The Role of Free Will in Deliverance
There is no record of Jesus ever exorcising someone against his will. In all recorded cases of Christ casting out evil spirits, cooperation by the patient is obvious or implied. The Gadarene demoniac ran toward Jesus and fell before Him, even as demonic spirits within the afflicted man protested. In spite of the severity of the possession, free will remained, unextinquished by evil. (Mark 5) The son of the father with imperfect faith brought his child to Jesus. The tormenting spirit within the boy manifested in resistance. But the freely chosen action of the father engaged Jesus in partnership in behalf of his son. (Luke 9) The demoniac in the Capernaum synagogue received deliverance because he had come to hear Christ teach, an act of opening himself to God's truth through Jesus. (Mark 1) And so on. . .
The point is, The Lord doesn't mug anyone. He doesn't attack evil within a person's life without some connection between Himself and that person. Some act of submission and reaching out to
Jesus is always prerequisite. Jesus was - and remains - a gentleman. He stands at the door and knocks, entering only upon permission. Those who do not wish Him to interfere in their lives will never experience His power.
All this means that for deliverance to happen, the heart must be broken and yielded to Christ, reaching out to Him in surrender and faith. Christ works bilaterally with us, not unilaterally to
us or for us. Remember Nazareth, where Christ could do few miracles because of the townspeople's absence of faith. (Luke 4) And remember Bethesda, where Jesus asked an obviously sick man, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5)
Family members and friends cannot drag a loved one against his/her will to a deliverance minister and expect anything positive to happen. Nor can a tormented person present himself for deliverance without a true willingness to step into the will of Christ for his life, with accompanying confession, repentance and free-will faith.
posted by Brian Connor @ 3:39 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Cheryl raises an interesting question. Can someone self-deliver from demonic oppression? Since only Christ is the power behind deliverance, is a third party necessary?
I believe the answer rests in the degree of oppression. An evil spirit can be deeply rooted in the human psyche, or it can be less powerfully attached, depending on the degree of sin and/or trauma providing the ground. God is not mocked. He permits us to suffer the consequences of rebellion against Him. Those consequences tend to mirror the severity of the offense. Unfortunately, the nature of evil is that it not only implicates the perpetuator, but also his/her victims. Great sin opens great ground. If the sin involves a victim, as in childhood sexual abuse, that great trauma can lead to severe oppression in the innocent child. The wound to the young psyche makes the child vulnerable, as evil enters and feeds off the pain.
While it is true that Christ is all-powerful and can certainly intervene in any situation, a further truth is that He uses His earthly body, the church, to represent Him. Believers acting in faith in His name become extensions of Him. Through the guidance of His Holy Spirit, they bring His revelation as to what steps to healing and deliverance are required. That may be through counseling, therapy, prayer, inner healing, encouragement or direct confrontation with evil, subduing and expelling satan's host. Some cases of oppression are so severe as to warrant that help.
So the long way to a short answer is: Yes, Christ can directly intervene and rescue and heal those who cry out to Him in faith.
But He most often uses His servants
to partner with Him in such acts.
Their combined faith and love empower His work.
I tried to use your email service which was unavailable. This is too personal to blog about. DC
Post a Comment
<< Home