I can remember sitting in church as a young teenager as my pastor posed a question about the possible links between demon possession and mental illness.
How would you diagnose such a person? Do we treat all mental health issues as matters pertaining to sin or is there a legitimate place for medical science? I desire to address these questions as a pastor, not as an expert in either demon possession or psychiatric medicine. What does the Bible have to say on these issues? Bultmann once asked how people who use electricity, drive cars, and know of the wonders of modern medicine still believe in a three-tiered world heaven, earth, and hell inhabited by demons and angels?
On the other hand, there are God-fearing, Bible-believing, well-intended Christians who approach psychiatry with a degree of skepticism given the propensity for doctors to take common moral problems, provide a fancy label, and then excuse immoral conduct as a disease. Criminals are no longer guilty of their crimes but can provide exculpatory reasons for their immoral actions.
Recall the recent case where a teenager was placed on ten years of probation for four counts of vehicular manslaughter even though his blood-alcohol count was three times the legal limit.
Both extremes fail to approach the question of the possible relationship between demon possession and mental illness with care, nuance, and especially wisdom. We must first recognize the reality of the demonic. The Bible is clear about this. Moreover, a cursory survey of these passages reveals that demon-possession is real. In other words, there were those with numerous afflictions, both spiritual and physical.
Take for instance the fact that Matthew records that Christ healed epileptics but in addition healed those who were demon possessed. By way of contrast, there were those who were demon-possessed who were gripped by epileptic-like seizures e. This is to say, not all epileptics were demon-possessed and not all demon-possessed people were epileptics. The Scriptures appear to recognize the fact that some epileptics suffered from a medical condition Matt.
This distinction has important pastoral implications. First, like a good doctor, a pastor must properly diagnose his counselee. These acts verified the authority of Christ as the Son of God, and also the apostles as the ones chosen by Christ to start the Church age. Especially noteworthy is their absence in the pastoral epistles.
This silence actually speaks volumes, as there apparently was no concern from the early church, nor are there any detailed histories, of any Christian ever being demon-possessed. One of the ways God protects believers is through the use of His angels. Psalms NASB states that God gives his angels charge concerning us, guarding us and keeping us safe in all of our ways. This includes the fallen angels. These are just a few of the passages confirming that God is faithful concerning His elect, and that He will not leave us without aid, especially in the realm of spiritual warfare.
The Old and New Testaments have plenty of other instances where angels aided believers in times of need. They are definitely there to help us! God also uses fellow Christians in aiding us. For a Christian to be a part of a body of believers is absolutely essential to his or her walk with God.
Being in and around a group of believers in a personal way does much for our welfare. There is power in just the assembling together. A group of believers will do many things for one another if they are following Christ and His words. This enables us to stand firm for Christ. Salvation is the key issue in this matter. This is the ultimate discourager to the thought that a demon can possess a Christian, because all three Persons of the trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit reside in those who know and love God!
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