Biblical Spiritual Warfare
What Does the Bible Really Say About Spiritual Warfare?
We are in a war over truth. Scripture makes it clear that the Christian life is not neutral ground—we are in a real battle. The Bible is spiritual, and it is controversial, and it never apologizes for being either. Neither do we.
Deliverance is central to the battle. Jesus taught about the reality of demons, demonstrated authority over them, and casting out demons occupied a significant portion of His time on earth. If it was important to Him, it should be important to us.
At the heart of deliverance is the authority of God’s Word. No one can twist Scripture into silence or make it deny what it clearly proclaims. No matter how much some may wish it said otherwise, the Bible speaks with unshakable authority.
So as Christians, we must be careful with what we call “heresy.” Jesus warned that those who blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. That warning was given in the very moment He was accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan rather than by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:22-32).
The sobering truth is that religious leaders—those who should have known better—were in danger of calling the work of God “the work of the devil.”
“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
What the Bible Never Says:
“Christians can’t have demons.”
The number one argument people use to claim that Christians can’t have demons is 2 Corinthians 6:14: “What fellowship has light with darkness?” But this is poor exegesis (Biblical interpretation). That verse is about relationships with unbelievers, not about demonization. To apply it to deliverance is both theologically careless and logically inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. God is everywhere, yet evil still exists in the world. Jesus Himself stood face to face with Satan—light and darkness in direct conflict. In the book of Job, Satan presented himself before the throne of God. If darkness cannot be in the same place as light, how was he there? The argument collapses under the weight of Scripture.
“You shouldn’t talk to demons.”
This is another common objection, built on a misinterpretation of Scripture. Some argue that speaking to demons makes you a medium, as though you were summoning spirits. They point to Deuteronomy 18:10–11, which condemns “anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a necromancer, or one who inquires of the dead.” But this passage is addressing those who seek out demonic power and insight in rebellion against God. A medium inquires of the dead and looks to demons for guidance. Deliverance is the exact opposite. In deliverance, you are not seeking wisdom from demons—you are confronting them in the authority of Christ and casting them out. Jesus Himself spoke to demons. He asked their names, issued commands, and exposed their strategies. Was He a medium? Of course not. He was exercising authority, and authority is never passive. Even ministries that refuse to let demons “speak back” still issue commands to them—which only proves the point: confronting evil spirits requires verbal authority. To conflate deliverance with the forbidden practices of Deuteronomy is poor handling of Scripture. God condemned those who aligned themselves with Satan. Deliverance is aligning yourself with Christ to oppose Satan. The root of the interaction is entirely different.
“Deliverance was only for the apostles’ age.”
Nowhere does Scripture teach that deliverance or the gifts of the Spirit ceased once the apostles established the early church. That claim is theology by assumption, not by the Word. The command to cast out demons was given directly by Jesus, and nowhere in the New Testament is it expired, limited, or revoked. On the contrary, the Great Commission itself includes driving out demons as a sign that follows those who believe (Mark 16:17)—with no clause or condition that it was only for a temporary period. If the devil still schemes, then Christ’s command to confront and expel him still stands.
“We should ignore the devil and just focus on Jesus.”
Yes, our eyes are fixed on Christ—but to ignore what He taught about Satan is to ignore Him. The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). To argue that we should pay no attention to Satan is completely counterintuitive to Christ’s very mission. Jesus and the apostles repeatedly warned us to be alert to Satan’s schemes (1 Peter 5:8). God included those warnings in Scripture for our protection, not for us to neglect.
What the Bible Does Say:
Christians are told to cast out demons.
This was Jesus’ direct command to His disciples. He also gave us authority “over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). Authority is not given to sit idle—it is meant to be exercised. Why would Christ entrust us with authority we were never meant to wield? Deliverance is obedience to the call Christ gave Christians. It is part of the Great Commission itself, given in His final words before ascending to the right hand of God (Mark 16:17).
Christians can be tormented by spirits.
“Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him” (1 Samuel 16:14). Scripture shows that spiritual forces can influence and even torment people—including those chosen by God for leadership.
Christians can be influenced by Satan.
When Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from the cross, “He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan!’” (Matthew 16:23). Even a devoted disciple was not immune to Satan working through his words.
Christians can give Satan access to their hearts.
Peter confronted Ananias, saying, “Why has Satan filled your heart?” (Acts 5:3). This was not said to a pagan but to a professing believer in the early church. Spiritual filling is not limited to the Holy Spirit; Satan can also take ground when given place.
Christians can have demons in the house of worship.
In Mark 1:23 a man with an unclean spirit was found inside the synagogue. Demonization was not restricted to pagan lands—it was present even among God’s covenant people, in the very place of worship.
Christians can be bound by a spirit.
Jesus declared that a “daughter of Abraham” had been bound by a spirit for eighteen years (Luke 13:16). Belonging to God did not make her untouchable by the enemy. In Mark 5, the man with Legion lived in a Jewish region. Even among God’s covenant people, demonic oppression could exist—and Jesus confronted it directly.
Christians are in a spiritual fight.
“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Scripture is explicit and clear: our battle is not with people, but with real demonic powers.
The devil is scheming against Christians.
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). God warns us to prepare for Satan’s strategies—not ignore them.
Christians must resist the devil.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Resistance is required for victory; passivity is not an option in the fight for spiritual freedom.