Can A Demon Enter A Christian?
One
of the questions that had been on my mind ever since Kristin
called from China and shared that a demon had entered
her was, 'How can a demon enter a Christian?'
Kristin was clearly Christian. In fact, she clung more tightly to Jesus than any other Christian I knew. But it was also clear that there were demons inside her. How was this possible?
1 John 5:18 says, "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him." "Whoever is born of God" is a Christian and "the wicked one" is the devil, so the clause "the wicked one does not touch him" is saying that the devil does not touch a Christian. Does that mean a demon does not enter a Christian?
The original Greek verb haptomai (ἅπτομαι), translated "touch" above, is used only one other time in John's writings in the Bible, to quote Jesus telling Mary not to "hold onto" Him in John 7:20 as He has not yet ascended to God the Father. So the verb connotes maintaining a hold rather than entry.
Another verse to consider was 1 Corinthians 6:19, which says, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" Since the body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit, can a demon enter the temple of the Holy Spirit? The logical answer seemed to be no, but then again, Matthew 16:23 indicates that Satan entered Peter. Was that because it was before the Holy Spirit indwelt Peter?
One verse I did not consider at the time was 2 Corinthians 12:7, in which Paul confides, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure."
I had always thought that the "thorn in the flesh" of Paul was an injury or ailment that resulted from a demon - "a messenger of Satan" - buffeting - i.e., striking - Paul, but it was later brought to my attention that there is no preposition "from" in between the "thorn in the flesh" and "a messenger of Satan." The original Greek phrase skolops tē sarki, angelos Satana (σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί, ἄγγελος Σατανᾶ) literally means "a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan" and equates the thorn in the flesh with the messenger of Satan. In other words, 2 Corinthians 12:7 is saying that the thorn, which penetrated Paul's flesh, is a demon itself, not something "from" a demon.
Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 12:7 that the purpose of the thorn was to keep him humble: "lest I be exalted." A wound from spiritual warfare would be a badge of honor to a Christian, as a battle scar is to a combat veteran, but having a demon stuck in you would be a cause for humility.
2 Corinthians 12:7, quoted above, is the Bible verse that most directly answers the question of whether or not a demon can enter a Christian, but I didn't know it as such at the time. Instead, I received an answer that was far more personal, shocking, and humbling.