Misappropriated Pigs and Christian Deliverance
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14 ESV
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.” Matthew 12:43-44 ESV
If you were to do an online search right now for books on spiritual warfare, demonology, or deliverance, you would find thousands of results, and you would likely find upon reading many of these books that there is conflicting content, anecdotal accounts, and a high probability of misappropriated Scripture. One such book circulating in specific circles among professing Christians is Pigs in the Parlor. Now before I go further, let me state that this post is not to deny the presence of demons and of Satan, nor is it to disparage the fact that demon possession is real. What is of concern and in question is the teaching continuing to be perpetuated that born again Christians sealed by the Holy Spirit can be indwelt by a demon and are in need of deliverance in accordance with extrabiblical revelation and personal experience. In fact, this very book states that it is a practical guide to deliverance for Christians.
I took time to read this book, noting chapters that covered areas ranging from demonic entry, steps to deliverance and retaining deliverance to manifestations, self-deliverance, deliverance ministry to children, and demonic groups. There is an emphasis in this book on personal deliverance and “freeing oneself”, with instruction on how to minister self deliverance by speaking to the demons and calling them out while forcing oneself to breathe forcefully or to cough. When dealing with an individual that is believed to be demonized, there is instruction in the book several times to speak to the demons out loud, even when not in the room with that person. It is encouraged in this book to speak to the demons mentally and not in the presence of the person who is believed to be demonized. This should give pause as this is not modeled in Scripture by Jesus nor any of the apostles of Christ. Demons were addressed directly and in person. To believe that we can speak to demons mentally or that we can speak to demons in another geographical location seems to imply demonic omniscience, which is an attribute of God alone.
This book is clear in stating that Christians can be and are indwelt by demons, creating a dichotomy between the spirit and soul to validate this claim while equally stating that though unbelievers can be indwelt by demons, deliverance ministry was never ministered by them to unbelievers as there would be no hope to be offered in keeping out the demons. If that is the case, then what hope do we have as believers in Christ if we too can be indwelt continuously by demons? You may think that is a foolish question, but it should be asked by believers in Christ. The logic in some of this teaching seems illogical. It was stated in this book that unbelievers would only be ministered to if having received a direct word from the Lord. Can I be so bold as to say that as Christians we have a direct word from the Lord. It is called the Bible, and it contains the gospel of Jesus Christ. We call people to repent and believe in Christ. We tell them the good news of the saving faith in Christ alone. We are instructed to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Biblical Deliverance
For those who may hold to this teaching, here are some things to consider. When reading the epistles, we find no teaching about casting out demons in believers or of Christians being indwelt by demons. The New Testament is silent on this. There has to be a reason for the silence. There is no “deliverance ministry” to be named in Scripture. The Bible tells us in numerous places that we battle against three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Colossians 1:13-14 tells us that we have been redeemed from the domain of darkness. 1 John 4:4 reminds us that the Holy Spirit is in the believer while Satan is in the world. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 assures us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Would the Holy Spirit cohabit with a demon? If an individual claims to be a believer in Christ while claiming to have been indwelt by a demon, the question needs to be asked if that person was a believer at all.
Romans 8:9 tells us that the Spirit of God lives in those who belong to Christ. 1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.” Acts 26:18 reminds us of the apostle Paul’s ministry that continues today through Scripture, “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” The Word of God is powerful in the abundance of truth it contains. Knowing the truth keeps us from deception and from wandering off into myths.
We need to consider why deliverance from demons is being preached and taught to those within the church, to those who are born again filled with and sealed by the Holy Spirit. What Jesus Christ did was sufficient to save us and to keep us. He has defeated the devil. Dear Christian, you need not fear continued deliverance from indwelling demons. Though we can face outward attacks, we have powerful instruction and truth found in Scripture. Jesus Christ delivers us from the power of sin and the penalty of sin. At the same time, we live in a fallen world until death. We are still in the presence of sin in this world until that time comes. We will face opposition from the devil in this world. We are given instruction Biblically in how to wage spiritual warfare. We resist. We stand. We put on Christ. We pray. We trust in the Lord to strengthen us. We overcome the enemy and sin through Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit. Rather than talking to demons, we should be praying and meditating on the Word of God. Christians do not have pigs in the parlor.
8 thoughts on “Misappropriated Pigs and Christian Deliverance”
Dear Sister ,this makes so much sense ,these erroneous teachings keeps the believer bound and inactive from operating in the identity of sonship .because it will always have you questioning it you have a demonic influence in your life ,instead of just heading the word and doing what it says .We seem to give more attention to the demonic world than to the Spirit of the word .Self application of the word leads to victory over every entity .Thank you for clarity
Dawn, thank you for speaking the truth of the Scriptures! i was part of a Charismatic church once where the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the “presence” of the Holy Spirit were put forth before the Holy Scriptures; i thank God for delivering me from false teaching.
You have explained it well. It shouldn’t be an issue at all but some Christians make this an issue. We have God’s indwelling Spirit in us and there is no room for another spirit. And like you mention, there is so much material on deliverance and sometimes misleading. Even specific prayers are given as if it has special power. No, the Lord knows our hearts and minds and He knows exactly what we pray and what we mean by it, no need to offer model prayers based on what people think or even based on what worked for somebody else.
To God Be The Glory for you allowing God to use you in these last and evil days Lovesick Scribe.
I’m just reminded of 1Corinthians 3:17.. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” When we have received the Spirit of Christ “No More Pigs in the Parlor”. Thank you Lord for the Freedom given unto us who has believed and received of the Lord.🙏🏽
Hello Sister. I am after the truth of the Word of God. I have been seeking after truth with regard to this subject, looking at it from different angles, solely as found in the Word of God. I have questions.
If you are familiar with Watchman Nee, you may have heard of his works. I have read through some of the “spiritual man” by him. No one would argue his orthodoxy. In it, he makes the point that just as a saved Christian who is indwelled by the Holy Spirit isn’t immune from drowning if they jump in the ocean without a life preserving, so if we open to the door to demons, they can oppress a believer. This is an excellent point. Demons will take any ground they can get. Cus they are trying to get more.
From what I remember, he says oppress rather than possess, but marks clearly the point that with demons, the goal is to take more ground.
So if, by your argument, demons are no concern for believers, then how far can a believer go in sin before dealing with them?
What about practicing witchcraft?
They can sin however they want and not experience consequences?
Spiritual consequences are real too.
This is an important point.
In hearing out way deliverance ministers have to say, I am familiar with one who actively advocates for orthodoxy as well as orthopraxy, and even advocates tenants of the movie American Gospel.
So I’d ask is, if deliverance isn’t something for believers to think about now, or do, why then do we see so many real Christians still struggling with various sins? I don’t mean stumbling. But bondage. Strongholds. Surely we have real Christians with strongholds. They are sons and daughters, but still have yet to experience a greater degree of freedom.
One may say, we “don’t need to look for demons under every rock.” But then they never talk about the spiritual war we are in. Trevon Wax from the gospel coalition has an excellent article on that site on the western church’s neglect of demons.
I think we have a tendency to separate the flesh and the enemy and the world. As if they are separate enemies. But they are working in unison, in a sort of unholy trinity. The devil can’t make us do anything. Sure. But when we choose to indulge the flesh we are taking the bait offered by the flesh the world and the enemy. There is more going on than most realize. The three enemies of the soul have more to do with each other than most realize.
Thirdly (I forget how many points I am getting at, but I have much I am thinking about the subject), I do believe we have in the western world idolized Reason and Knowledge above most other things. The reformation was a God send. Yet was it perfect? No. We have elevated teaching while forgetting our participation with the Holy Spirit.
Tozer would say, “we used to send missionaries to Africa. Now, we need missionaries from Africa to re-introduce America to the Gospel.”
Could we say, that in third world countries, the acknowledgement of the real spiritual war we are in is realer and fuller than in the west? Think the Chinese underground church. Or in Africa. Deliverances are acknowledged, not debated.
Thoughts?
Lastly,
You mentioned that the New Testament is silent on this but did you include all four Gospels in that assessment?
Jesus cast our demons wherever he went.
Do you honestly think that disembodied spirits no longer exist?
Jesus said to his disciples to make disciples and teach them all the things He commanded?
Do you think we have the authority to remove what is written about deliverance and her not take the authority given us over the realm of the enemy, operating in it in like fashion as He did? And the disciples? Jesus said teach them what He taught the disciples.
Who are we to pick and choose what we should be doing simply because it is “uncomfortable?”
Yes, we operate from the place of victory.
But that doesn’t mean we no longer battle, or there’s no longer a war.
It seems to me that to make the claim that we don’t have to do anything in spiritual warfare, is more passive than anything. Don’t get me wrong, I think one of the greatest things we can do, is learn to believe God. Take Him at His Word. That is spiritual warfare.
But I am really learning about this subject, chewing on what you are saying here, and these are some of my thoughts.
Would love to hear yours.
Thank you.
Hi, AJ. Thank you for taking the time to comment and to ask some questions. I will try and address all of what you asked, and if I should miss something, I apologize.
First, regarding Watchman Nee. I have heard of him but I have not read any of his books so I do not believe that I can speak on his writings. What little I do know of him is that his teaching of the gospel was not in question so much as his teaching on baptism, perfectionism, sanctification, and mysticism were in question by some. I do appreciate and glean from many believers in Christ. However, I appeal to Scripture for the final word.
We do agree on things that you mentioned, and in the scope of a blog post, it is difficult to convey every single thought and concern. Believers can be oppressed and attacked outwardly as I stated in the blog post, and sin is not always tied to the demonic. We can see clearly in Romans 7 that the flesh is hostile to the things of the Spirit. I acknowledge that people can be demon possessed and indwelt by demons. My concern is the teaching that is not supported by Scripture and that is the teaching of Christians being indwelt by demons and needing deliverance ministry, which was the focus of this post. I acknowledge that demons are real. Spiritual warfare is real. Satan is real. I also mentioned in my post that while we are in this world, we are going to face opposition and battle against the flesh, the devil, and the world. There can indeed be some overlap. However, as someone who came out of the hyper charismatic church, I can tell you that demonology and such has a tendency to be overemphasized while flesh, sin, and such are minimized. I agree with you that sin has spiritual as well as physical consequences, and as believers in Christ and our salvation through Christ Jesus we have been saved from the penalty of sin through justification, we are progressively saved from the power of sin through sanctification, and we will be saved from the presence of sin through glorification.
As Christians, we still have a sin nature because we are in the world, we are still in our flesh that has yet to be glorified, and we face a real devil who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). What does the following verse say to believers in Christ? “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” This is not even dealing with sin, but the reality of suffering in the life of believers, which occurs because of the fallenness of this world.
I made no claim that we no longer battle or that we do nothing with regards to spiritual warfare. There will be struggles that Christians face in dealing with sin. I am reminded of 1 John 1:8-9, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 2 goes on to give us hope that is different from those who are not born again, and that is if we do sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ. We have assurance of victory through Christ, and to follow the instruction of the Word to stand, to resist, to pray and to trust in the Lord is in fact active rather than passive. Our faith in Christ to save us and being led by the Holy Spirit is not only placing our victory in Christ but it displays our dependency upon Christ. Ephesians 6 when talking about the armor of God is helping us to realize that we are engaged in true spiritual warfare, and every piece points back to Christ. After being told to put on the whole armor of God, we are told to stand. We are told to pray. We resist the devil by putting on the armor of God, putting on Christ. This is how we are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We cannot overcome sin, the world or the devil in and of ourselves. But by our faith in Christ, we overcome, and we call upon Him to help us in our weakness.
You mentioned such places as Africa with deliverance. I have been to some of these countries and can attest to real demonic influence. There can be a tendency to add Jesus to their other gods and to participate in demonic and wicked practices. The answer is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Wickedness is still the same no matter where we are in the world, and the west has contributed to a false gospel being perpetuated in some of these areas of the world, which another topic altogether.
You stated that “we have elevated teaching while forgetting our participation with the Holy Spirit.” That was an interesting statement to me and got me thinking. It is important for us to remember that as Christians, we are never instructed to abandon reason or teaching, and 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that the Word of God, the Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is profitable for reproof, rebuke, teaching and training in righteousness. Discernment is participation with the Holy Spirit. Understanding proper sound doctrine is participation with the Holy Spirit. I agree that reason and knowledge can be idolized as can personal experience, which is why I do not appeal to that with regards to this topic. Personal experience is valuable, but it is not a barometer of truth.
You asked if I honestly believed that disembodied spirits no longer exist. I wondered what prompted this question as I made no statement to state such a thing. I wasn’t sure if you were talking about demons or the spirits of people who have died? As I stated before, demons are real. Satan is real. People who have died either go to be with the Lord if they were believers in Christ, and those who do not know Christ suffer eternal torment in hell. They are not annihilated as some teach.
Lastly, when looking at the New Testament, there is no teaching of believers in Christ having deliverance performed. This includes the gospels. The epistles to the churches do not speak of casting out demons or of deliverance ministry to fellow Christians. There is mention of spiritual warfare as mentioned previously and in the blog post. Jesus cast out demons to show that He was the Messiah and that He had power over the devil. He did not initiate conversations with demons and those who had demons cast out were not filled with the Spirit of God because the Holy Spirit had not been sent yet as Christ had not been crucified. The deliverance from demons was immediate and not drawn out in a matter of hours or in multiple sessions of casting out each demon. We are in a better covenant after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I would argue that telling born again believers demons can indwell them and that they need deliverance is not better and it leads to works based salvation. It leads to bondage and trusting in man’s knowledge rather than Christ and His finished work. Matthew 28:18-20 that you mentioned says that Christ has been given authority in heaven and earth, and His instruction to His disciples was to make disciples, teaching them all that He had commanded. One source I found says it this way, “A disciple of Christ imitates Jesus’ example, clings to His sacrifice, believes in His resurrection, possesses the Holy Spirit, and lives to do His work. The command in the Great Commission to “make disciples” means to teach or train people to follow and obey Christ.”
I hope this helps to clarify from my end. I do not claim to be an expert on this subject, and I realize that there is much I have to learn. The main point of my blog is to point people back to Christ and to the Word of God for the standard of truth and for God to be glorified in the truth found in His Word.
Sorry this is so long :). I want to be thorough in addressing your questions and thoughts. Blessings to you!!
Thank you for your extensive response. And for taking the time to reply to all my questions (as far as I can tell!). I want to clarify, that when I said do you honestly believe that disembodied spirits no longer exist, I don’t mean that for you specifically but in general. You made it clear, as you said, you believe all these exist. as the Bible points out. I was thinking of disembodied spirits in terms of demons. I like that you are pointing people back to the Word as the standard of truth. There is a humility evident in the way you are writing that is appreciated.
A question I would have for those on the deliverance side is we seem to see in scripture when people were possessed, there is supernatural things happening to them. Not being able to be chained, etc. Why now today does it seem like demons that are cast out aren’t doing that? Are they just hiding better?
To look at it from that lens, outside the scope of this convo, I do think demons in our nation hide behind “sophistication.” Like, There are no less demons. Right? They just got better at hiding. Something I think about.
Do we get a picture of what demon oppression from the outside looks like in Scripture?
Are there few Scriptures on this matter?
In thinking about this, I wonder, if there are few Scriptures, couldn’t one argue that it then doesn’t exist? I don’t believe that of course and I know you don’t. But I am thinking of maybe “hyper reformed” folks. Who in orthopraxy do argue that.
I think that’s correct to say what you did about the epistles. But I’ve heard others argue that in acts and the gospels we see otherwise. So there is a template here in some important fashion. I think there is credibility to this. A question I have is if casting out demons was solely and only to show He was the Messiah which He is, why did Jesus commission his followers to do the same?
I was thinking about the thing we often hear from the deliverance side that it’s mostly believers who get deliverance. Couldn’t we say that, since we are grafted in as Gentiles, and Jesus was casting our demons from Jews who believed in God, Jesus was in fact liberating the oppressed (sons and daughters) rather than outright Gentiles?
This is something I think is a good question.
I do get how there have been hyper focuses on demons as a cause of seemingly everything. But I feel I can separate that from what’s healthy cus I didn’t grow up in that environment.
For me, this is a line that sticks out to me which a deliverance minister I follow says. He says deliverance is only physical manifestation where we see the power of God’s kingdom at work over the power of the enemy’s kingdom. Which is why satan hates deliverance so much, he says. I personally think it a compelling point.
I like what you said about discernment being participation with the Holy Spirit and wouldn’t disagree. Reason and logic shouldn’t be abandoned either. I agree. That has led to much deception when they are abandoned.
The problem I see is that so many “discernment sites” and “heresy hunters” who lack humility, and thus, can be doing against real moves of God.
I say that, as I think you are displaying humility and it is a nice contrast to see. And I don’t think you are trying to be a discernment minister, either. Just making that clear so you don’t worry or take away something that I am not saying. Lol.
I just would gently push back on some of the criticism of deliverance for these reasons. I take away from your blog the point to check everything against the Word of God, and I appreciate this as a general rule for everything. A good reminder!
From what I’ve seen since following some deliverance ministers, I’ve actually seen them speaking out often against charismatic abuses. Very often.
I am careful myself to not assume what is happening on deliverance videos is phony or is something of the enemy. I think this is something to pray about. I personally think it is of God, but I am willing to continue the humble job of checking everything against His Word and in the mean time of loving God and loving others.
Anyway, I appreciate this convo and I recall you wrote that you came from a hyper charismatic background. I personally haven’t, so it’s interesting how those things can have an affect on us. In general. For me, I got saved and started growing in a more reformed perspective right off the bat. Slowly, I opened up to the influence of the Holy Spirit in greater measures and became fascinated with His ways. That’s where I’m coming from.
I’d be curious to also ask, if you still affirm what you said the Holy Spirit was speaking to you in an article on charisma about Him being your main connection?
I actually didn’t see your video explaining how your writing changed a lot after coming out of a hyper charismatic circle, until after I wrote my first comment.
Thank you
I just finished listening to the podcast. Oh how I wish I could find a biblically sound church. As for the deliverance stuff, btdt way back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but started seeing more clearly in the mid-90s and have had nothing to do with it since then. Have you heard of author Rebecca Brown, MD? She wrote some crazy stuff (“He Came to Set the Captives Free” comes to mind) and I think it was because of meeting people who were adherents of all she wrote that my eyes were finally opened.
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