IS DELIVERANCE ALSO FOR THE UNSAVED?
Filed Under Q & A, DEMONOLOGY
This question is often asked by those who have unsaved friends or loved ones who are in dire need of deliverance from evil spirits.
Before answering the question above, it must first be stated that the most important gift God has ever given man, is not deliverance, but His son’s death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, giving us everlasting life. Jesus Christ is the most precious gift God has to offer fallen and sinful humanity.
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (KJV)
Without Jesus Christ, we are already condemned, we are already under the wrath of God and sliding quickly towards a fiery pit called the Lake of Fire, Hell.
John 3:18-19
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (KJV)
Many believe that by good works, we shall inherit eternal life in Heaven with God. But the Bible clearly states that our best “good works” of righteousness are compared to filthy rags in the sight of our Holy and Righteous God.
Isaiah 64:6
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (KJV)
Many think that they have not sinned against God, that because they “haven’t killed nobody” because they feel they are a good person, that God will allow them to inherit eternal life in Heaven with him. But the Bible clearly states that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (KJV)
The Bible further drives this point home when it talks about those who say they do not sin or have no sin.
I John 1:8
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (KJV)
God, being a perfect and holy God, cannot condone sin. We cannot , as sinful humanity, approach God with our petitions: He will not hear them. We were created to serve our creator, and we have chosen to turn our backs to do our own thing…sin, rebellion against God.
But God in His mercy towards us, sent His son, Jesus Christ, who being without sin, became the sin offering for us, suffering the wrath of God in His Flesh, paid the price by the shedding of His precious Blood on the cross of Calvary. And by this substitutionary act, He took our place on that cross as the perfect Lamb of God without spot or blemish, and gave us His righteousness by placing us under His Blood. The Imputed Righteousness of God Himself to all those who believe on Jesus Christ, the innocent Lamb of God who was sacrificed for us.
Hebrews 9:22
22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (NIV)
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For he hath made him to be [the] sin [offering] for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (KJV)
Romans 3:22
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe… (KJV)
I John 4:10
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (KJV)
To confess that we are sinners in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. To believe that He died for our sins, to reconcile us to God by His death on the Cross. To believe that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). To invite him to come into our heart (Rev 3:20) and save us. This is becoming “born again.”
John 3:3,7
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.(KJV)
Now for those who have believed upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who are born-again, we can now come boldly to God with our petitions.
Hebrews 4:16
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (KJV)
What’s changed? What’s different about us? We are still sinners. We still fall to deception. We still make mistakes and disappoint our Heavenly Father, as born-again believers, as Christians. So if we sin, why is it now, that we can come boldly to the Father, to this throne of grace to find grace to help in our time of need?
The reason is that as Christians, we are under the Blood of Jesus Christ, our names are now written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We have received Grace, or in other words, unmerited favor.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (KJV)
Titus 3:5
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (KJV)
Another way to understand Grace is this: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It’s a gift that we don’t deserve.
And most importantly, when God sees us (born-again Christians), He sees Jesus Christ, who took our place. He sees the Blood of Christ, which pays the debt for our sins. He sees the Righteousness of Christ, because He sees Jesus Christ, who took our place-He is our propitiation.
This is why Jesus said:
John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (KJV)
Without Jesus Christ, there is no Christianity. Jesus Christ is the ONLY mediator between God and Man.
1 Tim 2:5
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (KJV)
Therefore, with all this said, the crux of Christianity, is Jesus Christ. If we take Jesus Christ out of the picture, Christianity fails to be Christianity. It is because of Jesus Christ that born-again believers have eternal life. It is through Jesus Christ, that born-again believers have access to the Father, the Almighty God. It is by Jesus Christ, that born-again believers have grace to sustain them through their life. As the Bible plainly puts it:
Acts 17:28
28 For in Him we live, and move, and have our being…(KJV)
Grace: So what are some of the Riches at Christ’s Expense? Besides the obvious, eternal salvation, a personal relationship with God our Father through Jesus Christ His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit, is deliverance from evil spirits.
Matthew 15:22-23, 26
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. (KJV)
Deliverance is the children’s bread, belonging to sons and daughters of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s one of those “Riches at Christ’s Expense”-to receive deliverance from evil spirits in Jesus’ Name.
Why did the Lord Jesus Christ give us deliverance? We believe that the purpose of this wonderful ministry is to get the demons out of us so that we can more effectively serve the Lord Jesus Christ. The demons of lust, greed, worldliness, bitterness, unforgiveness, depression, rejection, suicide, pride, vanity, rage…the list goes on and on. It is a ministry that changes our lives because of Jesus Christ. And we glorify Jesus Christ by serving Him more effectively, in ways we were not able to in the past because of the struggle we had against the demons inside us.
How do we cast out demons? In Jesus Name. Again, all glory, honor, and praise…all credit goes to Jesus Christ. Remember, if we take Christ out of Christianity, Christianity fails to be Christianity.
Mark 16:17
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils… (KJV)
Why do the demons leave? Because of how spiritual we are? Because of how LOUD we are? Because of how holy we are? No. Because of Jesus’ Name, and His Name alone.
Philippians 2:10-11
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (KJV)
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth”-that includes demons, forced to bow to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”-that includes demons, forced to admit and confess out loud before all the demonic hordes of hell, that Jesus is the True Lord, the One and Only Living God and Father.
It’s in Jesus Name.
Does that mean that unsaved people can cast out demons, if they use the Name of Jesus?
Sure they can. The Bible records an account of this event in Acts 19:13-16 with the Jewish Sons of Sceva.
Acts 19:13-16
13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that theyfled out of that house naked and wounded. (KJV)
Now wait a minute. What happened here? This passage doesn’t sound glorious at all and the person getting help didn’t get rid of the evil spirit that plagued him.
Here is where we transition into the answer of the question, “Is Deliverance for the Unsaved?”
Notice that the exorcists mentioned above were Jews using the Name of “Jesus whom Paul preacheth” to cast out evil spirits. A few things to note:
* The Bible gives us no clear indication in this passage that these men were Christians. Many times in the Bible, Jews who convert to Christianity are referred to as “Believers” (Believers in Christ Jesus). Unregenerate Jews are many times referred to as simply that, Jews. In the passage above, these men were referred to not only as Jews, but as Vagabond Jews (a semi-derogatory phrase), our first indication that these men were probably not, in fact, Christians.
* “Whom Paul preacheth” also gives us an indication as to who these men were-detached from the Christians. “Whom Paul preacheth” gives us the idea that this Name is not something these men embrace, but something Paul embraces as he preaches. That would make these men onlookers if you will who heard the Name of Jesus “whom Paul preacheth.”
* “using the Name of Jesus”…here again, a “borrowed” term. These men were using the name, which gives us the idea of borrowing, not owning, or committing to.
* Notice that the Bible refers to them as exorcists, the only time this word is used in the Bible. It is yet another name for these men besides “Believers,” or “Christians.” If they were Christians, it would seem pointless for the writer to keep skirting around this fact.
* But also notice the demon’s response: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?” Jesus, Paul and the Seven Sons of Sceva. The demon knew of Jesus and Paul, but separated the Seven Sons of Sceva as in a different class.
These Jews could not be Christians. And as such, these Jews were not covered by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. These Jews were not PROTECTED by the Lord Jesus Christ for the Lord Jesus Christ did not live within them. They were not born-again. They had not invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come into their hearts.
The supernatural strength of demons is quite impressive. It is not uncommon at our church for demons to manifest and it take 3, 4, 5 even 6 men at times to restrain one person who is “manifesting.” As is the case in Acts 19:16 where one demonic spirit overcame SEVEN men, beat them savagely and ripped their clothes off as they fled for their lives, “naked and wounded.”
And what about the man being prayed for in this situation? The victim, as it were. Did he receive any help? No, not any. What would have happened if the demon would have been forced to leave the man? That demon would have come back with seven more spirits worse than itself, and that man would have been eight times worse than when he began!
Matthew 12:43-45
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (KJV)
Notice the point of view the demon has in Matthew 12:44: “Then he saith, I will return into MY house from whence I came out.” Demons claim the souls and bodies of man as their homes. And they will fight to keep their property. It is only by the Name of Jesus Christ, that they are forced to forfeit their possessions and leave the person.
But what does it mean, “he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished”? We believe that as the demons are forced to leave our souls (mind, will and emotions), we gain “ground” for the Lord Jesus Christ, which we surrender to Him as born-again believers. As we surrender more of ourselves as born-again believers to the Lord Jesus Christ and the demons are driven out, we: continue to “posses our souls” (Luke 21:19); “work out our salvation” (Philippians 2:12); take back the “land” once “owned” by the demons “little by little” (Exodus 23:30).
Exodus 23:30
30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. (KJV)
As we surrender these new areas of our soul to the Lord Jesus Christ, He begins working in these areas to continue to transform us into His image and likeness, more into line with His character.
When the demon returns to the born-again believers “house” what does the demon find? The Lord Jesus Christ at work where the demon used to reside. The demon does not take up residence again, but turns tail and runs the other way.
But what about the unbeliever, the unsaved? Jesus Christ is not there. Therefore, the demon finds the house “empty” and to make matters worse brings seven more spirits more wicked than itself to reside in the unbeliever. So let’s say an Evil Spirit of Depression was cast out of a woman. If Jesus Christ is not inside that woman, that demon may return with Suicide, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Lust, Bitterness towards God, Self-Hatred and Murder.
Do we advocate that the unsaved pray against demonic spirits or receive deliverance themselves? No, we don’t. And the reason is that the unsaved person doing the praying or receiving prayer, has no protection, no covering, no grace and mercy from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Plead as they may, the unsaved are still under the wrath of God without the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Jonathan Edwards, in his monotone presentation, so eloquently put it on July 8, 1741 in his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”:
“The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation. This that you have heard is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ.-That the world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you. This is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.”
You probably are not sensible of this; you find you are kept out of hell, but do not see the hand of God in it; but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use for your own preservation. But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw his hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it.”
Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider’s web would have to stop a falling rock.”
So back to the original question: Is Deliverance for the Unsaved?
What do you think would be the best gift or blessing an unsaved person could receive from the Almighty and Only True and Living God? A longer life? Relief from demonic pressure? Healing from pain and suffering? Financial blessings?
What do you think God’s will is towards unsaved and unregenerate man?
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (KJV)
He is long suffering toward us. That means that He gives us time, He is patient, in waiting for us to repent of our sins and receive Christ as our Savior. But that time is limited.
2 Peter 3:10
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Hebrews 3:7-8
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: (KJV)
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (KJV)
So why would someone ask, “Is Deliverance also for the Unsaved?”
Perhaps because someone you know and love is hurting, physically, emotionally, mentally. What would be the best help you could offer this person that you love and care for? The only true and lasting answer is found in Jesus Christ. A little peace and rest now will not comfort their souls for eternity as they burn forever in the Lake of Fire.
And what about you? Are you seeking the blessings of God, attempting to avoid “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me”? There is no other way to God, but by Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:12
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (KJV)
For the born-again believer, there is deliverance from evil spirits.
For the born-again believer, there is eternal life.
Who is going to pray for the salvation of your loved ones? How will they ever know that the only lasting truth is found in Jesus Christ, if they are not told? Who will tell them? Perhaps you are the one God has chosen to be that instrument.
Romans 10:13-15
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (KJV)
For your sake and for theirs, what will your choice be today?
Hebrews 3:7-8
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: (KJV)