
Likely Jesus was emphasizing her ethnic relation to the Pharisees to show
that their objection to His healing on the Sabbath was so utterly void of
compassion for even this “daughter of Abraham” - their own fellow
Israelite. They would show this compassion on the Sabbath to their animals,
and here was a daughter of Abraham! Should she not, as a child of
Abraham, receive at least as much compassion as their ox? Jesus used that
phrase not to highlight her faith, but to show their hypocrisy and hard
hearts.

Further, the text does not indicate that she was possessed. Luke notes
that the cause of her disease was demonic. She was crippled by the spirit,
but that is not the same as being indwelt and controlled by a demon. It is
worth noting that Jesus did not cast the demon out, but rather cured her of
the illness. In clear cases of demon possession, Jesus exorcised the demons.
He did not do so in this case.

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot is also offered as an example of a believer being demon-

possessed. According to John Wimber, [20] Judas was a believer since he
was one of the twelve disciples. We could never argue that Judas was not
possessed by a demon since the Bible uses clear language to describe the
fact that “Satan then entered into him” (John 13:27). It is clear that Judas
was possessed by a demon.

However, it is equally clear that Judas was not a believer. In John 6:70-
71, Jesus referred to Judas as “a devil.” In John 13:10-11, Judas was
singled out by Jesus as one whose sins were not forgiven, “because Judas
was betraying Him.”
 It is a distortion of the clear teaching of Scripture to assert that Judas
Iscariot was a believer when, in fact, Scripture makes it clear that even
though he was among the Twelve, he was no true believer in Jesus. He was
chosen by Jesus, not because he was a believer, but in order that the
Scripture concerning His betrayal would be fulfilled. [21]

Peter

Peter is said to be a demon-possessed believer since, in Matthew

16:23, Jesus rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind Me, Satan!” It is argued that
this indicates that Peter, no doubt a believer, was possessed by Satan.

If that is true, then it raises the question, “Why didn't Jesus exorcise the
demon?” As with the other examples, this is an assumption, and as it turns
out, not a good one. In Matthew 16, Satan's influence on Peter was from
without, not within. Jesus' rebuke was intended to identify the source of
Peter's thinking, just as Jesus had earlier identified the source of Peter's
confession as being from “My Father Who is in Heaven.” [22] Jesus was
pointing out the spiritual entity that was influencing Peter's thinking. The
text nowhere uses language that would indicate that Peter was possessed
and controlled by a demon. The language is consistent only with external
influence.

Ananias and Sapphira

Ananias and Sapphira are also cited as examples of demon-possessed

believers, since Peter said to them in Acts 5:3, “Why has Satan filled your
heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” It is assumed that since the heart of Ananias
was filled, he was therefore possessed by Satan. Neil T. Anderson argues,
“The word 'filled' in Acts 5:3 (pleroo) is the same word used in Ephesians
5:18: 'Be filled with the Spirit.' It is possible for the believer to be filled
with satanic deception or filled by the Spirit. To whichever source you
yield, by that source you shall be filled and controlled.” [23]

Anderson draws a faulty conclusion from the use of pleroo by wrongly

equating “filling” with “control.” The word filled (pleroo) as used in the
New Testament does not mean to “indwell” or to “control.” In fact, this
would be an impossible meaning for many of the usages of the word. For
instance, Luke 3:5: “Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and
hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough
roads smooth,” or Luke 5:7: “So they signaled to their partners in the other
boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the
boats, so that they began to sink.” You can see that the word “filled” does
not necessarily mean “to be indwelt and controlled by.” How is a ravine
“controlled?” Did the fish indwell and “control” the boats? [24]

The phrase “filled your heart” can be taken in two ways. First, it could
refer to demon possession - an interpretation I reject. Second, it could
simply mean that Satan, the father of lies, has so influenced the heart of
Ananias that his heart was filled with the desire to lie - such desire finding
its source in Satan. This then would be another case of a demon influencing
a Christian from without instead of from within.

If we say that Ananias was indwelt and controlled by Satan, then it was
not Ananias who lied, but Satan. If Ananias was under the control of Satan,
then Satan is the one who spoke the lie, not Ananias. In that case, Satan, not
Ananias, was responsible for the lie. Yet Peter says in the very next verse,
“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was
sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this
deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:4).

Peter clearly believed that Ananias was responsible and not a demon. It
is further evident from God's punishment of Ananias and Sapphira. He
struck them dead for their sin (Acts 5:5, 10). If Ananias and Sapphira were
demon-possessed, why didn't Peter simply exorcise the demons from them?
Why were they punished for something that a demon did through them?

Satan influenced Ananias from outside, not inside. This is not an

example of a believer being demon-possessed. Ananias and Sapphira were
believers, but they were not possessed by a demon.

These are the most common examples put forth to show that Christians
can be demon-possessed. Clearly, these do not make the case.

Other lines of argument are sometimes offered by advocates of this

position. For instance, they take any teaching in the New Testament [25] on
a believer standing against satanic forces and then reason that such teaching
only makes sense if a Christian can be demonized (controlled or indwelt by
a demon to various degrees). However, it does not follow that just because
we are attacked outwardly by Satan, that he is therefore free and able to
control a believer in the same way and to the same degree that he does an
unbeliever. As we have seen, that is a teaching that is derived from
experience and then imported into the text of Scripture.

Merrill Unger, who believed that Christians could be possessed, stated

that Scripture “does not clearly settle the question.” [26] Fred Dickason,
though he agrees with Unger, is candid enough to admit, “We cannot
conclusively say that the Bible clearly presents evidence that believers may
be demonized.” [27]

In order to make the case that a Christian can be demonized, advocates

of that view must define “demonization” and “Christian” so broadly that
those terms lose all meaning. I believe that the Bible is clear on the subject,
and that every teaching in the New Testament about the position and
privileges of a believer precludes the possibility of demon possession.

Not Possible

We might expect that an unbeliever could be possessed and controlled

by a demon. An unbeliever belongs to the kingdom of darkness, belongs to
the father of lies, and is under the sway of the wicked one. [28] These
things are not true of a believer. In fact, the relationship of the believer to
the world, the flesh, and the devil is so radically different from that of the
unbeliever, that we are said to be entirely new creations. [29] The following
lines of argument show that demon possession of a believer is completely
impossible.

First, we have been delivered. Colossians 1:13 says that “He rescued us
from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His
beloved Son.” [30] We are no longer in the domain of Satan's kingdom. He
can attack us, trick us, tempt us, and oppose us, but He cannot control or
indwell us. We do not belong to Him.
 Second, we are temples of the Living God. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “Or
do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you
have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

The assumption in Scripture is that one might have God dwelling in

him, or Satan, but certainly not both. This is the foundation of Paul's
argument in 2 Corinthians 6:14–16:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership

have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light
with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has
a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has
the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living
God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

In this passage, the fact that we are the temple of God excludes such
intimate fellowship with demons and/or idols. How then would God, who is
mightier than Satan, allow a demon to reside with Him in a believer? It is
unthinkable!

Third, John comforts his readers with the certainty that “You are from
God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is
in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Those who say that a
Christian can be demon-possessed would have to change this verse to read,
“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in you.” Clearly, God is in the
believer and Satan is in the world. It cannot be the case that God is in the
believer and Satan is in the believer.

Fourth, we are sealed and kept. Ephesians 1:13–14: “In Him, you also,
after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having
also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who
is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of
God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Since we belong to God,
the Holy Spirit permanently indwells us and we are sealed by that same
Spirit until the day of redemption. Because we are kept by God, the promise
of Scripture is that the one in the world (Satan) does not touch us (1 John
5:18). The belief that a believer can be demon-possessed turns all these
verses on their heads!

Fifth, there is a complete absence of instruction in the New Testament

on how to deal with a demon-possessed believer. If, as is asserted, a
Christian can be demon-possessed, we would not expect the New Testament
epistles to be silent on how to handle such cases of demon possession. We
would expect an abundance of information about how to prevent such
possession and how to handle such possession. We would also expect
numerous examples of possessed believers to fill the pages of the New
Testament. We would expect that a church like that at Corinth, with its
rampant sin and history of demon worship, would be subject to such
demonic footholds and would receive instructions for dealing with demon-
possessed believers. “For if deliverance is as important to victorious
Christian living as its advocates would have us believe, we can rightly
expect the New Testament to deal with it.” [31] Yet we don't find any of
this.

But if Christians can be possessed, then why do not the New

Testament Epistles, those letters written specifically to teach
believers how to live a victorious Christian life until the return of
Christ, tell us that believers can be demon-possessed, or command
us to cast out demons from Christians, or tell us how to otherwise
deal with this problem? It is unthinkable that a subject as important
as this one would not be dealt with in the Epistles. . . . if the Epistles
gave instructions on how to cast out demons, then it would be clear
that Christians could be demon-possessed. Therefore, since there
are no instructions for dealing with demon-possessed Christians in
the New Testament, and assuming that believers can be demon-
possessed, then once again it is back to experience and trial and
error as our teacher for functioning in this area. [32]

That is precisely where Unger, Anderson and others would have us get
our theology - not from Scripture, but from trial and error experience.
Consider what their position implies about Scripture. They believe that
dealing with demon-possessed believers is essential to victorious Christian
living. Yet there is not a word of such instruction in the Bible. We must
conclude then that Scripture has not given us everything that we need for
life and godliness. Instead, we must rely upon their methods and insights
which are derived from experience, clinical research, and trial and error.

Sixth, the teaching of the New Testament for dealing with the devil is
always the same: resist him. [33] “Never are believers said to respond to
Satan or demons by casting them out, which is always the remedy in the
New Testament for a demon-possessed person. Instead, for the believer the
command is always to stand or resist, which is the counter to an external
temptation by Satan and the demonic.” [34]

What About the Experiences?

What are we to make of the various experiences that people have which
seem to suggest that a Christian can be demon-possessed?

For starters, we begin by recognizing that our experiences must be

interpreted in light of revelation from God and not the other way around. If
we take the Bible's teachings as authoritative, then we are forced to find
explanations for our experiences which harmonize with the clear teachings
of Scripture. With this principle as our guiding concern, I believe there are
at least three possible explanations for the experiences cited by Unger and
others.

First, maybe these “believers” were not real believers at all. Unger says
that “new believers who were delivered from demon possession have been
known to become repossessed when they return to their old idols.” [35]
What?! Return to their idols? What type of conversion is it that results in a
quick apostasy? It certainly is not a genuine regeneration by the Spirit of
God. The real believers in Thessalonica did not turn back to their idols. [36]
Those who turn back to their idols and leave Christ, show that they were
never His to begin with. [37] They have never been set free from sin, self,
and Satan and so we should not be surprised if they would be possessed
sometime after professing a faith in Christ.

Second, these episodes may be satanic oppression and not possession.

Perhaps in some circumstances they are genuine believers, who although
not indwelt by a devil, have given such control over to Satan that they are
oppressed to such a degree as to appear possessed. If a believer genuinely
thinks that their sin, their sickness, their lack of victorious Christian living
is the work of an indwelling and controlling demonic influence, and if they
submit to this theology in their conduct, they can actually consciously yield
their members to such an influence. The psychosomatic power of that belief
in this unbiblical doctrine could end up yielding enough control to a demon
that its oppression from without would end up looking like possession from
within.

Third, it could be sheer demonic deception. Satan would love for

Christians to think that he has more power than he does. If we lived in fear
of him, constantly thinking that he indwelt us and controlled us, constantly
seeking to exorcise Him out of believers, he would have the church chasing
shadows. Satan benefits if our theology about him is wrong. He has a vested
interest in deceiving believers about how he is to be handled. The enemy
gains a victory when he is able to take Christians, by the thousands, out of
the real conflict and get them engaged in an imaginary one with carnal
weapons.

I believe that the experience-driven theology of Christian demon

possession is a demonic deception. It is a deception that Satan has
successfully fostered by possessing false converts and oppressing genuine
ones, while undermining our confidence in the clear teaching of Scripture.

Can a Christian be demon-possessed? No. Definitely not. Nothing from

Scripture or experience suggests otherwise.

Endnotes
1. Since, technically, Satan cannot own anything, they would argue that a
believer, while belonging to God, can be indwelt and controlled by Satan.
This ends up being a semantic distinction that makes little difference in the
end. [Back]

2. Matthew 4:24; 8:16, 28, 33; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32; 5:15, 16, 18;
Luke 8:36; John 10:21. [Back]
3. Matthew 11:18; Luke 7:33; 8:27; John 7:20; 8:48, 49 (“to not have a
demon”), 52; 10:20. [Back]

4. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Jr. , Overrun By Demons: The Church's
New Preoccupation With The Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House, 1990),
116, 118. [Back]

5. Thomas B. White, The Believer's Guide To Spiritual Warfare (Ann

Arbor: Servant Publications, 1990), 43. [Back]

6. Merrill F. Unger, Biblical Demonology: A Study Of The Spiritual Forces

Behind The Present World Unrest (Wheaton: Van Kampen Press, 1952),
100. [Back]

7. Merrill F. Unger, Demons In The World Today (Wheaton: Tyndale

Publishers, 1971), 116. [Back]

8. Ibid. [Back]

9. Ibid. [Back]

10. Ibid. [Back]

11. White, 45. [Back]

12. Two other passages record the same thing. Both times Saul tried to pin
David to the wall with his javelin. 1 Samuel 18:10–11: “Now it came about
on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul,
and he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing the harp
with his hand, as usual; and a spear was in Saul’s hand. Saul hurled the
spear for he thought, 'I will pin David to the wall.' But David escaped from
his presence twice.” 1 Samuel 19:9–10: “Now there was an evil spirit from
the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand,
and David was playing the harp with his hand. Saul tried to pin David to the
wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he
stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.”
[Back]
13. Brent Grimsley and Elliot Miller, “Can A Christian Be Demonized?”
Christian Research Journal (Summer 1993), 17-18. [Back]

14. Some would argue that David's reference to the Spirit of God leaving
him had only to do with his anointing as king over Israel and not the
possibility that the Spirit of God would stop indwelling him. If that is the
case, then David is only expressing his desire that God not remove His hand
of blessing and favor from David. Those who hold this view of Psalm 51:11
and the ministry of the Holy Spirit under the Old Covenant, still affirm that
a believer cannot be demon-possessed since the Holy Spirit indwelt
believers in the same manner as under the New Covenant. They affirm that
a demon and the Holy Spirit cannot indwell the same person. Regardless of
whether you believe the Holy Spirit permanently indwelt Old Testament
believers or not, we still cannot assume that Saul was one. [Back]

15. Ice and Dean, 124-125. [Back]

16. Matthew 12:22-29. [Back]

17. 1 Samuel 16:23. [Back]

18. Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene: Harvest House

Publishers, 1990) 188. [Back]

19. http://www.banner.org.uk/dev/dickch3.html [Back]

20. Ice and Dean, 125. [Back]

21. John 13:18. [Back]

22. Matthew 16:13-20. [Back]

23. Anderson, 192. [Back]

24. Consider also Luke 5:26; John 16:6; Acts 2:2; 3:10; 5:28; 19:29; 2 Cor.
7:4. [Back]

25. Ephesians 6; 1 Peter 5; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 12, etc. [Back]

26. Unger, 116. [Back]

27. C. Fred Dickason, Demon Possession and the Christian: A New

Perspective (Chicago: Moody Press, 1987), p. 127, quoted in Brent
Grimsley and Elliot Miller, “Can A Christian Be Demonized?” Christian
Research Journal (Summer 1993), 17-18. [Back]

28. Colossians 1:13; John 8:44; 1 John 5:19. [Back]

29. 2 Corinthians 5:17. [Back]

30. See also Acts 26:18. [Back]

31. Grimsley and Elliot, 19. [Back]

32. Ice and Dean, 123. [Back]

33. 1 Peter 5:9; Ephesians 6:10-14; James 4:7. [Back]

34. Thomas Ice, “Demon Possession and the New Clinical Deliverance,”
Biblical Perspectives May-June 1992, as quoted in Brent Grimsley and
Elliot Miller, “Can A Christian Be Demonized?” Christian Research
Journal (Summer 1993), 19. [Back]

35. Unger, 116. [Back]

36. 1 Thessalonians 1:10. [Back]

37. 1 John 2:19. [Back]

 Chapter 11
Is Christ's Authority Ours?
Let's start with a game called “Spot the Flaw.” Here's how we play: I
will lay out an argument - a line of thinking - complete with conclusion and
application. You try to spot the flaw in the argument. Are you ready? Here
we go . . .

Jesus is God (John 1:1-14) and as God, He has all authority (Matthew
28:18). Jesus' authority extends not just over all physical created things
(Mark 4:35-41), but in the spiritual realm as well (Ephesians 1:20-23).
Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities” by triumphing over them on the
cross (Colossians 2:15). Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father
(Ephesians 1:20-21; Acts 2:33; Hebrews 1:13), a position of unlimited
power and authority (Psalm 110:1). As a believer in Christ, I am blessed
with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians
1:3), and have been “seated with Christ in the Heavenly places” (Ephesians
2:6). That position of authority that belongs to Christ is also mine by virtue
of the fact that I am in Him. When I walk in Christ, I can use that authority
to command demons, to exorcise demons, take back territory from Satan
and set captives free, just like Jesus did.

Just as the apostles exercised their God-given authority over demons by

aggressive spiritual warfare and exorcisms (Acts 5:12-16; 16:16-18), so
should we. If I use my Heavenly Authority, I can likewise triumph over the
spiritual realm and cast out, control, and command demons. Jesus is my
model, my example. I can follow in His steps by using the authority that I
have in Him. The demons will be subject to me so long as I use the power
and authority granted to me by God.

How did you do? Did you spot the flaw? There is really no trick
question here, though the flaw may not be readily apparent. Perhaps as you
read through that, you got a bit uneasy at times. You agreed with it in the
beginning, but as I continued through to the end, you got increasingly
uncomfortable with the conclusions being drawn. Perhaps you got to the
end and said, “Well, I know the wheels fell off that somewhere along the
line, though I am not quite sure where.”

If you have ever been exposed to the works and writings of the men I
have critiqued in earlier chapters, men like Neil T. Anderson, Mark Bubeck,
and Thomas B. White, [1] then the language and theology presented in the
“Spot the Flaw” game will sound very familiar. This thinking is not merely
alluded to from time to time, but is in fact, the foundation upon which an
aggressive territorial approach to spiritual warfare is based. It is the bedrock
of the modern deliverance ministry movement, which is characterized by
the errant practices we have already examined.

Some Bold Assumptions

Neil T. Anderson has done more to make this thinking acceptable

among rank and file non-charismatic evangelicals than any other modern
writer. Anderson's entire approach to spiritual warfare is based upon the
authority of the believer over the devil, which Anderson asserts is granted
by Christ to His people. Anderson applies this authority to the issue of
binding Satan saying,

God has granted us the authority to “bind what shall be bound in

heaven” (Matthew 16:19; 18:18). In other words, we have the
spiritual capacity to discern God's will and then, confident in the
finished work of Christ, proclaim it in the spiritual realm. We have
authority over demons as long as we remain strong in the Lord and
operate in His strength (see Ephesians 6:10). . . . The effectiveness
of binding the strongman (see Matthew 12:20 [sic]) is dependent
upon the leading of the Holy Spirit and subject to the scope and
limits of the written Word of God. [2]

As is typical of the deliverance movement, Anderson offers “how-to”

help on finding freedom in Christ when he writes,

With this in mind, I usually begin the steps to freedom with a prayer
similar to this: Dear heavenly Father. . . . I take my position with
Christ, seated with Him in the heavenlies. Because all authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to Him, I now claim that
 authority over all enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ in and around
this room and especially (name). [3] You have told us that where
two or three are gathered in Your name You are in our midst, and
that whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven. We agree that
every evil spirit that is in or around (name) be bound to silence. . . .
Now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command you, Satan,
and all your hosts to release (name) and remain bound and gagged
so that (name) will be able to obey God. [4]

Likewise, Mark Bubeck begins his chapter titled, “Bold Confrontation

May Be Needed,” [5] by quoting Mark 5:9: “And he asked him, 'What is
thy name?' And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion: for we are
many.'” [6] Bubeck then goes on to say,

This verse reveals that our Lord confronted wicked spirits boldly
and demanded that they reveal their wicked presence and work in
the lives of people. They, in turn, responded to His commands, and
in so doing acknowledged His full authority over them.

Believers, united with the Lord Jesus Christ, in all of His person
and work, have the same authority to claim and use that which our
Lord used against wicked spirits.” [7]

Bubeck goes on to quote J. A. MacMillan's book, The Authority of the

Believer, calling it “one of the finest expositions upon the subject and basis
of the believer's authority that I have ever read.” [8] MacMillan, as quoted
by Bubeck, writes,

It has been pointed out more than once in this study that the
authority of which we are speaking is the portion of every believer.
It is not a special gift imparted in answer to prayer, but the inherent
right of the child of God because of his elevation with Christ to the
right hand of the Father. He has become, through the rich mercy of
God, an occupant of the Throne of the Lord, with all that it implies
in privilege and responsibility.

This elevation took place potentially at the resurrection of the Lord

and because of the believer's inclusion in Him. ... It is ours simply
 to recognize the fact of this position, and to take our place in
humble acceptance, giving all the glory and honor to God. [9]

Bubeck then writes, “The believer's authority is truly a settled fact. . . .It
remains for believers to act upon this powerful truth.” He then chides “even
the most devoted pastors and Christian leaders” who show “tragic temerity
in any bold use of their authority in Christ,” since they have “joined the
ranks of those reticent to face any demonic power in a head-on
confrontation.” [10]

For Bubeck, any hesitation to engage demonic forces in a power

encounter such as exorcisms or demonic manifestations is “temerity” and
cowardice. It never seems to occur to him that our hesitation might be
theologically grounded on solid exegesis of Scripture and not merely an
expression of cowardice and capitulation.

As you can see, the believer's equal authority to Christ is not just the
hidden assumption of modern deliverance ministry leaders, it is the core
teaching upon which all the other practices are founded. Practices such as
binding Satan, rebuking Satan, praying hedges, and removing hexes all
presume that the believer is vested with the type of authority described by
Bubeck and Anderson. So before we address the issue of the legitimacy of
practicing exorcisms, we need to analyze the authority-claim itself to see if
it is justified.

A Matchless Messiah or a Model for Ministry?

It is assumed by modern deliverance ministry leaders and advocates that

if something was done by Jesus, it was intended to be a model for us. Jesus
confronting and speaking to a demon (Mark 5:8-9ff), His exorcisms of
demons from a distance (Matthew 15:21-28) and in person (Matthew
17:14-18) are all treated as a model for modern deliverance techniques. It is
assumed that if this characterized the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles, it
should likewise characterize the gospel ministry of believers individually
and the church corporately in all ages.

This is the Achilles heel of the argument I presented at the very

beginning. It is an assumption which is sneaked into the reasoning without
ever being explicitly stated or proved. Unfortunately for deliverance
ministry advocates, this assumption is unfounded, unbiblical, and fails to
account for what the Bible itself teaches about the unique person of Christ
and His one-of-a-kind role in the redemptive plan of God.

When we examine the teaching of the gospels on the purpose of Jesus'

signs, it becomes obvious that Jesus' confrontation with the demonic realm
was not a model for us to follow, but proof of his unique Messianic claims.
Many go astray by failing to understand why Jesus encountered demons
during His life on earth and why those events are recorded for us. [11]

The Reason Jesus Confronted Demons

A Messiah who could conquer Satan would be no Messiah at all. The

Jews expected the Messiah would demonstrate His power over Satan and
his demons. After all, the very first prediction of a coming Redeemer
promised this victory: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and
you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15). God promised that the
Redeemer, Who would come through the seed of the woman, would crush
the serpent's head dealing a fatal blow to his kingdom and authority. Only
the long-awaited, long-promised Son of David, the Messiah, the King
would exercise that authority over Satan's kingdom.

Matthew wrote his gospel for the purpose of proving that Jesus is that
long-awaited fulfillment of Jewish expectation and promise. Matthew
demonstrated that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah of Israel promised
through the prophets. Many in Jesus' own day wrongly assumed that Jesus
could not be the Messiah since the anticipated “Messianic Kingdom” had
not arrived. Matthew shows us the reason for that delay of the Kingdom:
the Jews rejected their King. Matthew's gospel builds as Jesus' miracles are
recorded one right after another. These miracles are offered as proof of
Jesus' claims to be not only the Son of God (John 5:36-37), but the
Messiah (Luke 7:18-23).

Matthew repeatedly draws a connection between the signs Jesus

performed and His claims to be the Son of David. For Matthew, the proof
was in the pudding. The power over demons was evidence that Jesus was
the Christ.

For instance, in Matthew 10:1-5 Jesus “summoned His twelve disciples

and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal
every kind of disease and every kind of sickness” (10:1). [12] This ability
was given to accompany their preaching: “And as you go, preach, saying,
'The kingdom of Heaven is at hand'” (10:7). “What was the confirming
evidence which would demonstrate to the lost sheep of the house of Israel
that Jesus was the Messiah? The ability to heal and cast out demons.” [13]
Their ability was connected to their proclamation that the King had arrived
and was in their midst. It was connected to the Messianic claims and
identity of Jesus of Nazareth.

While still building toward the climactic conflict in chapter 12, chapter
11 records the inquiry of John the Baptist. While in prison, and facing death
without seeing the dawn of the promised Messianic Kingdom, John doubted
and sent to Jesus asking, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for
someone else?” (11:1-3). Jesus responded by citing the signs He performed
as proof of His Messianic claims saying, “Go and report to John what you
hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them” (11:4-6). The parallel passage in Luke 7:21
includes the casting out of evil spirits among the signs that Jesus did as
evidence of His claims.

In spite of this overwhelming evidence, the religious leaders of the

nation attributed Jesus' works to the power of Satan. Matthew 12 records
this climactic confrontation. Interestingly, this blasphemous attribution was
in response to Jesus healing a demon-possessed man who was blind and
mute (12:22). The crowds, amazed at Jesus' power over demons, began to
say, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can He?” They started to get it,
which is the very thing the Pharisees wanted to avoid. They did not want
the people beginning to accept the notion that Jesus was the Messiah.

In the face of overwhelming evidence, the Pharisees had two choices:

one, admit Jesus was the Messiah and humbly bow before Him as such, or
two, find some other explanation for the power He was demonstrating.
They could not deny that Jesus had ability to exorcise demons. All they
could do was deny that this was evidence of His Messianic claims. So they
blasphemously attributed that power to the Prince of Darkness, saying,
“This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons”
(12:24).

Jesus then went on to show that His ability to “bind the strongman
(Satan)” and plunder his kingdom was proof that He was acting by God's
power and not Satan's. If, indeed, God was at work, and Jesus had
unprecedented power over demons, then Jesus was the Messiah.

The point is hard to miss: “Jesus' encounters with the demons were
directly related to His claim to be the Messiah and His offer of the
Kingdom.” [14] By taking power over Satan and demons, sickness, disease,
and even death, Jesus gave a preview of the glorious conditions that will
exist during the promised Messianic Kingdom when Satan will be bound
and the effects of the curse will be lifted. [15] In spite of His exhibition of
power, and in spite of the clear, undeniable demonstration of His Messianic
credentials, the nation rejected its Messiah and tragically crucified Him on a
Roman cross. [16]

New Testament Usage

There is another indication in Scripture that Jesus' confrontation with

the demonic was intended to be unique and not normative. We can look at
the frequency with which the New Testament refers to demons and the type
of references that are made.

The Greek word for “demon” (daimonion) and its related words are
used seventy-seven times in the New Testament. The breakdown is as
follows:

Four Gospels: 67

Epistles: 7

Revelation: 3
 A similar proportion is found when we look at the use of “evil/unclean
spirits” which occurs 42 times in the New Testament:

Four Gospels: 23

Acts: 13

Epistles: 3

Revelation: 3

Putting all the references together, we find that “demons/evil

spirits/unclean spirits” are mentioned with the following frequency:

Four Gospels: 90

Acts: 13

Epistles: 10

Revelation: 6

We should not miss the fact that Acts and the Gospels are historical
books which chronicle the unique Messianic ministry, works, and claims of
Jesus Christ and the founding of the church by His personally appointed
apostles. Fully eighty-seven percent (103) of the 119 references to demons
is contained in this historical section of the New Testament. This is another
indication that the encounters of Jesus and the Apostles were unique and
not normative.

The epistles (Romans-Jude) are written specifically to churches,

pastors, and individual Christians. These epistles address issues that arose
in the church and give instruction on how believers are to walk in Christ
and conduct themselves in the world and in the church. Yet the epistles do
not warn believers to look out for demon-possession. They do not mention
any of the practices promoted by deliverance ministry teachers. They do not
give any command to exorcise demons. They do not contain any instruction
on how to exorcise demons, or how to conduct a deliverance session or
deliverance ministry. Instruction on these issues is glaringly absent from the
entire New Testament!

Yes, the epistles mention Satan and demons, but only ten times, and
most of these are factual statements about their defeat at the cross, or their
attempts to deceive and attack believers. By contrast, the Christian's most
powerful and dangerous enemy, the flesh, is mentioned fifty times!

Why was there so much demonic activity in the time of Jesus? Does the
same thing go on today? I concede that in many cultures around the world,
demonic manifestations are much more prevalent than that to which we in
the West are exposed. Where worship of demons through idols is the norm,
we would expect much more blatant activity than in a culture that is still
enjoying the fruit - though quickly fading - of a Christian worldview.

By any standard, the activity of the kingdom of darkness surrounding

the ministry of Jesus was exceptional. His arrival in this world and His
subsequent Messianic ministry stirred up activity and resistance from Satan
that was previously unnoticed. The presence of the Son of God caused the
kingdom of darkness to manifest itself in abnormal ways (Mark 1:21-28).

Across the road from my backyard are several unoccupied lots which,
without occasional mowing, grow very tall with grass and weeds. On a
calm summer evening when I sit in the backyard and look across the grass, I
would be led to believe that the tall grass is quiet and void of activity.
However, a walk through the grass would reveal something different. The
field will come alive with bugs, gnats, grasshoppers, mosquitoes and even
garter snakes. What causes the sudden flurry of activity? The presence of a
human being walking nearby upsets all the normal activity and reveals what
was always going on in the field. The human presence did not create the
bug activity. The bugs were there all along, active, living, going about their
business. The presence of a human walking through the field stirs up the
bug activity.

A similar thing happened during the life and ministry of our Lord.
Demons had always been present and active, just as they are today, but the
incarnation of Jesus and His real physical presence among men caused the
activity of the demons to become noticeable. His very presence caused a stir
in the spiritual realm. Suddenly Satan's prisoners were being set free,
darkness was dissipated by light, and the blind began to see. God's
redemptive plan was about to be culminated and the kingdom of darkness
was assaulted by the very King of Light. A spiritual frenzy in the demonic
realm ensued. Again, it was a unique time with unique circumstances.

What Are We to Model?

Does this mean that nothing Jesus said or did can serve as a model for
us? Certainly not! The apostles pointed to elements of Christ's character and
conduct (1 Peter 2:21-25) as things to be followed and imitated. We are
enjoined to be conformed to Christ in His character and conduct, but we are
never commanded or instructed to imitate His ministry or to mimic those
things that relate uniquely to His Messianic Office.

Jesus walked on water, multiplied food, and turned water into wine, but
nobody (other than extreme wackos) suggests that we have the authority
and/or power to do the same. Further, nobody suggests (again, other than
extreme wackos) that these things are to be normative or that we have a
responsibility to do the same things.

In fact, if all the power of the Throne of God is ours to use, as Bubeck
and Anderson suggest, and we are to model our life after Jesus, then why
don't we get any instruction from them on how to turn water to wine or
bread to stones, to multiply fish, or to walk on water? Wouldn't Christians
who live in depressed and impoverished regions of the world benefit by
tapping into their God-ordained authority over all things in order to feed
multitudes from just a little food? This authority could keep countless
people from starvation. Yet Bubeck and Anderson give us long lists of
instructions on how to use this authority to conquer Satan, but not a
mention on how to use it for any other purpose. Why does this authority
only apply to demons and Satan? Is Jesus not Lord over Creation, nature,
the weather, and all physical things? If He is, as evidenced by His exaltation
to the right hand of the Father, then do we not share that same power and
authority? Why don't Bubeck and Anderson give us some instruction on
how to control the weather, multiply bread, and raise the dead?
 Obviously, they do not intend for their teaching to be taken to that
conclusion, but why not? They have claimed more authority than even they
can demonstrate. Their argument proves too much!

Back to “Spot the Flaw”

So what is wrong with the argument I laid out at the beginning? Where
did the wheels fall off on the road between “Jesus has all authority” and “I
have all authority"?

For starters, as I have already pointed out, there is the assumed but
unbiblical idea that I am called to imitate everything Jesus ever did, even
those things unique to His Messianic office and claims.

Second, we should not overlook a very significant difference between

Jesus and us, namely, He is God and we are not! Though the argument I
offered started with the statement, “Jesus is God,” that distinction and
identity is quickly forgotten or ignored when trying to argue that I have the
same authority as He does. No matter what is true of me spiritually, and no
matter what blessings I have received, I am not God incarnate. By virtue of
that distinction alone, we are not warranted to presume upon His authority.

Third, it is true that Jesus is seated at the position of power at the right
hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:18-20). It is also true that by virtue of my
faith in Him, I am spiritually seated with Christ in the heavenlies
(Ephesians 2:5-6). However, it is not true that this exaltation entitles me to
all of the authority and power that He possesses as the divine, exalted Son.

Though the Ephesian passages are quoted as proof of a believer's

authority, they have nothing at all to do with spiritual warfare. In fact, that
is entirely foreign to the context. Those passages have to do with our
acceptance with the Father by virtue of being “in Christ.” [17] It is our
union with Christ that entitles us to all the blessings listed in Ephesians. We
are with Christ and belong to Him. That is the rich truth of those passages.
It is a leap to infer that all His heavenly authority over the physical and
spiritual realms is at our disposal.
 The flaw was taking one truth and inferring an entire theology of
authority over demons from it. Nowhere in Scripture - nowhere - are we
told that all believers have authority over Satan and demons. We are told
that Christ does. We are told that we belong to Him. That is as far as we are
justified in going.

His victory is ours since we are in Him. Therefore, we can resist the
devil, steadfast in the faith and standing firm. Our position with Christ
entitles us to the confidence to stand in His victory and resist Satan in His
strength. It does not entitle us to His authority.

Stand, therefore!

Endnotes
1. Others I have not yet mentioned would include Mike Warnke and Bob
Larson and anyone from the Charismatic/Third Wave movement (John
Wimber, John Arnott, Jack Deere, Jack Hayford and Rick Joyner) and the
Word Faith Movement (Kenneth Copeland, Fred Price, Benny Hinn, Paul
Crouch, etc.). [Back]

2. “Twenty-Five Most Popular Questions,” Freedom in Christ website,

(http://www.ficm.org) as quoted by Elliot Miller, “The Bondage Maker:
Examining the Message and Method of Neil T. Anderson, Part 2 - Spiritual
Warfare and the Truth Encounter,” Christian Research Journal , 21.2, 13. I
have searched Freedom In Christ Ministry's website and been unable to find
the “Twenty-Five Most Popular Questions” article. [Back]

3. The reader is instructed to insert the name of the person for whom they
are praying. [Back]

4. Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene, OR: Harvest House

Publishers, 1990), 67-68. Quoted in Elliot Miller, “The Bondage Maker:
Examining the Message and Method of Neil T. Anderson, Part 2 - Spiritual
Warfare and the Truth Encounter,” Christian Research Journal 21.2, 13-15.
[Back]
5. Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary: The Christian Versus Demon Activity
(Chicago: Moody Press), 115. [Back]

6. King James Version. [Back]

7. Ibid. Emphasis mine. [Back]

8. Ibid. [Back]

9. Ibid. Emphasis mine. [Back]

10. Ibid., 116. [Back]

11. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Jr. offer an excellent treatment of this
subject in their book, Overrun By Demons: The Church's New
Preoccupation With The Demonic (see chapter 6, "Invasion of the King"
and chapter 7, "Strategies of the Enemy"). I am heavily indebted to Ice and
Dean's work on this subject. [Back]

12. Lest we mistakenly think that this same authority is given to all
disciples in every age, Matthew specifically names the twelve for us (v. 2-
4), as if to emphasize the restricted nature of this ability. [Back]

13. Ice and Dean, 95. [Back]

14. Ibid. [Back]

15. Revelation 20:1-6. [Back]

16. We observe that many of the same signs were done by the Apostles. We
will deal with this in more detail in the next chapter where we will see the
reason this power was given to the Apostles. As with the Lord, the signs of
the Apostles were proof that they spoke and acted on behalf of God. [Back]

17. Notice the repetition of “in Christ” in the first three chapters of
Ephesians. [Back]
 Chapter 12
What about Exorcisms?
So what about exorcisms? For many today, this is an essential part of
effective spiritual warfare. In fact, many ministries and proponents of
aggressive spiritual warfare tactics would claim that the exorcism of
demons is an indispensable part of waging effective warfare against the
kingdom of darkness. The practice of conducting exorcisms is virtually
taken for granted in the Christian community. One could almost be labeled
a false teacher in some circles for even questioning it.

The popularity of authors Bob Larson and Neil T. Anderson have

helped make the practice of exorcisms commonplace in modern
evangelicalism.

I have met believers who have claimed at one time to be demon-

possessed. One person claimed that he was possessed by demons after he
had become a Christian. I have met pastors who have supposedly performed
exorcisms as part of ritual deliverance.

A quick perusal of Christian television shows, magazines, and popular

books will reveal that most in the Christian community think nothing of
promoting the practice of exorcisms or believing that they should be
commonplace today. In many circles, people are taught that true spiritual
warfare involves exorcising demons out of almost anyone who will stand
still long enough for you to lay hands on them.

Matter of Perspective

There is a clear divide between two very different perspectives on

spiritual warfare. On the one hand, there are those who view spiritual
warfare as a head-to-head encounter with the demonic hordes, by which
those demonic hordes are conquered and held at bay through certain
prayers, incantations, and tactics. This perspective views spiritual warfare
as a battle over territory. Peoples and cities must be claimed, fought for, and
taken from the kingdom of darkness. The power and authority of Christ is
ours to use for this end.

The second view of spiritual warfare, the one I have advocated, is one
in which the battle is primarily over truth. Spiritual warfare is not a battle
over territory, but a battle in which ideologies are brought down by the truth
of God's Word. People are delivered from the lies of the kingdom of
darkness. Though it is true that our enemies are real, we are not engaged in
hand-to-hand or head-to-head power encounters with the hosts of darkness.
We are called to stand (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Your view of spiritual warfare will play a determinative role in your

view of exorcisms. If you believe that spiritual warfare is a series of power
encounters that involve direct confrontation of Satan and his demonic
powers, then you will likely see exorcisms as an indispensable weapon in
your arsenal. If, however, you view spiritual warfare as a battle over truth,
and believe that we are called to stand in the truth, walk in the truth,
proclaim the truth, and leave the results to God, then you will likely not see
exorcisms as something that fits well in that paradigm.

To determine whether or not we are commissioned to perform

exorcisms, we need to examine what the New Testament says about them.
But first, allow me to offer a bit of historical perspective on the popularity
of exorcisms.

Deliverance Ministry in Historical Perspective

According to David Powlison, “Although the practice of exorcism has

enjoyed popularity at various times and places in church history, the use of
exorcism as a means of accomplishing sanctification - or creating
conditions for successful evangelism - is a recent innovation.” [1]

The view of spiritual warfare critiqued in this book is of recent origin. It

has only been around and developing since the 1960s. Early charismatics
were the first to popularize this view of spiritual warfare and its connection
to exorcisms. It was pioneered by Pastor Don Basham in his book Deliver
Us from Evil (1972). His version of demon-deliverance warfare lives on in
the ministries of men like Benny Hinn.
 A little later, some other well known non-charismatic authors gave
credence to the practice of exorcisms in books that did not emphasize
spectacular power encounters, but promoted exorcisms as a means of
pastoral counseling and sanctification. This approach arose in the circles
around Dallas Theological Seminary and Moody Bible Institute. Authors
such as Mark Bubeck, Merrill Unger, and C. Fred Dickason became well-
known for their "warfare-praying" formulas.

Still later, another variety of exorcism teaching arose, centering around

Fuller Theological Seminary and the Vineyard Movement. Authors like
John Wimber, C. Peter Wagner, Charles Kraft, John White, and Wayne
Grudem offered a perspective that included "signs and wonders" as tools for
sanctification, church growth, and Third World missions. Beginning in the
1990s, broadly evangelical authors like Neil T. Anderson and Frank Peretti
popularized a theology of demons, spiritual warfare, and exorcisms that is
now taken for granted in most evangelical circles.

The determining factor for us in our theology of exorcisms is what the

New Testament reveals about them. We must build our theology not on
what any particular author says, and certainly not on what I say, but what
Scripture reveals. To that we now turn.

The Bible on Exorcisms

The New Testament consistently classifies exorcisms as a "sign" or

"wonder." Most people do not think that exorcisms are in any way related to
the biblical miracles, but they are. In fact, the relationship is undeniable.

Interestingly, many Christians who would never suggest that we should

be performing miracles as the apostles did don't give a second thought to
suggesting that we should be performing exorcisms. Exorcisms are included
as some of the "signs" done by Jesus and the apostles. If an exorcism is a
miracle, and we are not called to perform miracles today, then why would
someone think that we should be performing exorcisms today? An exorcism
is an example of a biblical miracle.

Those who support the practice of exorcisms are quick to quote the
Gospels and the book of Acts to prove their case. As already noted, they
believe that the ministry of Jesus and the apostles should serve as a pattern
for us to emulate. But let's take a look at what the book of Acts teaches
about exorcisms.

1. Exorcisms are classified as "signs and wonders."

There are four passages in the book of Acts that mention exorcisms;
Acts 5:12-16; 8:6-7; 16:16-18; and 19:11-12. We will examine each one in
turn.

At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking
place among the people; (and they were all with one accord in
Solomon’s portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with
them; however, the people held them in high esteem. And all the
more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were
constantly added to their number), to such an extent that they even
carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets,
so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any
one of them. Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of
Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or
afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed (Acts
5:12-16). [2]

The last part of verses 12-14 is a parentheses. Those words which

describe the unity of the people and the esteem with which the apostles
were viewed interrupt the flow of the sentence which speaks of signs and
wonders. If we remove Luke's parenthetical statement, it is easier to see
what Luke tells us about signs and wonders.

We are told, "At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were
taking place among the people.” Luke then tells us what these signs and
wonders were. There were spectacular healings, such that if the shadow of
Peter fell on anyone, he or she was healed. Notice the end of verse 14:
Those “who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits" were brought to the
apostles "and they were all being healed."

In that passage, Luke describes two types of miracles. There were

physical healings, and there were deliverances from demons. Whether the
people were sick or possessed by evil spirits, they were all being healed.
Exorcism is described in that passage as a "healing miracle.”

The second passage in the book of Acts tells us the same thing.

The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said
by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was
performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they
were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who
had been paralyzed and lame were healed (Acts 8:6-7).

The crowds were paying attention to Philip's gospel proclamation

because they "heard and saw the signs which he was performing." What
kind of "signs" was Philip doing? Again, Luke does not leave us in the dark
as to what they were. In the case of those who had "unclean spirits," the
spirits were coming out of them. In the cases of those who had been
"paralyzed," they were healed. Again, what is an exorcism? It is a sign. It is
a miracle. It is classified as a “sign and wonder."

What about the third instance of exorcism in Acts?

It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl

having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters
much profit by fortune-telling. Following after Paul and us, she kept
crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High
God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She
continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed,
and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of
Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very
moment (Acts 16:16-18).

You'll notice that this exorcism is not called a "sign" or "wonder."

However, it is still an exorcism, and we learn some important things from it.

First, we should note who performed this exorcism: Paul, the apostle.
That is significant because, as we will see later, with rare exception, the
only ones to perform miracles in the book of Acts were the apostles.
Keeping in mind that Luke viewed exorcisms as "miracles," it does not
surprise us to see an apostle performing an exorcism. That is what we
would expect from men who had miracle-working ability.

Second, Paul obviously did not view exorcisms as necessary for the
advancement of the gospel. The text says that this fortune-telling slave girl
followed Paul and Silas around for "many days." One wonders why Paul
would tolerate this for "many days" before finally exorcising the demon. If
we are called to exorcise demons out of anyone and everyone as part of our
evangelistic strategy, then this should have been the first thing Paul did
when he arrived in Philippi.

Third, notice that the demon "came out at that very moment." It was an
instantaneous healing and deliverance. There was no long, protracted
"battle" involving detailed incantation-like prayers, [3] sending demons to
"the pit," "binding Satan," or naming individual demon principalities. There
is nothing said here of renouncing sin, ancestral curses, researching
territorial spirits, or a hedge of thorns. Paul spoke the word and it was over,
much as we would expect of an exorcism, like a healing, is a miracle.

The fourth passage in the book of Acts is Acts 19:11-12: “God was
performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that
handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and
the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.” These events took place
in Ephesus.

We can observe a few things here which are consistent with the other
mentions of exorcisms in Acts. First, we see an apostle mentioned in
connection with "extraordinary miracles." Second, Luke does not leave us
in the dark as to what these miracles entailed; God used handkerchiefs and
aprons carried from Paul to bring healing to the sick. Third, there are two
types of miracles mentioned in this passage: the sick were healed as
"diseases left them," and "evil spirits went out." Both the healings and the
exorcisms are called "extraordinary miracles" wrought by the "hands of
Paul," an apostle.

Luke mentions exorcisms four times in the book of Acts. Three of those
four times, he calls them miracles, signs, or wonders. Further, we notice that
three times they happened at the hands of an apostle, and once by someone
commissioned by the apostles and connected to their ministry.

If we learn anything about exorcisms from the book of Acts, it is this:

everyone who had power over demons also had power to heal the sick and
raise the dead. The same would be said of Jesus. He demonstrated power
over demons and He had power to heal the sick and raise the dead.
Ironically, many Christians who would never think of claiming the power to
heal the sick and raise the dead nevertheless believe they have power over
Satan and his demons.

It is also obvious that not everyone performed exorcisms. Not every

Christian had this power. If every Christian had this ability then why would
Luke call exorcisms "extraordinary miracles"? The only person to perform
an exorcism who was not an apostle was Philip, and he was closely
associated with apostolic ministry. In fact, we have a well-known account
of some who were not apostles who attempted to perform an exorcism: the
sons of Sceva (Acts 19:11-20). That did not turn out well. [4]

Nor does it seem, from the record of Acts, that exorcisms were
commonplace. In the entire time span covered in the book of Acts (thirty
years), Luke only mentions exorcisms four times and only records the
details of one (Acts 16:12-16). It was hardly central to the spread of the
gospel or the ministry of the church at large.

Exorcisms showed that the apostles had God's authority, the same
authority as Christ Himself. Christ's work of casting out demons
demonstrated His messianic credentials and His deity. The apostles' ability
to do the same was evidence that they were Christ's representatives directly
commissioned by Him. We only see legitimate exorcisms happening at the
hands of Jesus, His apostles, and, in one instance, someone directly
commissioned by the apostles.

2. The New Testament teaches that the ability to perform "signs

and wonders" was given to the apostles for the purpose of
authenticating apostolic ministry and authority.

Consider the following Scriptures:

 Acts 2:43: “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders
and signs were taking place through the apostles.”

Acts 5:12: “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were
taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in
Solomon’s portico.”

Acts 14:3: “Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with
reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace,
granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.” (The “they”
spoken of refers to Paul and Barnabas in 13:50.)

Acts 15:12: “All the people kept silent, and they were listening to
Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had
done through them among the Gentiles.”

Acts 19:11: “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands

of Paul. ”

2 Corinthians 12:12: “The signs of a true apostle were performed

among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”

Hebrews 2:3-4: “How will we escape if we neglect so great a

salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was
confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by
signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit
according to His own will.” (Those who heard the Lord did the signs. This
is a reference to the apostles.) [5]

The signs that the apostles performed serve the same purpose as the
signs that Jesus performed. They serve as an authentication of their
ministry. Their ability to perform the same kinds of signs that Jesus did
demonstrated that they were truly sent and commissioned by Him (2
Corinthians 12:12); they were true apostles. As the author to the Hebrews
says, God confirmed their word by "testifying with them, both by signs and
wonders and by various miracles."
 There are only three exceptions to this: Stephen (Acts 6:8), Philip (Acts
8:6-7), and Barnabas (Acts 14:3). In each of these three cases, the persons
performing the miracles were closely associated with the apostles and
apostolic ministries.

We can conclude from the passages we have examined that the New
Testament teaches that exorcisms are miracles, and miracles were done by
apostles or those very closely associated with the apostles.

Absence of Instruction

There are no instructions in the epistles of the New Testament on the

subject of exorcisms. The silence of the rest of the New Testament is
deafening. We do not find either the apostles or Jesus giving any
instructions to the church for conducting exorcisms.

We are never commanded to exorcise demons. We are never instructed

on how to exorcise demons. We do not even get the sense from the New
Testament that we are expected to exorcise demons. If exorcisms are to be
commonplace today, then it is unthinkable that the Lord would remain
silent and leave us no instruction on how to engage such a dangerous,
powerful, and deceptive enemy in that fashion.

You can read the New Testament from Romans to Revelation and you
will not find one word of instruction or command regarding exorcising
demons. The best way to account for this obvious silence is the fact that
exorcisms are miracles performed by Jesus and the apostles to authenticate
their message and ministry, and that exorcisms were never intended to
continue beyond the apostolic era.

If you want instruction on conducting exorcisms, you cannot turn to the

New Testament. Instead, you are forced to turn to the writings of modern-
day deliverance ministry "experts" for their detailed directions. They are
quick to suggest methodologies, prayers, incantations, and renunciations.

Mark Bubeck offers "some cautions and warnings lest some might be
prone to rush into bold encounter [sic] carelessly.” [6] What follows in his
book are three full pages of helpful suggestions, tips, and tricks for
conducting exorcisms. Where Scripture is silent, Bubeck rushes in with a
list of do's and don't's. Among the many spiritual qualifications for an
exorcism that Bubeck offers we find the following:

- One should be committed to the Lordship of Christ.

- One needs to practice Scripture memorization.

- Avoid working with someone not committed and surrendered to the

Lordship of Christ. [7]

Bubeck offers a list of things you should not do during an exorcism,

including the following:

- Don't seek information or allow any wicked spirit to volunteer

information you do not seek.

- Don't believe what a wicked spirit says unless you test it.

- Don't assume that one victory is the end of the warfare.

- Don't rely upon bold confrontation as the main way to victory over the
enemy. [8]

No list would be complete without "the dos,” and Bubeck is never slow
to fill in what Scripture lacks.

- Do daily put on the whole armor of God and claim your union with
Christ and walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

- Do take back all ground you may have given Satan by careless willful
sins of the flesh.

- Do bind all powers of darkness working under any wicked spirit to

him, commanding them all to leave when he does.

- Do force the wicked spirit to admit that because you are seated with
Christ far above all principalities and powers that you have full authority
over them.
 - Do force them to admit that when you command them to leave, they
have to go where Christ sends them.

- Do demand that if the wicked power has divided into several parts,
that he become a whole spirit.

- Do be prepared for the wicked power to try to hurt the person you're
working with in some manner. [9]

It is obvious that these instructions are not found anywhere in Scripture.

If these are essential for exorcisms, and if the Lord neglected to give us
these instructions, then He has truly done us a disservice. It would lead one
to conclude that the Word of God is not sufficient. Are we to believe that
the church had to wait for Mark Bubeck and Neil Anderson to arrive on the
scene to give us this essential information about conducting exorcisms?
Where would we be without these men to fill in where Scripture lacks?

But What About…

If our understanding of Scripture is correct, and I believe it is, then

there is an obvious contradiction between what Scripture teaches and what
some have claimed to experience or witness. Someone is sure to object by
citing an experience either personal or anecdotal. I too know people who
have supposedly done exorcisms, witnessed them, or had demons exorcised
from them. What do we make of these experiences?

As previously stated, we don't build our theology on our experiences,

regardless of how real and convincing they may be. We build our thinking
from Scripture and then ask, "How do I understand what I have experienced
in light of Scripture?"

If the Bible says that genuine exorcisms are miracles, and if the Bible
says the miracles were performed by Jesus and the apostles, and if the
apostles are no longer living, and if the Bible does not command us or give
us instructions on exorcising demons, then there is only one conclusion to
draw: the so-called exorcisms of today are not the genuine article.
 Might I suggest that it is at least theoretically possible that the father of
lies, the great deceiver, the angel of light, may be deceiving people into
thinking that they can control him? Is it possible that Satan is leading
people, well-intentioned as they are, into practices which are utterly
useless? Is it possible that he might want people to focus on activities that
make no difference and distract God's people from the real issues, namely
the proclamation and defense of the gospel? I certainly think that that is a
viable explanation.

Christians today do not have the power to cast out demons any more
than they have the power to turn water into wine or raise the dead. We can't
perform signs and wonders. Modern exorcisms are nothing more than
demonic deceptions craftily designed to get Christians sidetracked from the
real war, which is a truth war.

The experiences of modern-day exorcisms are created by something

other than the power of God. Pagan religions also have exorcisms. Hindu
gurus perform exorcisms and people are apparently delivered from demons
by them. These are clearly not done by the power of God. Jesus said that
some would be able to perform exorcisms who would not even be saved
(Matthew 7:21-23)! How do we account for those exorcisms? Are they the
real McCoy? Or is Satan deceiving those in pagan religions and Hindu
cults? If Satan is deceiving those in pagan religions and Hindu cults by
fabricating false exorcisms, what makes us think he cannot or would not do
the same to Christians?

What Is Our Approach?

Do I believe that people today can be demon-possessed? I most

certainly do. I do not believe that Christians can be demon-possessed, but I
do believe that it is possible for nonbelievers to be controlled and possessed
by demons. How then should we deal with demon-possessed unbelievers?
The same way we deal with non-demon-possessed unbelievers - share the
gospel. [10]

What does a demon-possessed person need? Does he need an exorcism

or a power encounter? What is it the Scripture says delivers us from the
kingdom of darkness and translates us to the kingdom of light? What is it
that sets us free from sin, Satan, and self? What is the power of God unto
salvation? It is the gospel (Rom. 1:16). In order to be set free from Satan,
the unbeliever needs the glorious light of the gospel of Christ.

Advocates of deliverance ministries would argue that a demon-

possessed person first needs to be exorcised of his demon(s) before the
gospel can be received by him. They teach that if we don't exorcise the
demons first, the demon will prevent him from receiving Christ.

This view presumes the demon-possessed person is worse off than the
average unregenerate garden-variety pagan. Is something more than the
gospel necessary to deliver someone from the kingdom of darkness to light?
Is the gospel insufficient to effect this transformation? Is the gospel
message itself not powerful enough to bring freedom from Satan? The
whole notion that something more than gospel proclamation is necessary for
the salvation of a demon-possessed sinner, is an affront to the power of the
gospel message, and I don't buy it. Where in the Bible do we read that a
demon-possessed person is less likely to trust Christ than a non-demon-
possessed person? Isn't the non-demon-possessed person just as much a
“child of wrath,” “dead in sin,” and “hostile to God” unbeliever as a demon-
possessed person is?

A demon-possessed person does not need a power encounter. They need

a truth encounter. They don't need an exorcism, they need the gospel. When
that person trusts Christ for salvation, they will be set free entirely from sin,
demons, and Satan. The gospel proclaimed is powerful enough to deliver an
unbeliever from darkness. It does not need our carnal methods accompanied
by the fanciful advice of deliverance ministry “experts.”

Thomas Ice and Robert Dean rightly state,

The norm for dealing with demon-possessed unbelievers has

become the preaching of the gospel. . . . Any believer can deliver
another person from demons by leading him to Christ. The
Scriptures do not require a second-step deliverance for a believer in
order that he may be freed from the demonic; Christ sweeps the
house clean at the moment of salvation. [11]
 Are Exorcisms for Today?

Exorcisms are miracles. They were miracles done by Jesus and the
apostles. We are not commanded to do exorcisms. We are not instructed on
how to do exorcisms. The New Testament does not expect us to do
exorcisms. In view of these truths, we have to conclude that the answer is
no. Exorcisms are not necessary for the spread of the gospel, the salvation
of the sinner, or the sanctification of the saints.

Stand firm in the truth.

Endnotes
1. David Powlison, "Deliverance Ministry In Historical Perspective,"
Christian Research Journal 21. 3 (1998): Article DA086. The information
regarding the history of deliverance ministries and theology was gleaned
from this article. [Back]

2. Emphasis mine. [Back]

3. Prayers like those are typical of the writings and ministries of Mark
Bubeck, Neil T. Anderson, John Dawson, and Bob Larson. [Back]

4. Some might argue that the sons of Sceva were unbelieving Jews and not
Christians and therefore what happened to them only serves to show that
unbelievers cannot perform exorcisms but does not prove that Christians
cannot. That might be true, but Luke seems to be sharing the incident to
show that Paul (an apostle) was unique, since God was performing
extraordinary miracles by his hands (Acts 19:11). But more to the point,
there is no record in Acts of an average Christian performing an exorcism. I
believe that is because Christians understood that was not their prerogative
any more than other miraculous abilities were. [Back]

5. Emphasis added. [Back]

6. Mark Bubeck, The Adversary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 122.

[Back]
7. Ibid., 122-123. [Back]

8. Ibid., 124. [Back]

9. Ibid., 124-125. [Back]

10. I would doubt that most of us run across demon-possessed people on a

daily basis. [Back]

11. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean, Overrun By Demons: The Church's New
Preoccupation With The Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers,
1990), 128. [Back]
 Chapter 13
Spiritual Warfare and Sanctification
Few things are more obvious to a new believer than the reality of
persistent remaining sin. The regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and His
indwelling bring an awareness of sin that the unregenerate person is
incapable of knowing. Suddenly, a new believer sees sins in his life and
feels compelled to battle against them. Since Scripture teaches that the
unredeemed flesh persists with us until death (Romans 7-8), this constant
war against sin can be very discouraging and perplexing to a new Christian.

This experience results not from an increase in the number of

temptations or an increase in sinful desires. Rather, we become more aware
of sin as a result of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Regeneration brings a
new principle of life and righteousness into our lives that was absent prior
to conversion. Suddenly we begin to progress in sanctification and find that
we have a desire for righteousness which wars against the desires of the
flesh.

The converted drunkard suddenly finds that sobriety is not so easy. The
man whose mind has been flooded for years with pornography finds that the
battle does not go away overnight. The inveterate adulteress finds that
controlling her habitually flirtatious ways is suddenly more difficult than
she first imagined. The foulmouthed person is suddenly aware that the
tongue is a deadly evil and controlling his speech takes constant vigilance
and discipline. So it goes with every sin, every habit, and every temptation.

Being untrained in righteousness (Romans 6:15-23) the new Christian

can begin to feel as if victory over sin and progression in holiness is a lost
cause. Discouragement can set in and before long he or she starts to desire a
"quick fix," a remedy, a system or program which promises immediate
victory and instant results. The predominant view of spiritual warfare which
I have been examining in this book offers just such a false remedy.

Spiritual Warfare to the Rescue

 If you're familiar with the methods of spiritual warfare advocated by the
popular authors I have mentioned, then you are also likely familiar with the
way in which their view of the spirit world and spiritual warfare is applied
to the progressive sanctification of a believer. All of the practices which
have proved to be unbiblical are inevitably used in the battle against sin.
The result can be nothing short of disastrous. Waging spiritual warfare with
the wrong methodology is certain to result in distraction and defeat.
Likewise, pursuing sanctification through the wrong means or battling sin
with the wrong weapons cannot bring about the victory we desire.

The modern teaching on spiritual warfare treats the spiritual battle as a

war for territory. The Bible describes true spiritual warfare as a war for
truth. Those two different views lead to two radically different
methodologies of spiritual warfare and two different approaches to
progressive sanctification.

The “territory view” of spiritual warfare teaches that sin in the life of a
believer is caused by demonic strongholds, oppression, curses, territorial
spirits, or even demon possession. The answers they propose to the
problems include the very things I have already critiqued and shown to be
either unbiblical or extra-biblical. If someone misdiagnoses a disease, they
will also misdiagnose the cure.

Getting Sin and Satan Wrong

“The Devil made me do it” is not just a well-known Flip Wilson line,
but it is also a staple of modern evangelical spiritual warfare theology.
Satan gets far more credit for creating sin in the life of a believer than he
deserves. He not only gets credit for causing sin, but according to some, he
is also the primary cause of disease in the lives of God's people.

Famed (and shamed) televangelist Robert Tilton was quite fond of

raging at the demonic forces that he believed to be tormenting and attacking
his television audience. I mentioned this tirade in an earlier chapter. Read
this again, only this time notice who gets the credit for causing various sins
and sicknesses. On one episode of his Success-N-Life program, he ranted,
 Satan, you demonic spirits of AIDS, and AIDS virus - I bind you!
You demon-spirits of cancer, arthritis, infection, migraine
headaches, pain - come out of that body! Come out of that child!
Come out of that man. . . . Satan, I bind you! You foul demon-spirits
of sickness and disease. Infirmities in the inner ear and the lungs
and the back. You demon spirits of arthritis, sickness, and disease.
You tormenting, infirm spirits in the stomach. Satan, I bind you!
You nicotine spirits - I bind you! In the name of Jesus! [1]

Tilton's bizarre way of linking a smoking addiction to the work of

“nicotine spirits” kinda makes you wonder what "nicotine spirits" did
before the invention of cigarettes!

Not only is Satan given credit for causing sickness and disease in the
life of a believer, but often he receives the credit for causing us to sin. It is
not uncommon for those in deliverance ministries to go so far as to attribute
gluttony, hatred, jealousy, envy, gossip, murder, homosexuality, pride,
drunkenness, and even suicide to demons. A quick online search will turn
up dozens of "deliverance ministry" websites dedicated to dealing with the
demons which are supposedly attached to all these sins and many more.

Mark Bubeck, for instance, claims that a demon once named himself as
"Suicide.” [2] During a confrontation with demonic powers which Bubeck
supposedly had for the sake of delivering his daughter from demonic
oppression (or possession), [3] he commanded demons "in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ," to state their names. Bubeck reports,

We were able to get the names of a hierarchy that was set on

destroying Judy, and through her problems would be able to attack
my ministry. Some of the names given were identical to the
symptoms described. [4] Fear was the head of the hierarchy, under
him were such workers as Nausea, Colon, Destroyer, and Deceiver.
[5]

This is typical of the approach of those who believe that a demon is

behind every sin or symptom.
 Bubeck does not glean any of this insight from Scripture, since
Scripture never gives these names, or any like them, for demons. The only
way Bubeck could get this information is by conversing with demons - a
patently unbiblical approach, and one fraught with error. Why should we
believe that demons are speaking the truth about their names or their
involvement? Further, why should I believe that such a practice is even
necessary? Why should I even buy his presupposition that the information
provided in Scripture is insufficient, and then seek the necessary
information from demons? Scripture does not speak of demons named
Suicide, Lust, Greed, Envy or Nicotine. This is all mystical, experience-
based, superstitious nonsense!

Bubeck, like White, Anderson, and others, views sin in the life of a
believer as the work of demons. Here is how the thinking goes: Lust must
be caused by a demon (probably named Lust) who attacks me, distracts me,
and puts thoughts in my head. He must have a horde of helpers, all part of a
hierarchy, whose names are probably Sensuality, Passion, Distraction,
Lewdness, and Hormone. In all likelihood, one of these demons gained a
foothold in my family through my father's repeated sin of adultery. That
demon is probably named Adultery (I know, the names can be very
confusing, but try and keep up!). Consequently, the devil now has a
“foothold” in my life and my home. Since the sins of the fathers are passed
down through multiple generations, it is a guarantee that I, and my sons,
and my sons' sons struggle with the same sins. These demons and their
influence have been entrenched in my life. Thus there is a spiritual curse
upon my family, a demonic stronghold in my life, and demon activity that
must be purged.

What must be done, according to modern deliverance ministry

teaching? These spiritual forces must be directly confronted and dealt with.

The cure would go something like this: these sins and activities of my
father and grandfather would need to be researched, identified, and
confessed to God. I would need to “plead the blood of Jesus” over these
sins and renounce verbally to the spirit world my repudiation of the sins
(and don't forget the stock formula prayers for just such occasions). One
can't be too thorough when trying to break satanic or generational curses, so
one needs to be careful to name every sin which might have given this
foothold to the devil.

Next, a direct confrontation with the spirits involved, who are

conveniently named Lust, Adultery, Passion, Hormone, etc. is necessary.
Demanding, in the name of Jesus, of course, that each spirit name himself,
and identify the demon powers above and below him in the hierarchy, will
help to inform my formulaic prayers against the spirit beings. This is
important, since each spirit needs to be bound by name. Prayers such as, "I
bind you, you evil spirit of Lust, in the name of Jesus and by His blood. I
send you to the pit of hell, or wherever the Lord Jesus would send you,”
would be employed. And of course, we can't forget the all-important verbal
rebuke that must be thrown toward Satan and his demons every so often.
Something like, "I rebuke you, Satan, in the name of Jesus! Flee from me!”
We might find it necessary to remind Satan that we are children of God, and
that we have authority over him to whip him, bind him, and send him to the
pit—just in case he might have forgotten.

Leading my children (and grandchildren if applicable) in the same

process of renunciation and binding is essential if they are to experience
any freedom. Next, I would need to pray a hedge of thorns around my
belongings, my house, my workplace, my relatives, my spouse, my
children, my dog, my favorite football team, and anything else which I
might want to protect from Satan's influence.

What a yoke of burden we are saddled with by such false teachings! If

that does not leave a person exhausted, depressed, and confused, I don't
know what would! If you think the battle is over, if you think the victory is
won, you are wrong. Every time that temptation presents itself, you will
need to go through the entire laborious process all over again! After all, you
can't bind Satan too many times! I can't tell you how many times I heard
Satan and his demons bound during Bible college prayer meetings.

This is the taxing, laborious, and misguided method of personal

sanctification promoted by those who blame every sin on demons.

If that is not enough, keep in mind that this is the process that needs to
be repeated for every sin in your life! Gossip, lying, laziness, fear, pride,
slander, drunkenness, lust, greed, covetousness, jealousy, strife, backbiting,
anger, doubt, and a host of others, can all be dealt with the same way - at
least according to the teachings of modern-day deliverance ministry
"experts.”

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Scripture does not describe sin as the result of possession, oppression,

or curses in the life of a believer. Those things which modern deliverance
ministry "experts" attribute to demons, are the works of the flesh. Galatians
5 says that the "deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immoralities,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of
anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and
things like these. . .” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Attributing these deeds to the activity of demons when Scripture

attributes them to the flesh is to misdiagnose the problem. If the problem is
misdiagnosed, the proper solution will not be appropriated. Deliverance
ministry "experts" attempt to deal with these sins through mantra-like
prayers, power encounters, renouncing curses, binding Satan, and/or
exorcisms. These are the very practices that we have seen to be completely
unbiblical.

As we saw in Chapters 3 and 4, the Christian is involved in a three-front

war. We battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Any view of
spiritual warfare which does not take into account all three enemies is going
to fail to offer an approach which can adequately meet all three enemies. In
the scenario I have presented, the role of the flesh in the life of the believer
and his battle against sin is entirely ignored. This is because Satan gets the
blame for the works of the flesh.

If your theology of spiritual warfare fails to properly account for the

cause of the problem, then it will also fail to provide a proper solution.
Attributing to Satan and his demons the works which Scripture clearly
attributes to the flesh, results in treating the wrong problem with the wrong
solution.
 The misguided emphasis of modern deliverance ministries ends up
leading people to shift responsibility for their sin from themselves to Satan.

Rather than accepting the responsibility for our own sin, we prefer
to shift the responsibility to someone or something else. Rather than
choosing the biblical solution to confessing and putting to death the
deeds of the flesh, we seek to solve the problem by "binding
demons" or practicing "exorcisms." Interestingly, passing the buck
has been a convenient way of avoiding personal responsibility for
sin ever since Adam and Eve. [6]

Neither Satan nor the world can cause us to sin. These things can lure
us, tempt us, and distract us, but they cannot make us sin. The source of my
sin is not Satan, but my own lust. “But each one is tempted when he is
carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death"
(James 1:14-15).

Our problem is not that we have demons possessing us, attacking us, or
oppressing us. We have an enemy on the inside–the flesh. As a good friend
from Bible college used to say, "Satan doesn't have to expend any effort to
tempt me to sin - my flesh is plenty capable of that!"

The Biblical Solution [7]

The Bible does not leave us in the dark when it comes to fighting the
war against sin. It not only commands us to pursue holiness (Hebrews
12:14), but instructs us and equips us with all the tools necessary for growth
in sanctification.

First, we have to come to grips with the cause of our sin. We cannot
shift responsibility for sin from ourselves to Satan. We must own up to the
fact that we are sinners, and though we are justified, saved, forgiven, and
indwelt by the Spirit of God, we still dwell in unredeemed bodies of sin,
fraught with weakness and corruption.

Second, we can be encouraged to know that our sanctification is not

entirely the result of our own efforts and abilities. The Holy Spirit is
working to take those whom the Father has predestined, called, and
justified, and conform them to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-30).
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the
Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as
from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). It is "God who is at work
in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

This does not mean that we have no role or no work in the fight against
sin. We are to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling"
(Philippians 2:12), pursue sanctification (Hebrews 12:14), and discipline
ourselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). We are commanded
to mortify the flesh and put it off its deeds (Colossians 3:1-11). We must
also “put on the new man” and his deeds which are created in Christ Jesus
(Ephesians 4:17-32). Our work towards sanctification does not crowd out
or preclude God's work in us. The fact that God is at work in us does not
mean that we have no part in it. This is the paradox of the doctrine of
sanctification. I work, yet not I, but the grace of God at work in me.

The Bible consistently describes my sanctification as a work which God

does and a work which I do. Consider the following brief list of examples:

In 2 Peter 1:3-5 it is God who has “granted to us His precious and

magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
That is the work of God. It is by His work and His provision that we have
escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Yet the very next verse
says that we are to “apply all diligence,” and in your faith supply moral
excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly
kindness, and love (vv. 5-9). Peter then concludes his thoughts by
encouraging us to "be all the more diligent to make certain about His
calling in choosing you” (v. 10). It doesn't sound like Peter saw any conflict
at all between our work toward sanctification and God's work in us.

James saw no contradiction between submitting to God and the active

work of resisting the devil (James 4:7).

Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who
live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me”
(Galatians 2:10). Who was it that was responsible for living Paul's
Christian life? It was true that he no longer lived - it was Christ living in
him. Yet it was also true that he lived a life in the flesh by faith in the Son of
God.

In Colossians 1:28-29, Paul mentions both his work and God's work in
him. “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man
with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For
this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily
works within me." It was Paul who worked. It was Paul who labored. It was
Paul who did the striving. But it was according to God's power which was
at work in him.

In one of my favorite passages, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul says, “But

by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove
vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of
God within me." Who was it that made Paul what he was? He labored more
than all the other apostles, yet it was not Paul, but the grace of God within
Paul.

You might be tempted to ask, "Paul, would you please make up your
mind? Who's responsible for your sanctification? Who is it that does the
work of ministry? Who is it that lives your Christian life? You or God?”
The answer to that question is, “Both.”

Third, regeneration frees us to obey God and His word. The war against
sin involves effort on the part of the Christian to fight against the
temptations and desires, the lusts of the flesh. Those do not disappear at the
moment of salvation, but neither do they hold us in bondage any longer.
"Though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that
form of teaching to which you are committed, and having been freed from
sin, he became slaves of righteousness" (Romans 6:17-18).

Now, rather than living in subjection to the lusts of the flesh and the
dictates of our unredeemed sinful nature, we can live in obedience to God
and His Word.
 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your
flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to
impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so
now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting
in sanctification (Romans 6:19).

At one time we gave ourselves, our bodies, our minds, our time, and our
efforts to sin. Now that we have been set free from sin, we are to offer
ourselves, our bodies, our minds, our time, and our efforts to righteousness.
We are to yield the members of our body to the dictates and commands of
righteousness just as we once obeyed sin and its lusts. The result of such
obedience to righteousness is sanctification- growth in holiness.

Victory over sin and temptation is as simple as refusing to obey sin and
instead yielding our obedience to righteousness. By the grace of God, by
the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we work to train ourselves to obey our
new Master. Relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, we labor and strive,
discipline ourselves for godliness, and yield to obedience. We are able to do
this because

We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so

that as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have
become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly
we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this,
that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body
of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be
slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin (Romans 6:4-
7).

Of course we will always be aware of indwelling sin and cry out,

"Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this
death?" (Romans 7:24). Like Paul, we will take comfort in the fact that the
Holy Spirit who dwells in us is at work to conform us to the image of God's
Son (Romans 8).

Scripture uses a lot of different language to describe our obedience. We

are to "discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness" (1 Timothy 4:7).
Scripture says we are to "put to death the deeds of the flesh” (Romans
8:13), "lay aside the old self," and, "put on the new self" (Ephesians 4:22-
24), and to "consider the members of your earthly body as dead to
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to
idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). We are to "put aside" the sins of the flesh and
"put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge"
(Colossians 3:9-10).

Fourth, we need to be diligent to give ourselves to those things which

will strengthen us for this battle. We cannot neglect the means of grace that
God has given to His people by which we are strengthened, equipped, and
aided in our sanctification. The Holy Spirit does not neglect the means, and
neither should we.

We should not neglect the gathering of ourselves to corporate worship

(Hebrews 10:25), submitting to our leaders (Hebrews 13:17), offering up
sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15), hiding God's Word
in our hearts (Psalm 119:9-16), being filled with the Word of God
(Colossians 3:16), observing the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's
Supper, and submitting to the regular preaching of the Word. All of these,
and many more, are the means which God has ordained through which the
Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Christ.

New Affections

No discussion of our growth in holiness would be complete without

mentioning the power of a “new affection.” Ultimately, victory over
temptation and sin is possible only when my affections and desire for sin
and self have been replaced by a higher and more compelling affection.

It is only when Christ is precious to us, and more precious than our
lusts, our sins, or the perceived benefits of sin, that we will truly flee sin
and pursue Christ. This is what theologian Thomas Chalmers referred to as
"the expulsive power of a new affection.” The new affections which belong
to our new nature, begin to push out our old affections: our love for sin and
self. A hunger and love for Christ replaces a hunger and love for sin. Pray
that God will give you that affection.
 We can have no true hope for victory over sin if we harbor in our hearts
a love for it. When we love Christ more than sin, it will lose its allure. All
our efforts at cultivating a relationship with God should have as their goal
satisfaction in the person and the glory of Christ. May God grant that we
seek and find our satisfaction in Him.

Endnotes
1. Robert Tilton, Success-N-Life program (ca. 1991), video on file at
Christian Research Institute. This was quoted by Hank Hanegraaff,
Christianity in Crisis (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), 257.
[Back]

2. Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975),91-92.

[Back]

3. This encounter was detailed in Chapter 9. [Back]

4. His daughter was experiencing nausea and distress. [Back]

5. Bubeck, 121. Remember that this is the same man who, when giving his
list of “dos and don’ts” for exorcisms, tells his reader, “Don't believe what a
wicked spirit says unless you test it.” Yet here Bubeck believes this
testimony that he received from wicked spirits without a word about testing
it. What makes him think that these are the actual names of these demons?
He just takes them at their word. Perhaps he thinks that since their
testimony seemed to jive with his experience, then it was true. If that is the
case, then this demonstrates the height of his folly - testing the word of a
demon by his own subjective experience. [Back]

6. Thomas Ice and Robert Dean Jr., Overrun By Demons: The Church's New
Preoccupation With The Demonic (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers,
1990), 85. [Back]

7. The means by which a believer pursues sanctification, mortifies the flesh,

and grows in holiness is a subject worthy of its own book. What follows
here is a brief presentation of this issue. For further study I would
recommend starting with Respectable Sins and Pursuit of Holiness, both by
Jerry Bridges, and Christ Formed In You by Brian G. Hedges. Among older
books written by puritans, I would recommend The Mortification Of Sin by
John Owen, The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson, Overcoming
Sin and Temptation by John Owen, and Holiness by J.C. Ryle. [Back]
Part 4: Examining a Biblical Passage
 Chapter 14
The Posture of a Soldier
You might think that a book on spiritual warfare would begin with a
study of Ephesians 6, rather than end with it. Yet here we are in the last
three chapters and we are finally getting around to what is considered the
sine qua non of the Bible’s teaching on spiritual warfare: the Armor of God.
Our study of Ephesians 6 will offer some positive instruction on the subject
and summarize what we have covered so far.

As we have discovered, the subject of spiritual warfare has been colored

and clouded by all types of gnostic and mystic teachings, abuses of
Scripture, and unbiblical practices. If we had jumped right into the "Armor
of God" in Ephesians 6, our understanding of the passage would have been
polluted by all the unbiblical presuppositions and practices which have
become part and parcel of the modern spiritual warfare movement.

Now that we have laid the foundation for our study and affirmed that
the Bible is sufficient for the battle in which we are engaged (Chapter 1),
and have come to realize that spiritual warfare is a battle for truth and not
territory (Chapter 2), and have disabused ourselves of all the extra-biblical
and unbiblical practices which clutter the Christian landscape (Chapters 4-
13), we can now tackle the teaching of Ephesians 6. We will find that this
passage offers clear and concise wisdom concerning the battle in which we
are engaged.

Setting the Context for the Armor of God

All too often, Ephesians 6 is treated in isolation from its entire context.
If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you may be more
familiar with Ephesians 6 than you are with anything else in the book of
Ephesians. It is not uncommon to find a series of messages on the subject of
spiritual warfare that offers a treatment of Ephesians 6 without any
consistent exposition of the five-and-a-half chapters which preceded it. It
makes you wonder if some folks are even aware that Ephesians has five
other chapters!

We don't want to make that mistake. I'm convinced that a proper

understanding of the Armor of God requires an understanding of the first
five-and-a-half chapters of Ephesians. During this chapter and the
following, we will be making reference repeatedly to the truths taught in
those other five chapters. Let's begin by setting up that context.

When reading or studying Ephesians, we would arrive at Chapter 6, and

at first glance the passage seems a little out of place. If you trace the
argument and flow of the first five chapters, then the last thing you might
expect at the close of the book is a treatise on spiritual warfare.

The first three chapters of Ephesians treat some of the loftiest doctrine
that the mind of man could ever approach: election, predestination,
adoption, redemption, the glory of God, the sealing of the Spirit, our eternal
inheritance, the sovereign will of God, total depravity, justification, and the
peace which has been wrought by the death of Christ. The first three
chapters cover nearly all of the doctrines of salvation. Paul describes the
comprehensive results of God's actions and sovereign work of redeeming
sinners.

Paul does not leave those doctrines as mere theoretical propositions but,
in the second half of the book, fleshes out the implications of that profound
theology as he encourages us to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling
with which you have been called" (Ephesians 4:1). He then goes on to
address such lofty themes as walking in humility (4:1-6), walking in unity
(4:7-16), walking in newness of life (4:17-32), walking in light (5:1-17),
and walking in mutual submission (5:18-6:9). Then, it seems, we are
suddenly brought into the nitty-gritty, bloody, grimy metaphor of war and
talk of demons (6:10-17). However, what appears at first glance to be out of
place, ends up being a perfect summary for what Paul has been teaching for
the entire book.

Paul is essentially saying, "Now, in the face of tremendous spiritual

opposition, put on everything you have been given. Clothe yourself with it.
Stand." Since 4:1, Paul has been telling us to appropriate by faith all that
has been provided by God's gracious gift of salvation. Chapters 1-3 tell us
what it means for us to be "in Christ." Chapters 4-6 tell us what it means to
have Christ in us.

We should expect that if we commit ourselves to live out our faith, that
we will experience opposition and even persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).
Anyone who commits himself to walk in humility rather than pride, in unity
rather than division, in love rather than lust, light rather than darkness,
wisdom rather than foolishness, the Spirit of God rather than drunkenness,
and mutual submission rather than selfishness, is bound to face an enemy
that will seek his destruction. That enemy is going to oppose us. He is going
to do his best to trick us into pride, selfishness, bitterness, speaking evil,
unforgiveness, deeds of darkness, foolishness - the very things from which
we have been delivered. The cold reality is that Satan seeks to oppose any
believer who truly tries to "walk in the manner worthy of the calling with
which he has been called" (Ephesians 4:1).

You will face an enemy, and it is not going to be a cakewalk. It is going

to be a fight. The passage before us explains how we are to stand in the
salvation we have been given. This passage demonstrates the adequacy of
our salvation to shield us against even the devil himself.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand
firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore,
take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist
in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand
firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having
put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your
feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to
all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).
 In this chapter we will take a look at what Paul says about the battle in
which we are engaged. We will save the individual pieces of the armor and
their significance for the next chapter. In the opening verses of the above
passage, we see three things we need to know about our struggle: our
adequacy is in our Sovereign, our adversary is Satan, and our approach is to
stand.

Our Adequacy Is in Our Sovereign

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put
on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against
the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10).

Paul begins by directing our attention to the strength we find in the

Lord. By His grace and through His enablement God has provided two
things.

First, He has provided us with adequate strength for the fight. "Be
strong" is passive in the Greek. That indicates it is not something that we do
to or for ourselves, but something that comes from outside of us. It is
something that happens to us, not something that happens by us. “Be
strengthened" would be a better way of capturing the meaning.

Paul has already told us in Ephesians about the power of God available
to us. In Chapter 1 Paul prayed for the Ephesians that “the eyes of your
heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His
calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and
what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” That
is the same “working of the strength of His might which He brought about
in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right
hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:17-20ff).

Paul is telling us to be strengthened in the power of the One "who is

able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to
the power that works within us" (Ephesians 3:20). That is the power that is
described here.
 We can and must trust that our adequacy and strength comes by the
power of God. It is not in ourselves. It is in Christ. Everything necessary for
the war has been given to us in Him. In ourselves, we are no match for the
enemy. Once we rely upon our own strength for the battle, we're done. We
cannot stand against the enemy in our own strength. He is smarter, stronger,
and craftier than we are.

One of the subtle schemes of the enemy is to get us to try to be strong in

ourselves. He wants us to think that we have some inherent strength and
power to live the Christian life on our own. He wants us to think that we
can stand apart from God's sustaining grace and the strength that Christ
gives. Satan is delighted if we are strong in ourselves, for a misplaced trust
is no trust at all. An ill-gotten strength is no strength at all. Satan does not
fear those who think they are adequate in themselves for the task. If you
think that your adequacy for the battle is in your spiritual giftedness, your
firm resoluteness, your wisdom, your youth, your intelligence, your
education, or your experiences, the enemy has you right where he wants
you - in his crosshairs.

This self-reliant strength is the very thing I have described in the

previous chapters. Those who think that their incantations, rote prayers, and
repeated mantras are sufficient tools to take on the enemy of our souls are
trusting in the wrong source of strength. They argue that the authority and
power behind these "tools" is the Lord, but when someone employs
unbiblical and extra-biblical tactics derived from witty conversations with
demons, anecdotal evidences, and life experiences, they are, in fact, trusting
in themselves and their own wisdom. They are relying upon carnal weapons
that God has not promised to bless or empower.

Second, He has provided us with an adequate defense. Our adequate

defense is the “full armor of God.” This defense is useless unless we put it
on.

The word translated "put on" is the word ἐνδύω (enduo) and it means
"to envelop in, to hide in or to clothe with.” It has the idea of dressing
oneself with something. It is in the aorist tense which indicates a completed,
once-for-all action. The protection which we have been given is never to be
taken off. We never let our guard down. Having once been clothed with this
armor, we are never to find ourselves undressed.

Paul describes our "adequate defense" with the words "full armor." That
was a word that was used to describe a heavily armed soldier. It literally
means "all the weapons." We are to put on the full armament which God has
graciously provided for us in Christ.

Paul would've been very familiar with the armor of a Roman soldier. By
the time he wrote Ephesians, Paul had spent four years as a prisoner of the
Roman Empire under constant supervision and guard. [1] Paul likens our
defense to the armor of a Roman soldier.

Paul calls this the armor "of God." That is significant. The armor is not
something which we provide or make. The armor is provided by God, for it
comes from God. All the pieces of the armor listed in verses 14-17 refer to
things provided by God to His people.

v. 14 loins girded with truth and breastplate of righteousness

v. 15 feet shod with the gospel of peace

v. 16 shield of faith

v. 17 helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit - the Word of God

All these are provided for us in salvation. They are not manufactured by
us. Neither are they things which we contribute to our salvation. They are
all part of the salvific package, given to us in Christ along with every other
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). If you are a
believer in Christ, then you already have truth, righteousness, peace,
faith, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. You are to put them on (appropriate
them). You are to clothe yourself with them. These are your defense.

Our Adversary Is Satan

“So that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the
devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”
(Ephesians 6:11b-12).

We are to take the full armor of God in order that we may be able to
stand against the devil and his schemes. Our Commander in Chief has
already done the reconnaissance of the enemy for us. He has issued a
briefing describing our enemy, his territory, his manner of operation and his
strength and tactics. This is revealed in Scripture, our sufficient source of
information. We are given all that we need to know. So sufficient is the
Scripture that Paul can say in 2 Corinthians 2:11 that we are “not ignorant
of his [the devil] schemes.”

We face a very real enemy. He is not a myth or a fairytale, but a real

spirit-being with real power. He is the relentless enemy of the believer.

Charles Spurgeon wrote,

There is no believer in Christ, no follower of that which is true and

lovely and of good repute, who will not find himself, at some
season or other, attacked by this foul fiend and the legions enlisted
in his service. Behold your adversary. Though you cannot see his
face and detect his form, believe that such a foe withstands you. He
is not a myth, nor a dream, nor superstitious imagination. He is as
real a being as ourselves. Though a spirit, he has as much real
power over hearts as we have over the hearts of others, nay in many
more cases far more. This is no vision of the night, no phantom of a
disordered brain. That wicked one is as sternly real this day as when
Christ met him in deadly conflict in the wilderness of temptation.
[2]

The danger he poses is a real one. Paul describes his tactics as

"schemes." We get our English word “method” from the Greek word. [3]
The only other time that that word is used in the New Testament is in
Ephesians 4:14 where we are told to “no longer be children, tossed here
and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the
trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming." The word refers to "a
craft," or "a deceit." It was the word used which described a predator laying
a trap, a deceitful scheme for its prey. The goal of Satan's schemes is our
total destruction. As C. H. Spurgeon notes,

Nothing short of the total destruction of a believer will ever satisfy

our adversary. Satan would rend the believer in pieces, break his
bones, and utterly destroy him if he could. Do not, therefore,
indulge the thought that the main purpose of Satan is to make you
miserable. Satan is pleased with that, but that is not his ultimate
end. Sometimes he may even make you happy, for he has dainty
poisons sweet to the taste that he administers to God's people. If he
feels that our destruction can be more readily achieved by sweets
than by bitters, he certainly would prefer that which would best
effect his end. [4]

We can discern from Paul's words that Satan has a whole host of helpers
at his disposal. These demon powers are described in verse 12 in four
phrases that each begin with the word “against."

. . . against the rulers

. . . against the powers

. . . against the world forces of this darkness

. . . against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places

Some deliverance ministry teachers have suggested that these four

phrases describe the hierarchy of Satan. They suggest that “rulers” refers to
the chief demons of Satan's kingdom with "powers" below them, then
"forces of darkness," and, below them and last on the totem pole, the
"spiritual forces of wickedness."

For instance, Mark Bubeck, demonstrating great imagination and poor

exegesis, makes reference to Ephesians 6:12:

These spirit beings are also very structured, organized and

disciplined. We gain insight into this fact by the mention of these
foes who serve under Satan's control in Ephesians 6:12. The
 picture is one much like that which prevails in a military
organization. At the top of America's military structure is our
President, the Commander-In-Chief of all military forces. Under
him are the commanding generals, the admirals, and all of the other
officers on down to the lowly private.

This is the same kind of structure which is suggested here in

Ephesians 6. Satan is the commander-in-chief of the forces of
darkness. He is the supreme strategist, and under him is a highly
organized system which is as disciplined to carry out Satan's wishes
as he can make it.

The first level under Satan is a group of commanders called

“principalities” or “princes.” These powerful beings carry vast
responsibility and power to guide the affairs of Satan. . . . The next
level down in this organized structure are the “powers.” These are
probably more numerous and somewhat less independent and
powerful than the princes. . . . The next level down in the
organization of evil are the “rulers of darkness.” These beings are
more numerous; yet they are the real workhorses on the command
level. Their counterparts in the Army might be the lieutenants and
sergeants of our military forces. These rulers of darkness have
directly under them a very fast final level of spirit beings called
“spiritual wickedness” or “wicked spirits” in high places. [5]

This is not what Paul is getting at! Paul is giving us four phrases that
describe the character and activity of our enemy, not the ranks of his
military. No doubt there are levels of authority and activity in Satan's
kingdom, but this text does not describe that. These words describe the
nature of demonic forces and their activities. They are “rulers” of darkness.
They are spiritual “powers.” They are worldwide forces which promote
darkness. They are not physical forces but spiritual forces which work
wickedness and reside in the heavenly places (spiritual realm). At the risk
of sounding redundant, Paul is reminding us that our struggle is "not against
flesh and blood."

It is important for us to remember that our real enemies are not

physical. Will people oppose you? Certainly. Will people try to stop you
from living your faith, witnessing, and doing the will of God? Certainly.
Paul was more than familiar with human opposition. When he was in
prison, Demas forsook him (2 Timothy 4:10). Alexander the Coppersmith
did him much harm (2 Timothy 4:14). He fought with false teachers and
Judaizers who plagued his steps and sought to undo his work. Some in the
church of Corinth hated him, slandered him, lied about him, mocked him,
and spread false reports about him. There were those who twisted his
teaching and stole his converts. Some questioned his authority and mocked
his physical appearance. There were those who persecuted him and worked
for his execution. In fact, he wrote the book of Ephesians while awaiting
trial before Nero, under house arrest, charged with false accusations.

Paul knew human opposition, yet he also knew that the real enemy was
not "flesh and blood." The enemy behind all human opposition to the cause
of Christ is the spiritual forces of wickedness which are at work in the
heavenly places. Men and women are not our true enemies.

Your battle is not against the boss who won't let you leave your Bible
on your desk. The enemy is not the school principal who won't allow your
child to wear a Christian T-shirt. The enemy is not the humanist judge who
rules that "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. The
enemy is not a political party, a candidate, a congressman, the unsaved
spouse hostile to Christ, or a local elected official. The enemy is not the
abortion provider, the homosexual activist, or the ACLU. These people are
not the enemy - they are the mission field!

The real battle is with the rulers of darkness - with Satan and his fallen
angels who control the thinking of the world, influence their behavior, and
deceive them into thinking that those things are true, right, and good. Those
that we often perceive as the enemy are those who need to "escape from the
snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2
Timothy 2:26).

This information is not intended to terrorize us into fearful inactivity.

We should not think that there is a demon under every rock and behind
every tree. Such fearful preoccupation is neither healthy nor biblical.
Though our enemy is real, crafty, and dangerous, we need not fear since the
Lord has provided adequate strength and adequate defense. This is why we
are to clothe ourselves with all that God has provided for our protection.

Our Approach Is to Stand

“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able
to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Stand firm . . . ” (Ephesians 6:13-14a).

Paul encourages us to "take up the full armor of God." The description

of the nature and work of Satan and his demons is sandwiched between
these commands to "take up the full armor of God" (vv. 11 & 13).

So important is the armor of God that without it, we will be unable to

"stand" or "resist." The only person able to stand against the schemes of the
devil is a believer who appropriates all that Christ has provided. An
unbeliever cannot stand. Unbelievers cannot and do not resist the devil, for
they have no armor. Unbelievers cannot even put on this armor. They are
dead in trespasses and sins, being children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3), and
children of the devil (John 8:44). Unbelievers do not know the truth, they
do not have the righteousness of Christ, they do not have peace with God,
they do not have salvation, they have never exercised faith, and they do not
have the Holy Spirit. These are all the parts of the armor. These are the
things provided to God's elect in salvation. An unbeliever has no part in
them.

It is only Christians who have been delivered from the "evil day." Some
have understood the reference to "evil day" to describe times or seasons of
intense temptation, distress, or pointed satanic attack. They would suggest
that there are certain seasons in which we are more intensely attacked than
at others. However, Paul has already told us what the "evil day" is in
Ephesians 5:16: "Making the most of your time, because the days are evil."
Every day since Adam ate the forbidden fruit in the garden has been an evil
day. Every day is filled with evil. Yesterday was an evil day. Today is an
evil day. Tomorrow will be an evil day.

We are not only to be on guard at times of particular temptation, but

every day. We are not only supposed to resist when we feel the most
opposition, but at all times. The armor is not intended only for days of
intense temptation, distress, or satanic attack. The armor is intended to be
ours at all times, in all places - every day.

Paul says that "having done everything" we are to stand. What does he
mean by “having done everything"? I believe he is referring to all of the
imperative commands that he has given us from 4:1 to 6:9. Having
accomplished all that God has given us to do, having walked the walk that
we have been called to walk (4:1), having cast off the deeds of darkness
(5:11), having made the most of every opportunity (5:15), having submitted
to one another in the fear of Christ (5:18), we are to stand.

The Christian life is a life lived in heartfelt obedience to the commands

of our Sovereign. We know that we have "put on the Lord Jesus Christ"
(Romans 13:14) when we are walking in obedience to the commands of the
Lord.

Notice how often Paul tells us we are to “stand.” The idea of “standing”
is a central theme of the passage. A quick read of the entire passage will
show the repetition. Paul mentions the need to stand four times in
Ephesians 6:

v. 11 “. . . so that you will be able to stand firm . . . ”

v. 13 “. . . so that you will be able to resist [6] in the evil day . . .”

v. 13 “. . . having done everything, to stand firm."

v. 14 “ Stand firm therefore, . . ."

This describes the posture with which we do battle. Spiritual warfare is

described in terms of "standing." In passages which give instruction on
dealing with the devil, we are told to stand. Both James and the Apostle
Peter give the same instruction as Paul.

1 Peter 5:8–9: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the
devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But
resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of
suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

James 4:7: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you.”

Both James and Peter say we are to "resist." They use the same word
that Paul uses in Ephesians 6 which is there translated “stand.” [7]

Notice how different this approach is from the one I have been
critiquing in previous chapters. We are not called to go crashing and
smashing down the gates of hell, claiming dominion, winning back
territory, exorcising demons, binding the devil, casting him down, away, or
out, and ordering him to the pit of hell. Scripture does not teach us to
develop a strategy of spiritual warfare based upon personal experience,
anecdote, or conversations with demons. We are not to pursue a strategy
that is marked by rebuking, binding, insulting, or arguing with Satan and his
demons. We are not involved in a war for territory, but for truth.

Our warfare is not an offensive strategy intended to secure territory. We

are to be on the offensive only in the sense that we attack false ideologies,
preach the word, proclaim the gospel, and go into all the world to make
disciples. In terms of our approach to the spiritual forces of wickedness, we
are commanded to resist and stand in the truth.

All of the methods critiqued in this book have this one thing in
common: they are either unbiblical or extra-biblical. The modern approach
to spiritual warfare engages in practices to which we are not called and in
which we are not instructed. We are called to stand. Any other approach is
disobedience to our Commander-in-Chief.

The problem within the church is not that Christians don't know how to
do exorcisms, break generational curses, bind Satan, or use prayer mantras
to manipulate demons. The problem in modern evangelicalism is that
Christians aren't standing. The church loses effectiveness when it
compromises the truth. There can be no gain of territory when we are losing
the truth battle. The vexing state of the church is due to the fact that it is
spiritually anemic. Christians are compromising doctrine and morals in
their daily lives. Men do not stand as the leaders and protectors of their
homes. Men do not lead and serve in the church. Christians today are more
interested in pandering to the world and aping the culture than they are in
taking a hard stand for truth and doctrinal purity.

Evangelicalism has bought the postmodern lie that it is intolerant and

unloving to condemn any lifestyle or doctrine. Christians are not interested
in obedience. Churches are not interested in exercising church discipline.
The commands of Scripture are seen as optional rather than binding. These
and many more are the symptoms of a church that does not stand.

The visible church is not standing. It is losing the battle for truth. No
unbiblical practice, and no combination of unbiblical practices, can remedy
this present crisis. Unbiblical tactics cannot advance the kingdom of God.
Christians are losing the spiritual battle because they refuse to stand.

Spiritual Warfare and Humility

It is quite noteworthy that in the context in which both Peter and James
tell us to stand, they were discussing the subject of humility.

1 Peter 5:6: “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and
all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is
opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the
proper time." [8] Immediately following this exhortation to humility, Peter
warns us about our prowling adversary, and then says that we are to “resist
him, firm in the faith" (5:8-9).

Likewise, James's instruction on resisting the devil is sandwiched

between two exhortations to humility. Look at the entire context of the
passage referenced earlier, James 4:6–10:

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed

to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to
God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to
God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you
sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be
 miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned
into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the
presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. [9]

Why do you suppose there is such an emphasis on humility when giving

instruction on dealing with the devil?

Humility is the mark of those who are clothed in the armor of God.
Those who have "put on the Lord Jesus Christ” [10] have appropriated the
grace that is theirs in Christ. They are those who are obedient to the Lord.
They know that their own strength is insufficient to stand against the wiles
of the devil, and so they rely upon the strength which God supplies. They
know that they, their authority, their abilities, their wisdom, their
discernment, are all inadequate to the task of resisting so lethal and
formidable a foe. They do not lean on their own understanding. They do not
trust in their own strength. They are humble.

Only the humble are able to truly stand. God does not supply strength to
the proud. God resists the proud. "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate”
(Proverbs 8:13). Those who are prideful set themselves up for a fall and for
destruction as Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a
haughty spirit before stumbling."

Such an encouragement to humility is desperately needed today,

especially in modern “deliverance ministries.” I don't believe that those who
claim all of Christ's authority for themselves, the power to bind the devil, to
break curses, to send demons to hell, to crush Satan, to rebuke demonic
powers, and to cast out demons, can be described as humble. In fact, the
approach taken by modern deliverance ministry “experts” toward Satan and
his powers smacks of pride, not humility.

A Final Thought on Standing

Those who advocate an aggressive, Satan-stomping, demon-

demolishing, hand-to-hand-battle-for-territory approach to spiritual warfare
do not find their approach described or prescribed in Scripture. Instead, we
are called to stand.
 We are obligated to follow the instructions in Scripture. In those
passages where our marching orders are given, the word is clear: stand. He
has only given us one strategy. Our Lord has told us what He expects. The
only effective method of spiritual warfare is to rely upon the Lord for
strength, appropriate the grace we have been given, obey the command of
our King, and stand firm in the gospel, in truth, and in His righteousness.
Any other approach exposes us to the deceptions and power of the enemy.
There is only one approach to spiritual warfare that Christ honors. There is
only one method which secures the protection of our Sovereign. There is
only one posture that reflects humility and unquestioning obedience to the
Word of God. Stand.

So, stand! It really is that simple.

Endnotes
1. Paul spent two years in Caesarea under Felix (Acts 24:27) and two years
in Rome under house arrest (Acts 28:30). [Back]

2. Charles H. Spurgeon, Spiritual Warfare in a Believer's Life (Lynnwood:

Emerald Books, 1993), 100. [Back]

3. μεθοδεία (methodeia). [Back]

4. Spurgeon, 107. [Back]

5. Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary: The Christian Versus Demonic Activity

(Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 72-73. Ephesians 6:12 does not teach or
even suggest such a highly detailed hierarchy of power, ability, and
command. Where does Bubeck get his information about what each level
does and how many demons occupy each group? How does he know that
“princes” “carry vast responsibility and power to guide the affairs of
Satan”? How does he know that “rulers of darkness” are “more numerous”
and “are the real workhorses” of Satan's activity? He seems to invent it out
of his own mind! He certainly does not derive this from the text. [Back]

6. It is a form of the same word translated “stand” in the other verses.

[Back]
7. Ephesians 6:11 - ἵστημι (histemi - to stand); Ephesians 6:13 - ἀνθίστημι
(anthistemi - to set one's self against); Ephesians 6:13 - ἵστημι (histemi - to
stand); Ephesians 6:14 -ἵστημι (histemi - to stand); 1 Peter 5:8-9 -
ἀνθίστημι (anthistemi- to set one's self against); James 4:7 - ἀνθίστημι
(anthistemi - to set one's self against). [Back]

8. Emphasis mine. [Back]

9. Emphasis mine. [Back]

10. Romans 13:14. [Back]

 Chapter 15
The Protection for a Soldier
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand
firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore,
take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist
in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand
firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having
put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your
feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to
all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God (Ephesians 6:10–17).

To borrow words from the Apostle Paul, “Finally, my brethren,” we

come to the armor of God. The passage on the armor of God serves as a
perfect conclusion to the book of Ephesians, and its positive instruction
regarding spiritual warfare serves as a perfect conclusion to this book.

I used to entertain notions about the armor of God which are now
embarrassing. When I first became a Christian, I was obsessed with making
sure that I was not a victim of Satan and his deceptions. Unwittingly, my
preoccupation with Satan and demons in an effort to avoid deception ended
up deceiving me!

Ephesians 6:10-17 became very familiar to me as I studied it, heard it

lectured on, and read material about how to appropriate the armor of God
and avoid the temptations and attacks of the devil. I could recite that
passage from memory, though my knowledge of the material in the other
five chapters of Ephesians was woefully lacking.
 As a new believer, I had a lot of wrong ideas about what spiritual
warfare was and how it was waged. I knew that I had to “put on the full
armor of God” and “take up the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11,13),
but it was a mystery to me as to how exactly this was to be done. After all,
it was “spiritual” armor. How do you “put on” or “take up” something that
you cannot see or touch? If these are spiritual pieces, how do I spiritually
pick them up and put them on? I thought that the armor was something that
had to be “put on” every morning, or even several times a day. I even
imagined it was something that was done in prayer as each piece of the
armor was specifically named, prayed about, and appropriated.

Further, I had been taught that failure to put on these pieces left me a
sitting duck before my mortal foe. I had learned that victory over sin and
temptation was only possible for the one who put on the armor. I was
terrified that I would not be immune to generational curses and sins. I
wanted to be free from temptation, trials, and deception. I was convinced
that these things would only be a reality if I was diligent to put on the
armor. But again, HOW?

Spiritual warfare “experts” are quick to offer suggestions as to just how

this should be done. Mark Bubeck, never one to miss an opportunity to
offer a formulaic prayer for a given situation, suggests “a typical prayer one
might use in putting on his armor.” [1] The following are excerpts from this
prayer:

Heavenly Father, I desire to be obedient by being strong in the Lord

and the power of Your might. . . . I delight to take the armor You
have provided and by faith to put it on as effective spiritual
protection against the spiritual forces of darkness. . . . I confidently
take the loin girdle of truth that You offer me. I take Him who is the
truth as my strength and protection. I reject Satan's lies and
deceiving ways to gain advantage against me . . . . I desire to
believe only the truth, to live the truth, to speak the truth, and to
know the truth. . . .

Thank You for the breastplate of righteousness which You offer me.
I eagerly accept it and put it on as my protection. . . . I reject and
repudiate all trust in my own righteousness which is as filthy rags. .
 . . I bring the righteousness of my Lord directly against all of
Satan's workings against me. . . . I know that Satan must retreat
from before the righteousness of God. [2]

In order to put on the sandals of peace, Bubeck instructs us to pray:

Thank You, Lord, for the sandals of peace You have provided. . . . I
claim the peace with God which is mine through justification. I
desire the peace of God which touches my emotions and feelings
through prayer and sanctification. Thank You that as I walk in
obedience to You that the God of peace promises to walk with me,
that as the God of peace You are putting Satan under my feet. . . .
Thank You that Satan cannot stand against Your peace.

This type of spiritual “putting on” of the armor of God is repeated as

each piece of the armor is named, explained, and spiritually received in
prayer. In order to have the salvation helmet one should pray, "I recognize
that my mind is a particular target of Satan's deceiving ways. I take from
You the helmet of salvation. I cover my mind, my thoughts, with Your
salvation. . . . I helmet my head with Him [Christ]. . . .”

For the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, Bubeck suggests
praying:

With joy I take hold upon the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God. . . . Enable me to use Your Word not only to defend me
from Satan, but also to claim its promises and to wield the sword
strong against Satan to defeat him, to push him back, to take away
from him ground he claims, and to win great victories for my God
through Your Word. Thank You that Satan must retreat from Your
Word applied against him. [3]

Bubeck teaches that the armor must be put on in this fashion by prayer
each and every day, perhaps several times a day. [4] As a young believer,
this is exactly how I thought the armor was to be appropriated. I thought
that each piece of the armor needed to be put on through envisioning myself
taking and applying each piece as I prayed over each individual one.
 The antidote for this wrong view of the armor is a correct understanding
of the context which is the entire book of Ephesians.

The Dangers of Divorcing Context

When this passage on the armor of God is considered apart from its
larger context, we are left to our own subjective imagination as to how the
armor is to be “taken up” or “put on.” This was my problem early in my
Christian life. I knew the pieces of the armor by heart, but I had no idea
what it meant to “put on” these pieces. This subjective approach leads to all
kinds of mystical, gnostic, superstitious approaches to the armor.

Typically, Ephesians 6:10-17 is divorced from its context and

interpreted as if it stands alone. The passage is the conclusion to the book of
Ephesians and should be viewed as such. In other words, the analogy of the
armor should be interpreted as a summary, a conclusion to all that has been
said in the previous five chapters. All the presentations on the armor of God
that I had heard never treated the armor of God as the conclusion of the
book. A little context goes a long way toward clearing up confusion.

Each piece of the armor of God is developed at length through the

whole book of Ephesians. Ephesians 6 is not the first place in Ephesians
that we read of truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, or
the Word of God. These are all themes that Paul has explained throughout
the book. They meet in this final summary passage which serves as a
conclusion to Ephesians.

Another result of divorcing this passage from its context is it tends to

make more out of the analogy of the Roman armor than Paul may have
intended. There is no doubt that the passage is an analogy. Paul likens these
various provisions of salvation to the pieces of armor worn by a Roman
soldier.

Knowing that, we must answer several interpretive questions. For

instance, what is the point of the analogy? What did Paul intend for us to
understand by his reference to this “armor”? Should we take the analogy as
a whole or are we to understand the passage through the sum of its
individual parts?
 The point of the analogy is not its reference to the individual parts, but
in understanding the armor as a whole. This is where we run into the danger
of making more out of the analogy of the Roman soldier than Paul intended.
Typically we see the armor treated as if it is a list of individual pieces, any
one of which we may take up or not take up. For instance, here is how the
“breastplate of righteousness” is typically taught.

A lot of ink is spilled in detailing what the breastplate was, what it

looked like, and how it functioned. The breastplate of a Roman soldier was
used to protect the vital organs. What are those vital organs? The heart and
bowels. In Jewish thinking, the heart represented the seat of the mind and
the will, and the bowels represent the seat of the emotions. Therefore God
has provided something which protects our mind and emotions:
righteousness. Then we start to ask the question, "How is it that
righteousness guards my mind and emotions?” This is where teachers and
commentators find the freedom to run astray with all kinds of suggestions
and applications as to what Paul meant.

No one stops to ask the question, “Is the point of that reference to be
found in the function of the breastplate, or is the point of that reference to
be found in the meaning of “righteousness”? The point of the reference is to
be found in the meaning of righteousness not in the function of the
breastplate. After all, don't truth, peace, salvation, and the Word of God also
serve to guard our will and emotions?

Paul does not tell us what he had in mind when he attaches truth with
belt, righteousness with breastplate, and peace with feet. When each piece
is considered and applied apart from the whole, the “armor of God”
becomes a subjective exercise in creative thinking and wild imaginations
restrained only by the whim and will of the interpreter rather than the text.
There is a better and more textually-grounded way of approaching the
armor.

“Belt” does not illustrate the purpose of “truth” in the life of a believer,
nor does “breastplate” illustrate the function of “righteousness” in the life of
a believer. The main point of the analogy is not in the function of the
individual pieces at all. The point of the analogy is in the function of the
whole. The point is not to be found in the clothing, but in the attributes that
are mentioned: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of
God.

Twice in this passage, Paul refers to the "whole armor of God” (vv. 11,
13). So let's look at the armor as a whole.

What a Soldier Wore

Paul's readers would have been familiar with the armor of a Roman
soldier. Though we do not want to make more of the analogy than is
intended, we don't want to ignore it either. Let's take a look at what a
Roman soldier wore.

Belt: The belt of a soldier was important. It might not seem like an
essential piece of our attire today, but in the days of robes and loose tunics,
the belt played a vital role. It was used to tie up the loose ends of the
soldier's clothing. The tunic was a square piece of material with holes cut
for the head and arms. Before battle, the loose ends of the tunic would be
cinched up into the belt and tucked in so there would be nothing to hinder
the movement of the soldier.

Breastplate: The breastplate was a single piece of hammered metal. It

was worn in the front and protected the vital organs.

Shoes: A soldier needed to be able to protect his feet from all sorts of
terrain. The sandals worn by Roman soldiers were very durable and often
had bits of metal or nails embedded in the soles to give traction and stability
on uncertain terrain.

Shield: There were two types of shields used in Paul's day. The first
was a small, round shield about two feet in diameter used for close hand-to-
hand combat. This shield was attached to the arm with leather straps.

The second type of shield is the type that Paul mentions here. These
were larger and rectangular in shape. They were typically four to four-and-
a-half feet tall and two to two-and-a-half feet wide. These shields were used
in conjunction with one another. Soldiers would line up shoulder-to-
shoulder, putting their shields together to form a wall difficult to penetrate.
Archers would stand behind the advancing wall, shoot at any who would try
to climb over, and fire arrows over the top at the enemy. The shields were
often coated with leather. The leather-coated shields would be soaked with
water before going into battle, since it was the common practice to dip the
tips of arrows in pitch or some other thick, burnable substance and light
them before firing. When the arrow hit a target, the burning pitch would
splatter onto the things around it and set the target on fire. The wet leather
of the shield would serve to quench these fiery arrows.

Helmet: This protected the head of the soldier.

Sword: Every soldier needed a sword as an offensive weapon.

When we take the armor as a whole, a couple of things stand out. First,
we notice the totality of the protection that the armor provides. Everything
is covered from head (helmet) to toe (shoes). In other words, there is no part
where the Christian is lacking for protection. God has provided adequate
defense for the believer. We are not lacking anything we need in order to
deal with the enemy and his schemes. God has given us everything that is
necessary for this life and for godliness (2 Peter 1:3). If the enemy
manages to be successful in his attacks, it is not due to a lack of God's
provision, but some lack in our application of that provision.

Second, we notice that there is no armor provided for the rear. A soldier
in retreat was provided no protection. A soldier who stood his ground
would find himself well guarded from the enemy's weapons. There simply
is no protection for the one who does not stand.

The main point of the analogy rests in the totality of our protection.
That is the significant point. God has so wrapped you in His provision that
there is no excuse not to stand. So long as you stand, and do not give
ground to the enemy, there is no way for Satan to penetrate God's
protection.

Now let's take a look at those things which Paul says make up our
protection.

Ephesian Themes
 If you were tasked with identifying the major themes of the book of
Ephesians, do you know what you would find? If you study the book of
Ephesians from its first verse, and you highlight those themes which surface
again and again, you would find there are six: truth, righteousness, peace,
faith, salvation, and the work of the Spirit of God. Not coincidentally, these
six themes correspond to the armor of Ephesians 6. In this passage, all of
the major themes, which have been developed at one point or another
throughout the book, come together into one package.

Truth: Truth is mentioned on six other occasions in Ephesians (1:13;

4:15, 21, 24, 25; 5:9). The important point here is not, "What does a belt
tell us about truth?” but, “What does the rest of Ephesians tell us about
truth?”

Truth is the content of doctrine which we have believed for salvation

(1:13). Truth matures us and grows us up in all aspects into Christ who is
the Head (4:15). We find that the truth is in Jesus (4:21). We are a new man
created in the truth (4:24) and so we are to lay aside all falsehood and speak
the truth with each other (4:25).

So as those who have been saved by the truth, matured by the truth,
created in the truth, and sanctified by the truth, we are to walk in that truth
and in the fruit of it (5:9). This is in obvious contrast to Satan who walks in
falsehood as the father of lies (John 8:44).

Righteousness: There are two types of righteousness. First, there is

imputed righteousness. When you became a Christian, Christ took your sin
and gave you His righteousness. Righteousness was credited to your
account. It is not a righteousness which you earned or merited. It is a
righteousness not derived from the law, but given by Christ. [5]

Second, there is practical righteousness. This is the righteousness which

we practice when we walk in the truth. We are able to live a righteous life
because we have been given the righteousness of Christ. It is our imputed
righteousness which makes our practical righteousness possible.

Paul says we are to put on righteousness like a breastplate. Once again

the question is not, "What does a breastplate teach me about
righteousness?" but, “What do I know about righteousness from the rest of
Ephesians?”

I believe that it is the practical righteousness that Paul is describing

here. The two other times that Paul has mentioned righteousness, it has
been connected with our walk. In Ephesians 4:24 we are told to "put on the
new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness
and holiness of the truth." In Ephesians 5:9 Paul said we are to walk in
light because "the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and
righteousness and truth." In both of those contexts, there is a contrast
between the righteous life of an obedient believer and the unrighteous
conduct of a disobedient believer, or even an unbeliever.

We are to clothe ourselves with righteous conduct. The righteousness of

Christ which has been provided for us in salvation is not something we can
put on. It is something given to us by God. God clothes us in His
righteousness. Righteous conduct, on the other hand, is something that I can
“put on.” As long as we practice righteousness and put off the deeds of
darkness, we are protected. When we begin to live or trifle in
unrighteousness, we give Satan an avenue by which he can attack.

Peace: In connection with feet, Paul speaks of the gospel of peace.

Peace is also mentioned five other times in Ephesians (1:2; 2:14, 15, 17;
4:3). Once again, the point of the analogy is not what sandals or feet tell us
about the gospel or its proclamation, but, "What does the rest of Ephesians
tell us about peace?”

Peace is something which comes to us from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ (1:2). The fact that Paul mentions the "gospel of peace"
tells us exactly what he has in mind. The longest treatment of that theme
comes in Chapter 2 where Paul shows how the gospel brings peace. He was
not speaking about a "peaceful feeling" or a "peace in our spirit." Paul has
something very specific in mind. In Chapter 2, he tells us how the gospel
has brought peace between two groups of humanity who were once
estranged. There was once a division between Jews and Gentiles. That
division was created by the “law of commandments contained in
ordinances.” The gospel has changed that.
 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off
[Gentiles] have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For
He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and
broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in
His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments
contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the
two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might
reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it
having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached
peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were
near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to
the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but
you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s
household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in
whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into
a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built
together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:13–
22).

The gospel we have believed for our salvation (1:13-14) is a gospel that
brings peace between men. It reconciles men to God, and men to men. It
makes those who were once enemies, brothers. In the context of Ephesians,
it is a peace between Jew and Gentile.

Just as Christ is our truth and our righteousness, He is also our peace as
well. That peace which we now enjoy with the people of God, is something
provided by God in our salvation. It is part of our protection from the
enemy.

Faith: Faith is mentioned several times in Ephesians (1:15; 2:8; 3:12,

17; 4:5, 13; 6:23). Just as we have appropriated the other provisions of
God’s salvation, so we are to make use of faith in protecting us from the
enemy. The question is not, "What does a shield teach me about faith?" but,
"What does the rest of Ephesians tell me about faith?"

Faith, namely faith in Christ, is that which saves us (1:15; 2:1-10).

Faith is a gift from God to His elect (2:8). Faith also gives us a continual
access to the Father through Christ in prayer (3:12). By that same faith
which has saved us, we are united together into one Body, the Church (4:5,
13). Faith is also something which comes from God to His people (6:23).

Though the enemy may throw fiery darts at us, we are protected by this
continual trust in God. The faith which a believer exercises for salvation
and protection is the gift of God to His people. It is a supernatural faith
which is the result of God's sovereign gift. Just as we are saved, so we walk,
and so we stand in and by faith.

Salvation: Salvation is the theme of the entire epistle (1:13; 2:5, 8).
The point of the analogy is not "What does a Roman helmet tell me about
salvation?" but, "What does the rest of Ephesians tell me about salvation?"

Chapters 1-3 tell us what salvation is, how it comes to us, Who has
secured it, and what it has done for us. Chapters 4-6 show us the practical
effects of salvation in our daily lives.

In 1:13 we are told that it is "the message of truth, the gospel of your
salvation" which we believe and through that belief are sealed by the Holy
Spirit. This salvation has come to us entirely by grace (2:5, 8).

Spirit of God/Word of God: The work of the Spirit of God in bringing

salvation to His elect, and in sanctifying them, is evident throughout
Ephesians (1:13; 2:18, 22; 3:5, 16; 4:3, 4, 30; 5:18; 6:18). At the risk of
being redundant, the point of the analogy is not, "What does a sword tell me
about the Word of God or the work of the Spirit?" but, "What does the rest
of Ephesians tell me about the work of the Holy Spirit?"

We are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (1:13). In the power of
the Holy Spirit we have access to the Father (2:18), and by Him God dwells
in His people (2:22). The Holy Spirit has revealed to His holy apostles and
prophets the ministry of the gospel which in previous ages was not known
to men (3:5). Thus, the Holy Spirit is the One active in the giving of
revelation and also illumination (3:16). The Holy Spirit has created a unity
in the Church which we are to preserve (4:3-4). We are given strength to
obey the injunctions of Scripture as we are filled with the Holy Spirit and
mutually submit to one another in the fear of Christ (5:18-21). We are also
to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit (6:18).

In the context of the armor of God, the work of the Spirit is pictured in
terms of how He uses the Word of God to protect, defend, and equip us for
battle.

The Spirit of God uses the Word of God as a weapon against Satan.
Jesus modeled this in His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
When Satan tempted Jesus, He responded with, "It is written."

The Word of God is both an offensive weapon and a defensive weapon.

Its offensive quality is described in Hebrews 4:12: "For the Word of God is
living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far
as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to
judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." That is what the truth does
in spiritual warfare.

When we view spiritual warfare as a battle for truth rather than territory,
then we can see how the Word of God is to be used. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
tells us that the essence of spiritual warfare is the tearing down of
ideologies, and mental strongholds in which unbelievers take refuge.
Spiritual warfare is a truth war, not a territory war.

God's Word is truth, and by the proclamation of truth in the gospel and
the Word of God, Satan’s captives are set free from their mental
strongholds. In the confrontation and conflict of delivering man from the
kingdom of darkness, the only thing we have to use is the Word of God. We
use it offensively in the sense that we preach it, teach it, stand for it, and
confront people with its truth claims. We do this, trusting the Word of God
will work in the hearts, lives, and minds of people to bring them to a
knowledge of the truth so that they may be delivered from the snare of the
devil (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

There is also a defensive use for the Word of God. When the enemy
attacks, we always go back to Scripture. When we are tempted to doubt, we
go to the Word. When we are tempted to worry, we go to the Word. When
Satan brings discouragement, we go to the Word. When Satan brings
depression, we find the answer in the Word. When the devil confronts us
with error, we go to the Word of Truth. We always respond with the
particular truth of Scripture which pertains to the temptation or attack. We
can bank our lives upon that which is written by the Spirit of God.

C.H. Spurgeon wrote,

Let us fight Satan always with an “It is written,” for no weapon will
ever fight the archenemy as well as Holy Scripture. Attempts to
fight Satan with a wooden sword of reason, and he will easily
overcome you. But use the blade of God's Word, by which he has
been wounded many times, and you will speedily overcome him. . .
. “It is written.” Stand upon it, and if the devil were 50 devils in
one, he would not overcome you. On the other hand, if you leave “It
is written,” Satan knows more about reasoning than you do. He is
far older, has studied mankind very thoroughly and knows all our
weak points. Therefore, the contest will be an unequal one. Do not
argue with him but wave in his face the banner of God's Word.
Satan cannot endure the infallible truth, for it is the death to the
falsehood of which he is the father. [6]

The Word of God must be something we study, love, read, memorize,

and honor. To abandon the Word of God is to abandon the battle itself.
Spiritual warfare is a truth war. The Word of God is truth. To put the Word
on a shelf and refuse to use it, or to use another weapon in its place is to
forfeit the entire battle.

Spurgeon said,

If you would successfully wrestle with Satan, make the Holy

Scriptures your daily commune. Out of the sacred Word continually
draw your armor and ammunition. Lay hold upon the glorious
doctrines of God's Word; make them your daily meat and drink. So
shall you be strong to resist the devil, and you shall be joyful in
discovering that he will flee from you. [7]

What We Learn from the Armor

 The armor (protection) God has provided is nothing less than Jesus
Christ Himself. He is truth. He is our righteousness. He is our peace. He is
the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is our salvation and the Captain of
it. He is the living Word of God. To don this protection is to "put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts"
(Romans 13:14). Christ is our shield and our armor. He is our protection
from Satan.

All that God has graciously provided for us in salvation (Ephesians 1-

3) is to be lived out and appropriated in our daily lives (Ephesians 4-6).
Spiritual protection results from walking in, working out, and living the
salvation with which God has blessed us.

To be disobedient to God is to forfeit that protection and to yield to the

enemy. Disobedience is a failure to stand in Christ. The degree to which we
neglect any element of our walk is the degree to which we are vulnerable to
the attacks of the enemy. The posture of the soldier is to stand. The
provision of protection for the soldier is our Savior.

The armor of God is the conclusion to the book of Ephesians. Paul is

simply bringing all that he has said to a conclusion: Live out this great
salvation. Walk in it. When you stand in Christ, you are protected from the
wiles of the devil. There is nothing to fear for the one who is in Christ
Jesus. The person who has been given salvation and makes their calling and
election sure by walking in that salvation has nothing to fear from the
enemy of their soul. They are protected because they are in Christ.

To "put on" or "take up" the whole armor of God is to practically live
out the graces of salvation which have been provided in Christ by God's
rich blessings. It is not something we mystically appropriate through a
ritualistic prayer mantra. It is not something we speak into reality by
positive confession. It is not a list of individual pieces which are “taken off”
or “put on daily.” It is the protection provided by being in God's Beloved
Son. In Him we stand. We are safe from Satan so long as we walk in Him.

So stand in Him by “walking in a manner worthy of the calling with

which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1). That is your protection.
 Endnotes
1. Mark I. Bubeck, The Adversary: The Christian Versus Demon Activity
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), 74-77. [Back]

2. Ibid., 74-75. [Back]

3. Ibid., 76. [Back]

4. Ibid., 73, 76. [Back]

5. Philippians 3:7-11. [Back]

6. Charles Spurgeon, Spiritual Warfare In A Believer's Life (Lynnwood:

Emerald Books, 1993), 37, 78. [Back]

7. Ibid., 37. [Back]

 Chapter 16
Conclusion: A Final Appeal
What were you expecting when you purchased this book? Were you
expecting a manual on spiritual warfare? Were you expecting a “how to”
guide for hand-to-hand combat with demons? Were you hoping to find
some formulaic prayers for defeating Satan, binding demons, and liberating
loved ones? If so, then I am certain that by now you have one of two
reactions.

First, you are really, REALLY mad at me. You might feel as if I have
attacked your favorite teacher, undermined your experience, and questioned
your discernment. If you are in this camp, then I want to thank you for
reading all the way to the end. You could have stopped reading a long, long
time ago.

Please understand that I feel your pain. I don't mean that

condescendingly or as just a meaningless gesture. I truly understand your
pain. As you may have picked up at various points in this book, there was a
time when I believed, practiced, and embraced nearly every view on
spiritual warfare that I have here critiqued. Through a growing
understanding of the sufficiency of Scripture and the loving challenges of
some friends, I was forced to evaluate these practices and then eventually to
abandon them. I know from experience that it is not easy to jettison beliefs
and traditions and to question experiences, especially those in which we are
emotionally invested.

I am fine with a reader being mad at me. I only ask one thing: test what
I have said to see if it is biblical. Test your own beliefs and presuppositions
in the same way. I am not the final authority on these practices. Scripture is.
So don't just test what I have written, test the writings of Anderson, Bubeck,
White and the rest with the same standard.

Are they accurately handling the Word of Truth? Are their practices
firmly rooted in sound doctrine and clearly spelled out in Scripture or are
their teachings based on experience and the testimony of demons? Are these
things taught and modeled in Scripture? Are these things commanded?

My appeal to you is this: go to the Word. Test all things and hold fast to
that which is true (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

If you are not fuming mad at me, then you may be in a second camp:
you feel a sense of liberation and freedom. You have come to understand
that you don't have to live in fear. You don't have to recite mantras and
prayer formulas. You don't have to worry that you may have unwittingly
picked up a demon or a demonic influence. You don't have to battle curses,
research territorial spirits, and ceremonially cleanse your environment in
order to live a fruitful and productive Christian life.

You have come to firmly appreciate the death of Christ and what that
has meant for you. You see now your complete deliverance from Satan and
His kingdom. You fully appreciate the atonement of Christ and the
redemption it has secured. Suddenly you realize that spiritual warfare is not
as complicated and mystical as some have made it out to be. Things are so
much simpler now. The clouds of confusion have vanished. You have been
set free not only from Satan and his kingdom, but from a burdensome and
unbiblical view of demons and spiritual warfare.

I feel your joy!

My appeal to you is this: go to the Word. Test all things and hold fast to
that which is true (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

It is to the Word of Truth that we must run! It is sufficient. It is

infallible. It is inerrant. It is God's Holy Word.

The present confusion and unbiblical practices of the spiritual

warfare/deliverance ministry movement is nothing more than another sad
manifestation of the modern church's lack of belief in the sufficiency of
God's Word. It is my prayer that God will use the truth of His Word to
expose error and bring down every false ideology raised up against the
knowledge of God - even the false ideology of the spiritual warfare
movement.
 About the Author
Jim Osman was born in May of 1972 and has lived in Sandpoint since
he was three years old. He graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1990.
Jim came to know Christ through the ministry of Cocolalla Lake Bible
Camp in the summer of 1987. Kootenai Community Church has always
been his home church, attending Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and
Youth Group.

After graduating from High School, Jim attended Millar College of the
Bible in Pambrun, Saskatchewan. It was at Bible College that Jim met his
wife-to-be, Diedre, who was also enrolled as a student. Jim graduated with
a three year diploma in April of 1993 and married Diedre in August of that
same year. He returned to Millar to further his education in September of
1994 and graduated from the Fourth Year Internship Program with a
Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Ministries in April of 1995. He was inducted
into the Honor Society of the Association of Canadian Bible Colleges and
appointed a member of Pi Alpha Mu.

Jim and Diedre returned to Sandpoint where Jim began working in

construction as a roofer until he was asked to take over as the preaching
elder of Kootenai Community Church in December of 1996. Now he counts
it his greatest privilege to be involved in ministering in the church that
ministered to him for so many years.

Jim loves to be outdoors, whether it is camping, hunting, or working in

his garden. He enjoys bike riding and watching football, especially his
favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he has cheered since
childhood. Jim and Diedre have four children: Taryn, Shepley, Ayden and
Liam. They are all 49er fans!

You can contact Jim through Kootenai Community Church

(http://www.kootenaichurch.org) or by writing to him at
[email protected].