Can a Christian have a demon?
Answered by New Wine
A genuine believer cannot be possessed, but a believer can be demonized, meaning a real demonic foothold can operate in a specific area of life. The question turns on what "have" means.
The Word Behind the Question
The Greek verb behind the older translation "demon-possessed" is daimonizomai, to be demonized. According to Derek Prince, rendering it "possessed" has misled millions, because possession in English means total ownership and nothing in the Greek demands that.
A Christian belongs to Christ by the surrender of the will, so the devil cannot own him.
Belonging to Christ does not guarantee that every area of a believer's life is under the Spirit's effective control. Prince testified that after decades of walking with the Lord, he still found areas where Christ was not yet in charge.
What Scripture Shows
Paul gives believers a warning that would make no sense if the enemy could never find a foothold.
"Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil."
Ephesians 4:26-27
Place means territory. If a believer yields ground, the enemy has somewhere to go.
Acts 5:3 points the same direction, since Peter says Satan filled Ananias's heart after Pentecost had come upon that church. Mark 1:23-26 shows another pattern. The demon in the synagogue cried out at Jesus' presence but did not leave until Jesus commanded it, so presence alone did not expel it.
The Tradition's Witness
Charles F. Parham, an early voice in this movement, taught that unless body, soul, and mind are fully kept under the blood, demonic forces can enter, lay siege, and defeat professing Christians in their best resolves. His wording is blunter than Prince's careful "areas under control," but both recognize that conversion does not make a believer untouchable.
Prince adds that demons are persons, not moods, and that they seek a body in which to act.
Guardrails
Not every struggle is demonic. Flesh, grief, and sickness need the cross, care, and ordinary means of grace, and discernment must precede any command. When a demonic presence is the issue, it is not disciplined into submission. It is commanded to leave in Jesus' name, followed by discipleship and fullness of the Spirit so the house is not left empty.
A believer cannot be owned by the enemy, yet can be afflicted where ground has been given. Resisting and standing in Christ's finished victory is the posture, and deliverance is the remedy when resisting alone is not enough.
Sources
New Wine drew this answer from these teachings.
- How To Recognize And Expel Demons — Derek Prince
- The Real Reason Demons Are After You
- The Moment I Realized I Couldn’t Heal Myself
- Selected Sermons — Charles F. Parham
- Nature And Activity Of Demons — Derek Prince
