Should Christians Expect Miracles Today? Objections and Answers from the Bible, Part 2, by Wayne A. Grudem
The fact that Jesus gives all believers authority to rebuke demons and command them to leave is seen in several passages. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, when He sent the 12 disciples ahead of Him to preach the kingdom of God, He “gave them power… over all demons” (Luke 9:1). After the 70 had preached the kingdom of God in towns and villages, they returned with joy saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17), and Jesus told them, “I have given you authority… over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). When Philip, the evangelist, went down to Samaria to preach the gospel of Christ, “unclean spirits came out of many who had them” (Acts 8:7, author’s translation). Paul used spiritual authority over demons to say to a spirit of divination in a sooth saying girl, “I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” (Acts 16:18).
Paul was aware of the spiritual authority he had, both in face-to-face encounters such as he had in Acts 16, and in his prayer life as well. He said, “For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Moreover, he spoke at some length of the struggle Christians have against “the wiles of the devil” in his description of conflict “against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (see Ephesians 6:10-18). James tells all his readers (in many churches) to “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Similarly Peter tells his readers in many churches in Asia Minor, “Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9).37
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Category: Pneuma Review, Spirit, Spring 2000
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