Demon Possession

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Occasionally, we will get a counseling call that deals with demon influence over a person or in a particular location. We have been asked to pray to cast out demons, or to pray that the Lord will protect a family and a home from the effects of demons.

We need to understand first who a demon is and to whom he must listen. It is also important to recognize the signs of demon influence. These are far more in number than most Christians believe. Powerful, violent, outlandish acts are not the only manifestations of demon power and influence. We also need to understand the limitations put on demons by our God and how our God tells us to deal with demonic power. Even demons must obey God and are subordinate to Him in power.

We have quite a few examples in scripture of people who were possessed of demons. Our Savior dealt with the demons by ordering them to obey Him. In one case, the most notable, perhaps, He ordered them to move from the body of a man to the bodies of swine. The apostles, also, cast out demons on occasion. However, we are given an example in the Bible of some who felt this was a good way to make a good living. These seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, attempted to cast the demon out of a man, and wound up being badly beaten and driven out of the house without their clothes!

Since a Christian is possessed by the Holy Spirit, he cannot be possessed by a demon, but he can be influenced, causing virtually the same action that would occur if he were possessed. We need to remember, though, that we are not helpless in our struggle with evil. 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” God does not leave us to be victimized by the Devil and his demons. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Ephesians 6

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh [Grk. blood and flesh] and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual [or, wicked spirits] wickedness in high [or, heavenly] places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

For more on this topic see our Bible Institute course:10200 Doctrine of Satan

Can a person who commits suicide still go to Heaven?

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At times, we get questions about the death of a loved one, or someone who has died at their own hand.

Whenever someone commits suicide, they will be leaving unanswered questions for loved ones to wrestle with. A person contemplating suicide should consider the confusion and sorrow they are inflicting on those who remain behind.

The questions most asked are, “Would a real Christian do such a thing?” or “Can a person who does that go to Heaven?” or “Why did my loved one do this?”

In the Bible, we have some that we conclude were believers who thought of suicide. I think right away of Elijah under the juniper tree, or Jonah under the gourd. Both were in deep depression, which is normally the state of a person contemplating suicide. Samson, who is a man mentioned in the roll call of the faithful in Hebrews 11, committed suicide by bringing the pillars down on himself and his enemies.

One of the strongest urges God has put within humans is the urge to live. Even those who attempt suicide often struggle at the last second trying to stay alive. A person jumping over a bridge into water will try to surface if possible. It takes a temporary insanity to permit the person to take his or her own life. It is possible for a Christian to get out of touch with reality, and out of fellowship with the Lord and destroy himself. His eternal destiny would not be based on the last thing they did before death, but on the decision he made to trust Christ as his Savior. If we only made Heaven based on our final act on earth, not many would make it.

While suicide is a type of murder, since it involves taking a life, it is still a sin for which Jesus died. There have been many accounts of murderers being saved, and no one who knows the scripture would deny that a murderer can be saved and forgiven of that deed. Since Christ’s atonement pays for all sins for the Christian, it covers murder and even suicide, but, lest anyone should think that this makes suicide an acceptable option for a Christian, consider this. A Christian will have to answer a very serious question in Heaven should he end his own life. That question will be asked by God, Himself, and it is, “Why did you not choose My best for your life? Could you not trust Me that I knew what was best for you?” You see, His best never involves violating His law.

God said eternal life is based on our belief on Jesus Christ and His death on the cross. (John 3:16-18) Our actions as Christians may bring shame to the name of Christ, but they are not the basis of our salvation. (Titus 3:5-7)

For more teaching on this topic see: 0105 Suicide and Self Destruction

 

Foretelling the future

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“I had a dream last night in which I believe I saw God’s plan for my future. Can you help me make sure this is God’s will for me?” Or, a person might ask, “I spoke with this person who says she can tell me what the future holds for me. What do you think?”

What I think, or what you think, has no bearing on whether something is true or not. There is only one immutable source of truth, and that is the Bible. It tells us how to determine whether something is true, or whether someone is actually speaking for God. Our age is not the first one to have difficulty with this question.

When Israel was on the way through the wilderness, they dealt with this question, as some attempted to speak for God. In Deuteronomy 13, God gave the answer. First, the thing prophesied had to come to pass exactly as the prophet had foretold it. Any variance would indicate a false prophet. In our day, that would brand a number of religious spokesmen who have announced dates for the Lord’s return, and that day has come and gone with no such event occurring. According to the passage in Deuteronomy 13, they would have been stoned to rid Israel of false teaching.

The second test was subtler. This time, the thing prophesied had come to pass exactly as the prophet foretold, or that person had performed a miracle or a wonder, but the teaching caused Israel to go in a way that God had not led them. This the test of absolute truth. Check every teaching by the Bible. It is the tuning fork that gives the correct pitch every time. All teaching must square with the Bible or be condemned as false teaching!

Experience never judges truth, truth judges experience. As my former pastor said, “I don’t care how high you jump or how loud you shout, I am interested in how straight you walk when your feet are on the ground.”

For more Bible teaching about this topic see 050301 Being In God’s Will or please visit the BBN Bible Institute and register for course # 11500 “Five Future Events”.
Or # 20400 God’s Perfect Will For Living

Am I really saved?

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We get questions from some of our listeners like this: “When I was 12, I made a decision to trust Jesus Christ as my Savior, but I am not sure that I will go to Heaven when I die. Am I saved?” Or, a listener may ask, “I am a Christian, but I am not living as I should. Does this mean I am not a Christian?”

My question to those callers who would ask either of the two questions is this: “What changed in your life when you made that decision?” The apostle Paul, who had met the Savior on the Damascus road came away changed forever. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” II Corinthians 5:17. Very simply put, “No Change, No Christ.” No one has ever met Jesus Christ and has come away the same. They are either better or worse, but there will have been a change. The change will be for the better, if they have accepted Him and invited Him into their lives. They will change for the worse if they are confronted by Him and reject Him.

A missionary was translating John 3:16 into the language of the people he was trying to win to the Lord. He was stumped, because there was no word in their language for the crucial word, “believes.” While he was thinking and praying, a national who had been working with him came into the room. This man had been working hard on the mission compound, gathering some supplies and repairing some things. He sat down in a chair and exclaimed in his native tongue, “It feels wonderful to put my whole weight down on this chair!” Immediately, the missionary had the word for which he was seeking. He translated John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever puts his whole weight on Him may have eternal life.” We commit our entire weight on a chair when we sit down in it.

Jesus did not operate a “seeker friendly” type of ministry, leveling the entrance standard to the lowest common denominator. Certainly, He loved sinners and died for them. He invited them to come to Him, but He expected, yes even demanded, a commitment of faith from those who would name His Name and follow Him.

Could it be that you have made a “decision to believe,” but have never made a “commitment to follow Him”. In like manner, we commit our total self to the Savior by faith when we accept Him as our Savior.

If you’d like to have more information about this topic, see 0301 Salvation or visit our BBN Bible Institute Online and register to study the course 00400 Understanding The Gospel.

Must I be baptized to be saved?

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The plan of salvation is very simple and some try to make it very complicated. When Jesus described salvation as a new birth, He was describing it as a new beginning, only in a different dimension. A person is saved by admitting he or she is a sinner, deserving of Hell because of sin, but trusting the finished work of Christ on the cross as the payment for sin. Salvation is not of works, lest any of us should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-10) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Notice what the above Scriptures say. We are saved without our working righteousness, but good works should follow our salvation. Jesus calls baptism a work of “righteousness,” at His baptism by John. Read Matthew 3: 15 “And Jesus answering said unto him, ‘Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he suffered him.” John had hesitated baptizing Jesus, but our Lord told him that it was needful to “fulfil all righteousness.” God imputes righteousness to us through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He does this through faith, and faith alone. Romans 4: 5-7 “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, ‘Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.’”

No one is ready for baptism until they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Paul, in describing his gospel that he received from Jesus Christ, in First Corinthians 15:1-4, never mentions water baptism. Paul told these same Corinthians that he was glad that he had baptized only two of them. (First Corinthians 1:14) Was he saying that he was glad that he had only led two of them to Christ? When the Phillipian jailer asked Paul and Silas what he had to do to be saved, they answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Later, after each member of the family accepted Christ, they were baptized as a testimony of their salvation, not as a part of being saved.

Some would point to First Peter 3:21 “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Notice, though, that Peter is careful to point out that baptism does not put away the filth or sin of the flesh, but is an answer or a sign of the good conscience toward God. It is the symbol of identification with Jesus Christ or a confession of salvation.

Others would point to First John 5:6 “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” They would say that the water is baptism and that it is added to the work of Christ on the cross to achieve salvation. However, John makes it clear that he did not mean to teach that by giving a clear teaching later in that chapter in verses 11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

A couple of favorites for those who teach “Baptismal Regeneration” are Mark 3:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, etc. In each case, the word baptism follows belief or repentance. It is a sign that the person has done what God has said to be saved, or in the case of the Jews, that they had repented of not receiving the Messiah that God had sent. John the Baptist was baptizing Jews who were repenting of their sins, preparing them for the coming of the Savior. Twelve men, who had been baptized by John, later met Paul in Ephesus and were asked about their salvation. They had repented of their sin, been baptized by John, but were not saved. Once they professed Jesus Christ, they were baptized as a sign of their salvation and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

In summary, to be saved you need to admit you are a sinner in need of a Savior to pay for your sins. Ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior and your Lord and trust His finished work on the cross for you. When you have done that, you are saved! To be an obedient Christian, be baptized and live the Christian life.

For more on this topic visit the BBN Bible Institute and register to study the course #00100 Basics Doctrines