Part 2 – Should we as Believers be Casting out Devils?

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called Should Believers Today Pray to ‘Bind Spirits’ and ‘Cast out Devils?.

Many ask about binding the “Strong Man” as seen in Matt. 12:22-30; Mark 3:22-29. Much as I once was, they are dispensationally ignorant and confused Christians who would drawing from verses such as below, which do not apply to us today as members of “His body” in this age of “the grace of God” in which we live in the finished work of Christ and the Cross as our total sufficiency.

Matthew 12: “[22] Then was brought unto him [the Lord Jesus] one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. [23] And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? [24] But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow [Jesus] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

[25] And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: [26] And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? [27] And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

[28] But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you [Israel]. [29] Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. [30] He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” (See the parallel passage, Mark 3:22-29.)

The issue of “binding” here is definitely in the context of binding Satan (the “strong man” of verse 29). Satan had polluted the nation Israel with false religion, whereby they had adopted Pagan practices. Messiah Jesus came to demonstrate that He can cleanse God’s earthly people of the nation of Israeland God’s earthly domainof satanic influence (see Zech. 13:2). You see, by having his own “kingdom” of evil spirits occupying Israel’s land, Satan is preventing God’s earthly kingdom from being established in the Land of Israel. So long as the land of Palestine was defiled, God’s earthly kingdom could not be brought to pass. Thus Jesus said, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, THEN the kingdom of God is come unto you(Matt. 12:28). Also, in order to prove He has the ability to bring in Israel’s earthly kingdom, Christ cast out devils from Israel’s citizens. Again, this is a Jewish passage, connected to God’s dealings with the Nation Israel, having nothing to do with “the church, the body of Christ” today.

Though I personally, at one time many years ago as a Charismatic in ignorance, attempted to ‘cast out evil spirits,’ only to ultimately realize the root problem as revealed in Paul’s letter to the Romans. You see, these troublesome characteristics in these troubled individuals that the Pentecostals would call “the spirit of … such and such (lust, hate, anger, etc.)” were simply manifestation of the Sin [nature] in the flesh(Rom. 8:3) of every person born of fallen Adam’s lineage. They were manifesting Adam’s viral infection called “SIN.” That troubled person involved was simply yielding to Sin [nature] in the fleshand manifesting the “deeds” of the flesh nature of Sin, which Paul says we can “mortify” by the power indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (cf. Rom. 8:10, 8:2) as we believe and trust in Christ’s work of the Cross. I and they were at that time ignorant of the riches of the Paulinemystery [secret]” of the “gospel of the grace of God.”

Now we know why Paul in epistles (Romans through Philemon) never instructs us to ‘cast out devils’ during today’s age of “the dispensation of the grace of God.”