The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1301-R, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 20." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1982. All Rights Reserved.
Questioner
I happen to work with a group of Christians, and they are Charismatic. And to me it seems as though they dwell as much on demons and bad spirits as they do on the Lord. And they also claim that there is a couple of these people have certain vices such as drinking and smoking. And they defend themselves saying that it’s the spirit in me, it’s the devil in me. And I try to tell them that it’s their humanness. And could you just [help me], just so that I have some kind of defense when I try to talk to them?
Answer
Basically, that is what’s known as a classic cop-out.
Questioner
Not assuming the responsibility, right?
Answer
Right. The New Testament clearly indicates you are responsible. Why else the
exhortations? I mean you read through Paul’s epistles; start in Romans 12 and
read through his epistles, and everything is directed at you. Nothing is
directed at the demons; and nothing tells you to get the "demon of drink" or the
"demon of cigarettes" or the "demon of postnasal drip"--that’s true—I read the
testimony of the guy, Dr. Lawson Smith who was delivered from the "demon of
postnasal drip." And I’m not making that up; he is!
Let me just give you a basic principle: erroneous doctrine, weak theology,
misunderstanding of the Bible, has no power to transform life; therefore, these
kinds of people still struggle with those kinds of things, because they do not
properly understand that which can transform their life. Do you know what I’m
saying by that? You get a person whose only relationship to Christianity is sort
of emotional and whatever—it’s rather typical of charismatic people, and they do
not have that which gives them the ability to understand the Word of God and to
restrain these things in themselves. So they’re victims of those things because
of the low level of Biblical understanding and commitment that they have.
They’re committed to an experience; and that’s deadly because you can falsify
that; you can’t falsify this because it’s explicit, subjective and it’s clear. I
think you have to deal with them lovingly.
Questioner
You can’t argue.
Answer
No, but you can sure take them back to Romans 7, and tell them that what is says
there is, that if you do those things it’s sin that’s in you. And the Bible
never says anything about getting rid of a demon. You tell them, you find me one
place in the whole New Testament that says a Christian with a problem is to go
get delivered from a demon.
Questioner
Such as illness?
Answer
Yes, find me one single place in the New Testament where a Christian is ever
told to go get delivered from a demon. There isn’t one single solitary place.
So put the burden of proof on them. You can learn to do that; that’s the key to
dealing with people who have false assumptions about Scripture. Don’t try to
answer their questions; ask them questions that they can’t answer. You know, put
the burden on them. How do you defend that Scripture; what verse is that based
on? That’s like the people who write me all the time and want to say to me, your
basic problem is you’ve never been slain in the Spirit. And so I write them back
and say what verse is that in? What verse did that come from? Well there’s no
verse, what can you say? It’s part of what is known as charismatic tradition,
and it’s not Biblical.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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