The Nature of Man
“The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:1212For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)).
Body
These verses tell us clearly that man is a tripartite being, composed of spirit, soul and body. The body is the physical or material part of his being, while the soul and spirit are the spiritual or nonphysical part of man. This same truth runs throughout the Word of God and is also found in the Old Testament. Different words are used in both Hebrew and Greek to distinguish “soul” and “spirit.” Creatures in the animal kingdom have bodies, and in one sense they also have souls, for a “living soul” is anything that lives by blood and breath. Thus, in the flood at the time of Noah, Scripture says that “all in whose nostrils was the breath of life ... died” (Genesis 7:2222All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. (Genesis 7:22)). But while animals are living souls, they were not created by God’s breathing into them the breath of life, as is said of man (Genesis 2:77And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)). This is an immense difference and clearly marks man out from the lower animal creation. Sometimes the soul is called the “inner man,” distinguishing it from the body, or “outer man.” The soul of man is immortal, as is clearly seen in the case of the wicked man in hades after death, in Luke 16. So Scripture speaks of “your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:1111But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)) in contrast with the soul, which is immortal.
Scripture tells us in Psalm 139:1414I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psalm 139:14) that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” The following observations show us something of the magnitude and wonder of the body’s formation:
“Each person at the moment of conception begins life as a single cell. How does that cell know what to do to construct a body composed of trillions of individual cells of different kinds and different functions? Most schoolchildren know the answer: Imprinted in that original cell are instructions for the construction and operation of the human body — instructions which will be followed unerringly. DNA replicates this blueprint onto every cell produced. And every cell, amazingly, will know which part of those directions it is to follow.
“Today’s schoolchild also knows that DNA has an incredible capacity for storing information. The information contained in DNA the size of a pinhead would fill a stack of books 500 times as high as the distance from the earth to the moon! [This would be a stack 120 million miles high!] It would take tens of thousands of desktop computers to store and process that amount of data.
“But the lesson of DNA points far beyond. ... The three billion chemical letters [in the human genome] express information in a language which must be read to be usable! A language necessarily involves ideas framed within grammatical rules and can be created and expressed only by intelligence. ...
“Language expresses thoughts — and thoughts are not physical! They may be articulated in physical form, such as sounds or words or sentences on a page or the coded chemical letters in DNA. Obviously, however, the thoughts being conveyed by the language are independent of the material upon which they are expressed. A sentence may be written on paper, wood, sand, a computer chip, or audio tape, but none of these originated the message. It must have an intelligent, nonphysical source independent of the physical means of storage of communication.”
The human body is extremely complicated, and perhaps nothing in it is as complicated as its brain. Here is the organ where all of the functions of the body are coordinated, whether voluntary or involuntary. In addition, all thought processes must be mediated through the brain, and memory must be stored there. Any injury to the brain may have profound effects, not only on bodily functions and thought processes, but also on one’s personality. Although the brain has been the subject of much study and research, it is still poorly understood.
However, man is not only body, as we have seen, but also soul and spirit. Let us see what Scripture says about them.
Soul and Spirit
Soul and spirit are often used for the same thing, when Scripture speaks of the nonphysical part of man as contrasted with his body. Depending on the emphasis, sometimes the word “soul” may be used, and at other times the word “spirit.” In 2 Peter 2:88(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) (2 Peter 2:8) we are told that Lot “vexed his righteous soul,” while in 1 Samuel 30:1212And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. (1 Samuel 30:12), concerning the servant of the Amalekite, Scripture says, “When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him.” Thus, while Scripture distinguishes between them, the soul and spirit are never separated — rather, one is the higher part of the other. As the lower part of man’s immortal being, the soul is connected with his appetites and emotions — that which makes each one an individual, distinct from others in personality. For example, Psalm 107:99For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:9) tells us, “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” The spirit, on the other hand, is the higher part of man’s being. It has more to do with the active intelligent consciousness and includes the God-conscious part of man. In the believer, the spirit is often connected with the Holy Spirit which dwells in him and which acts on his spirit to produce activities suitable to our new life in Christ. So we find in Romans 8:1616The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:16) that “the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”
Much more could be said on this subject, and space does not permit us to go into all that Scripture gives us concerning man’s soul and spirit. For a more detailed consideration of the subject, the reader is referred to two excellent pamphlets, “Body, Soul, and Spirit,” by J. R. Gill, and “Man: A Tripartite Being Composed of Spirit, Soul, and Body,” by H. C. A.
“I” and Personality
The subject is far more complicated than even these considerations would indicate, however. We have seen that man is a tripartite being composed of body, soul and spirit. While each is distinct from the other, we know that each communicates with the other, and each affects the other, either positively or negatively. The soul and spirit must work in and express themselves through the body, and the body cannot function without the soul and spirit. Thus Scripture tells us that “the body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:2626For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)). Just as the body cannot do anything without the soul and spirit being in it, so the soul and spirit cannot express themselves in this world without a body. The three must work together.
But how do they work together? What is it that orchestrates the union of spirit, soul and body so that they can function in an integrated way? We have already noted the verse that tells us that Lot “vexed his righteous soul” (2 Peter 2:88(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) (2 Peter 2:8)). In Proverbs, Solomon speaks of one that “ruleth his spirit” (Proverbs 16:3232He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. (Proverbs 16:32)). Paul could tell the believers in Rome, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:1212Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (Romans 6:12)). It is evident that there is a conscious “I,” that essence of the individual that influences and directs the spirit, soul and body but is not part of them. All three—spirit, soul and body—are united under one personality, yet the “I” is above them and thus is more than the sum of spirit, soul and body. The following excellent quotation summarizes the subject for us and delineates the difference between the conscious “I” and spirit, soul and body:
“Furthermore, we judge that Scripture distinguishes between ‘personality’ — the conscious ‘I’ — and spirit, soul and body, inasmuch as it does not definitely, and much less exclusively, identify personality with any one of the three. We read that ‘the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets’ (1 Corinthians 14:3232And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. (1 Corinthians 14:32)). We have the verse in the Old Testament which says, ‘He that ruleth his spirit’ (Proverbs 16:3232He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. (Proverbs 16:32)). In connection with the soul, David said, ‘I humbled my soul’ (Psalm 35:1313But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. (Psalm 35:13)); ‘I lift up my soul’ (Psalm 86:44Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. (Psalm 86:4)). Solomon speaks of a man destroying his soul and wronging his soul (Proverbs 6:32; 8:3632But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. (Proverbs 6:32)
36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. (Proverbs 8:36)). In reference to the body, Paul can say, ‘I keep under my body’ (1 Corinthians 9:2727But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:27)). These and many other Scriptures of a like character would show that in man there is the union of the material and spiritual under a single personality, as one has said, ‘Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute we observe, each within himself, a central authority, directing and controlling, on the one hand, the movements and operations of an animal frame, and, on the other, the faculties and efforts of an intelligent spirit, both of which find in this central authority or person their point of unity. How this can be we know not.’ To this we may add that if death supervenes, the ‘I’ is identified with that which is immaterial — the spirit and the soul — yet when in the body, whether now or in the resurrection state, the ‘I’ is surely identified with spirit, soul and body.”
As the author of the above quotation says, all this is beyond human understanding. It should be noted, however, that in the above quotation, the author uses the word “personality” to describe the essence of the individual himself, not merely the particular traits that distinguish one individual from another. We are reminded of what the Word of God says in Ecclesiastes 11:55As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. (Ecclesiastes 11:5): “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.” We notice in this verse that both the spirit and body (bones) are mentioned, showing us that we do not really know how the spirit comes into the body, nor even how the body itself is formed. Man may have discovered DNA, but how it all works is still a mystery. As we cannot understand the “way of the spirit” and “how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child,” so we cannot understand exactly how the physical and nonphysical parts of man’s being interact with each other.
Many questions arise at this point, some of which cannot be answered. How does that thing we call “will” energize the soul and spirit, and how do the soul and spirit communicate with the brain (the body) so that voluntary acts can be executed? How does the body influence the soul and spirit? What is pain, and why do we feel it? Why do we interpret one odor as being pleasant and another offensive? Such questions may be interesting, but again are ultimately beyond our comprehension.
Because of the complex nature of man, we will find that some aspects of mental illness will likewise be unable to be explained. The disruption that sin has introduced has affected man in every part of his nature and has resulted in disorders that involve all three parts of his being—spirit, soul and body. While we may be able to make some observations and draw conclusions, we are ultimately in a realm that God alone can understand fully.
At the same time, let us not allow what we cannot understand to spoil and perhaps obscure what we can understand. Let us again be reminded that “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:33According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (2 Peter 1:3)). If during this discussion we find things that are beyond our understanding, let us not be discouraged. If God has not told us something, then we may rest assured that it is not necessary for life and godliness. God has not chosen to satisfy all our curiosity, but He has given us what we need to live for His glory in this world.
Other Terms
There are several other terms that will be used when we are dealing with the nonphysical part of man in the light of the Word of God. Scripture uses the words “heart,” “mind,” “conscience,” “flesh” and “will” to describe various aspects of our being. We will also define the word “intellect,” although the word itself is not found in the Bible. However, in better translations of the Bible (such as the JND translation), the word “intelligence” is used a number of times. These terms all describe that which is nonmaterial, except for the word “flesh” which can refer to both that which is material and what is nonmaterial. These terms are not synonymous and have different meanings that need to be understood. It is important to understand what these words mean within the context of Scripture, for if we use these words in this book, we will attempt to use them with the meaning that Scripture attaches to them, unless otherwise stated.
Heart
The “heart” is a very general expression for all the inner man. Sometimes it is spoken of as the seat of the affections and will, while at other times as the sinful self with its evil desires. When Scriptures says, “If our heart condemn us” (1 John 3:2020For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (1 John 3:20)), then it encompasses the conscience. When we read, “My son, give Me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:2626My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. (Proverbs 23:26)), it is our affections. In Jeremiah 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) we find that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Here it is man in all his sinfulness as a result of his fall. When we read, “The veil is upon their heart” (2 Corinthians 3:1515But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. (2 Corinthians 3:15)), it is spiritual perception or lack of it. Thus, the heart refers to all moral exercise within us, but the word must be interpreted to some extent by the context in which it is used.
Mind
The mind is that which thinks, perceives and reasons. According to Scripture, we have some control over it, for we are told to “have your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth” (Colossians 3:2 JnD). My heart (as the seat of affection) goes to what is important to me, but I have the ability to set my mind on something as an act of my will. Thus my will, while in one sense being part of my mind, also controls it and directs it in different ways. So the man in Romans 7:2525I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:25) says, “So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Here his mind wants to do what is right, but his flesh, his old sinful self, can only sin. In the unbeliever his mind is influenced and is ultimately under the control of his flesh, his sinful self, and Satan uses this to manipulate his mind in an evil way. So we read of Nebuchadnezzar that “his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride” (Daniel 5:2020But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: (Daniel 5:20)). Romans 12:22And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2) speaks of the “renewing of your mind” as a result of the mind’s being under the control of the Spirit of God instead of Satan and the flesh.
Intellect
The intellect may also be said to be part of the mind, as being that which man uses to reason and which enables him to use acquired knowledge to make deductions. In another sense, it is also part of the brain, in that it is connected to the ability to learn, and then to use what has been learned. Thus, an intellect may have ability in one direction or another, as one may be clever in mathematics while another’s intellect excels in creative writing. It is important to recognize that the intellect can never discover anything in divine things: It may deduce correct conclusions, but it can never go above itself. Man, as to his mind and intellect, is always a discoverer, never a creator. He can use his intellect to reason with knowledge and thus reach right conclusions, but the knowledge itself is always the product either of testimony or experience.
Conscience
Conscience is that which man acquired at the time of his fall in Genesis 3 and which gives him the knowledge of good and evil. It is an innate sense in us that a thing is right or wrong. Before his fall, man was innocent and was not conscious of the difference between good and evil, but after eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he acquired a conscience that reminds him of right and wrong. Not that conscience by itself is always a reliable guide, for like the eye, the conscience needs light to operate properly. When man gives up the moral light that God has given him in His Word, his conscience may mislead him and allow him to do wrong things. Scripture speaks of this as having a “seared” conscience (1 Timothy 4:22Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (1 Timothy 4:2)). But man always has some sense of right and wrong, and it is his conscience that gives him this. The animal kingdom does not have a conscience, just as it does not possess a spirit.
The Flesh
Another term that we need to define is what Scripture calls the “flesh.” The word is used in several ways in the Word of God. Sometimes it is used simply to mean the body as distinguished from the soul and spirit, as, for example, in 1 Corinthians 15:5050Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1 Corinthians 15:50) where we are told, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” The word can also be used to describe man’s nature in general—man in his whole being. Referring to the incarnation, we read that “God has been manifested in flesh” (1 Timothy 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16) JND), and surely this implies more than simply that the Lord Jesus took a body. He had a human soul and spirit (without sin), for He was a man in every sense of the word. In the same way, when Peter and the others fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemane, the Lord could say, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:4141Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)). Peter’s conscious “I” wanted to follow the Lord, but he did not realize the weakness of his natural flesh. His whole natural being was involved in this weakness, not merely his body. But the word is also used to describe that sinful self that man acquired when he fell — that sinful nature of man which can do nothing but commit sin. So we read in Romans 7:1818For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (Romans 7:18), “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” Paul could say to the Galatians, “He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:88For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)). William Kelly makes the following comments concerning the term “the flesh”:
“I employ the expression ‘human nature’ ... abstractly for humanity, without a question of the state in which it was created originally or into which it quickly fell. Just so the word ‘flesh’ is used sometimes in Scripture for man’s nature simply, as in ‘the Word was made flesh’ (John 1:1414And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)), God ‘was manifest in the flesh’ (1 Timothy 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)), Jesus was ‘put to death in the flesh’ (1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18)), ‘Jesus Christ come in the flesh’ (¤ John 4:2323But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23)). The special doctrinal sense of the term, as characterizing the moral condition of the race, particularly in the epistles of Paul, looks at the principle of self-will in the heart.”
The Will
We have already seen that the will is connected with the conscious “I”—that part of us that is above spirit, soul and body and which ultimately is able to influence and control all three. The will has been affected by sin, in that fallen man now wills to do evil. So God could say concerning mankind at the time of Noah, “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:55And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)). In fact, every exercise of man’s will is itself wrong, for as a creature, man’s responsibility is to obey. The word used for sin and iniquity in Scripture could really be translated as “lawlessness,” simply meaning the exercise of an independent will. An independent will is always wrong, even when doing things that may not be wrong in themselves. But this will also wants to do positive evil, because of man’s sinful nature. The believer possesses a new life in Christ, a new nature that wants to please God. It cannot sin, for its will delights in that which is pleasing to God. So in 1 Peter 4:22That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. (1 Peter 4:2) we find the “lusts of men” contrasted with the “will of God.”
Because the will is affected by our sinful self, “the flesh,” as Scripture calls it, we find that the mind is affected too. Colossians 2:1818Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (Colossians 2:18) speaks of one who is “vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,” while Romans 8:77Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7) reminds us that “the carnal mind is enmity against God.” Paul could speak of the Ephesians before they were saved as “fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (Ephesians 2:33Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (Ephesians 2:3)). The mind has been made the servant of our sinful nature, and Satan uses man’s evil lusts to induce him to commit sin.
Demon Possession
It was Satan (in the disguise of a serpent) who first lied to Eve and tempted her to disobey God by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We learn from other scriptures that Satan was once one of God’s angels, but that he rebelled against God, wanting to have a place that did not belong to Him. Other angels evidently rebelled with him, so that now there are thousands of demons who constitute Satan’s hosts. They are constantly seeking to thwart God’s purposes and often do so by living in men and women, influencing their minds and bodies in a wrong way. Sometimes this bad influence involves taking control of the human soul and spirit (and ultimately the body) and producing symptoms of mental illness. There are several examples of this in Scripture.
In Matthew 17:14-2114And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:14‑21), we have the story of a boy who was possessed with a demon and who, as a result, was described by his father as “lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.” When the Lord Jesus cast out the demon, the child was cured. In Mark 5:1-201And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. 10And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 14And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 16And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. 18And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. (Mark 5:1‑20) we read the story of a man who was possessed with demons and who lived among the tombs, naked, crying, and cutting himself with stones. When Jesus had cast out the demons, he was “clothed, and in his right mind” (Mark 5:1515And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. (Mark 5:15)).
There have been many other accounts from eyewitnesses who tell of those who have acted in very abnormal ways, evidently because of the influence of demons who possessed or harassed them. Often the hallucinations and bizarre behavior exhibited by these people is attributed to other causes, until the true nature of the problem is recognized. People in African and Asian countries know well how that bewitchments and the casting of spells can affect not only the bodies but also the minds of people. An American psychiatrist working in Zimbabwe for a year recounts the following, concerning a patient he was called to treat. (The term “sister” simply refers to a nurse.)
“‘Can you make out what she is saying, Sister?’
“‘Yes, some of it,’ answered Sister Chimhenga. ‘Amai is saying that her great grandmother, Ambuya Zezuru, is speaking to her and possessing her. She is called by Ambuya to suffer for her sins.’
“I knew what the Shona word ‘ambuya’ meant and that ‘amai’ meant ‘mother’ or ‘missus,’ but I did not catch all of the cultural significance of Sister’s interpretation. ‘Sister, I’m sorry, but what does all that mean?’
“‘It means that Amai believes that she is being bewitched by her great grandmother, who may have been a prophet in her time. An important ancestral spirit.’
“‘A bewitchment?’
“‘It could be,’ she said, pausing. ‘Her family must have thought so.’”
Sadly, while much of the world languishes in captivity to such evil forces, many people in Western countries deny that Satan exists. Satan’s power is increasing in previously Christian countries, as God and His claims are being more and more set aside. Consider the following incident that occurred in the practice of a Christian physician whom I know well:
“About six years ago, I was interviewing a woman in her hospital room. She was severely depressed and was not responding to medications. As I was asking her questions about her thoughts, she suddenly developed a ‘glazed’ look, and I knew that she was no longer able to hear me. She seemed to be frozen in her own thoughts while staring into the distance. Moments later she spoke in a mechanical, unnatural voice and said, ‘Leave her alone; she’s ours!’
“It did not take much discernment to realize that I was no longer speaking to my patient and that an evil, supernatural force had pushed her aside to directly intimidate me.”
As the doctor had already noticed in this case, the usual medications used to treat depression were not effective in this woman. A power greater than she had taken hold of her, and only by the casting out of the demon could she be healed. Sometimes those under demonic power will hear voices or see unreal things, and occasionally it is difficult to know, at least in the beginning, whether the individual is suffering from a psychotic illness or is experiencing a demonic attack. Sometimes professionals who are not believers will not recognize what is happening and put the patient on medication at first, only to find out that it does not work predictably.
Since the time that the world rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, Scripture calls Satan both the god and prince of this world. (See 2 Corinthians 4:44In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4) and John 14:3030Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30).) He is the god of this world religiously and its prince politically. He knows that he is a defeated foe, but in this time of God’s grace, he continues to be “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:22Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2)), going about his evil work. He may indwell an unbeliever, taking over his person and forcing him to do whatever the evil spirit commands. Although he cannot indwell true believers (because they are indwelt with the Spirit of God), he can and does harass them, especially those who may have been involved in occult practices before they were saved. Reading sinful (such as pornographic) or occult books or watching entertainment that contains evil themes may open the door to these demonic attacks. As well, deliberately dabbling in occult practices (such as using Ouija boards, chanting a call to the spirit world, or becoming involved with fortune-tellers) may invite these evil spirits into our lives.
The only remedy for demon possession is the authority of the Lord Jesus that can command the demon to depart from the person. The Lord Jesus did this many times during His earthly ministry, and certainly the apostles did it too. The Lord Jesus has made this power available to believers, through His name. Before He ascended back up into heaven, the Lord Jesus said, “These signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils” (Mark 16:1717And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; (Mark 16:17)). Now it is possible for demons to be cast out of those afflicted by them, because of the power in the name of the Lord Jesus. The following true story shows how this happened in the case of a demon-possessed woman:
“Mrs. K. ... came to see me about a long-standing depression. She was very vague and nervous during the early part of the interview. After a few minutes of superficial small talk and preliminary questions, she said to me, ‘I’m having trouble listening to you since there are three people talking to me continuously in my mind.’ Well, this was a new experience for me. She was clearly not schizophrenic, so I knew that this was not a psychotic illness causing her to hear voices. She was totally sane, though depressed.
“I wasn’t sure what to do, but I wondered if she was having one of those occult experiences that I had spent so many hours inquiring about. This interference was going to make the interview very difficult, so I paused and made some simple notes in my chart to buy time. In my heart I said to God, ‘I don’t know what’s going on here. If this woman is hearing from evil spirits, in the name of Jesus could you please shut them up so I can finish this interview?’
“When I then looked up from my notes, she looked at me with an intensity that I had not seen in her before and said, ‘What did you just do?’ I explained that I had just noted her last statement in my chart. She would not be put off by that answer and persisted, ‘No, you did something else.’ I was confused by this time and again stated that I had only been writing in her chart and asked what made her think that I had done anything else. Her answer changed the course of my spiritual and professional lives when she stated, ‘You did something, since the voices stopped for the first time in twenty years. They are now hiding, and they are afraid of you. What did you do?’ ...
“My mind was suddenly opened to the fact that yes, indeed, she was sane and she was being tormented by the voices of demons. They stopped speaking to her because when I prayed the authority of Christ filled the room and they were afraid.”
It is important to recognize demonic power as a very real cause of mental illness, not only in such obvious cases as the one just cited, but also in other manifestations such as evilly distorted thought patterns, insomnia, nightmares, and panic attacks. As the Word of God is given up and Christian values and principles are more and more ignored, I believe we are seeing increased activity of Satan in countries where his power was formerly restrained to a large extent by the light of Christianity.
For the believer, the best antidote to such attacks of Satan is a life lived in communion with the Lord. The Ephesians had been heavily involved in occult practices before they heard the gospel, but after they were saved it is recorded in Acts 19:1919Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. (Acts 19:19) that “many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men.” In his epistle to these same believers some years later, Paul could say to them, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:1111And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Ephesians 5:11)). To the Colossians he could say, “The Father ... who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Colossians 1:12-1312Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:12‑13)). The believer has been delivered from Satan’s power, but if he persists in living a worldly life and engaging in sinful behavior, he again places himself in a position where Satan can harass him. Let us remember that we have been delivered from Satan’s evil kingdom and that we are now called to “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:88For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (Ephesians 5:8)). If we obey this exhortation, we will not give Satan an opportunity to gain an influence over us.
Criminal Behavior
The believer recognizes that all criminal behavior is the result of the activity of what Scripture calls “the flesh” — that old sinful self that is part of us as children of a fallen race. Again, it is all a matter of degree, for what distinguishes criminal activity from other sin is the transgression of a known law. As we saw previously, Scripture uses the word “iniquity” to describe sin, and this word really means “lawlessness,” or the action of an independent will. As such, sin is that which is done without reference to God, and thus Scripture tells us that “the plowing of the wicked is sin” (Proverbs 21:44An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. (Proverbs 21:4)). It is not that the act of plowing is in itself sin, but rather the fact that man does so independent of any consideration of his responsibility toward God. However, God has instituted and does recognize government in the earth, and governments do set up laws in order to regulate society and curb bad behavior.
In some individuals with severe mental illness, criminal activity occurs—that which is not only abnormal but which causes serious harm. In serious personality disorders, particularly the so-called antisocial personality, there are those who are sometimes termed “psychopaths.” These individuals have both severe abnormal personality traits and marked deviant behavior, yet often appear very normal and totally in control of the situation. They are usually clever, charming and able to manipulate others well, while underneath they remain totally self-centered, ruthless and seemingly lacking in feelings or remorse. They are also characterized by impulsiveness, a need for excitement, a lack of responsibility, and frequent deceit and lying. Left to themselves, such individuals often end up living a life of crime of one sort or another, covering the whole spectrum from such things as fraud and embezzlement to violence, robbery and cold-blooded murder.
All of this has its roots in sin which has affected the individual in a very severe way, aggravated in many cases by an upbringing and a society that now fails to control the outward manifestations of it. In the past, the effects of stable family life, firm discipline and Christian principles in society tended to control such behavior, at least to a large extent, but the past two decades have witnessed such a moral declension in Western countries that there has been a marked increase in serious crime. More than this, such crimes are being committed by children at an ever younger age, and we are seeing children under the age of ten who seem capable of the sort of mindless violence that once was seen only in hardened adult criminals. We are saddened by all this but should not be surprised, for when man gives up God, God may give up man to experience the full effect of what he has chosen.
Adding to the problem is the public’s fascination with such behavior, for evil is naturally alluring to our old, sinful self. A newspaper article described it as follows:
“From mild naughtiness to vicious criminality, the performance of bad deeds is something the rest of the population evidently wants to know about. This is one way to explain why the psychopath, that personification of remorseless evildoing, has such an established place in the public consciousness. We’re all psychopaths under the skin.”
Such an individual and our response to him/her bring out both the effect of the fall on us as creatures of Adam, and willful sin. Doubtless the psychopath is genetically predisposed to his bad personality structure, but then his will takes that tendency and allows it to act in open sin. Some would say that these individuals have been born without a conscience, since they seem to feel no regret or remorse for their terrible acts. This is not true, for man acquired a conscience (the knowledge of good and evil) when Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The real root of the problem is found in Psalm 53:11<<To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David.>> The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 53:1): “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Man’s conscience needs light to function properly, and if God and His claims are rejected, then man behaves as if there were no God. Another has remarked most aptly concerning this verse:
“The secret of this course is old too. ... All the path of the wicked comes from this. For him God is not. Faith does not exist, and God is not seen. This is the secret of all error in practice and in human reasoning. The more we examine the whole course of human action, the faults of us Christians, the various wanderings of philosophy, the more we shall find that no God is at the root of all. Here it is the case that the conscience takes no notice of God. The heart has no desire after Him, and the will works as if there were none. Man says so (that there is no God) in his heart. Why should he say it? Because his conscience tells him there is one. His will would not have one, and, as God is not seen in His workings, will sees only what it will. God is set aside, and the whole conduct is under the will’s influence, as if no God existed.”
The increasing tolerance and even admiration by others of some of these traits has serious implications indeed, if the Lord should leave us here a little longer. While the personality and behavior of the so-called psychopath may be extreme, we must remember the solemn words of Scripture, “As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man” (Proverbs 27:1919As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. (Proverbs 27:19)). The newspaper article expressed it well when it commented that we are all psychopaths under the skin. The “perilous times” spoken of in 2 Timothy 3 and in which we are now living will, no doubt, see an increasing prevalence of such sinful behavior and will culminate in complete anarchy after the church has been called home.
While we may deplore such awful exhibitions of man’s sinful self as we are witnessing today, let us remember that, as the writer quoted above says, the secret of all error in us, even as believers, is that we think and act independently of God. May we be kept close to Him who not only made us, but has sent His Son “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:44Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: (Galatians 1:4)). We have been morally delivered from it now; soon we will be bodily delivered from it, at the Lord’s coming. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:2020He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20))!
W. J. Prost
December 2006