Of course, there is debate rather (whether?) Christians are ever commanded to cast out demons and it is factual that demonic possession was only seen in unbelievers. As to know if someone is demon possessed, we only have the few cases in scriptures which seem to be quite easy to Jesus, the apostles or the Jewish exocists spot but not really told what as the reader what defines demon possession.
Regardless every possession was in a unbeliever.
But these ministers teach that these occur in believers and even though we are delivered in salvation we may not be fully delivered to live out all of God's promises or gifts.
(Parentheses mine)
Hi, Roughsoul1991.
First of all, "demon possession" really isn't the best translation of the word "daimonizomai" which appears 13 times in the underlying Greek of the New Testament.
In the KJV, which is the Bible version that I regularly use, this underlying Greek word is translated as "possessed with devils" 4 times (Matt. 4:24, 8:16, 28, Mark 1:31), as "possessed with the devil" 3 times (Mark 5:15, 16, 18), as "possessed of the devils" 2 times (Matt. 8:33, Luke 8:36), and as "possessed with a devil" 2 times (Matt. 9:32, 12:22).
This accounts for 11 of its 13 usages in the New Testament, but I believe that the other two usages best bring out the meaning of the word "daimonizomai" which is translated as "vexed with a devil" in Matthew 15:22 and translated as "hath a devil" in John 10:21.
In other words, "possessed" denotes ownership, and if we simply look at some of the accounts of so-called "demon possession" in scripture, then it becomes quite apparent that the "demon" or "demons" didn't truly "possess" the individual. Instead, they vexed, afflicted, or influenced certain parts of the person's physical body or psyche. I'll cite an example of this reality in a moment, but first let me say that your statements concerning demon possession always being in an unbeliever are patently false.
I'm not blaming you as the originator of such a false teaching because it has abounded in many so-called "Christian circles" for years, but it really is a belief that you'll need to forsake yourself based upon such scriptural evidence as I'm about to provide for you now and in consequent posts.
Let's start with the words of Jesus Christ himself:
Matthew chapter 15
[
21] Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
[
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.
[
24] But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
[
25] Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
[
26] But he answered and said,
It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
[
27] And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
[
28] Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Again:
Mark chapter 7
[
24] And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.
[
25] For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
[
26] The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
[
27] But Jesus said unto her,
Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
[
28] And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
[
29] And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
[
30] And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
The first thing that we need to recognize from these parallel accounts in Matthew's and Mark's gospels is that Jesus Christ referred to deliverance (which is what this woman was seeking from him for her daughter) as "the children's bread", and NOT as "the unbeliever's bread".
We also need to recognize that this woman obviously believed in Jesus herself. I mean, she called him "Lord" (Matt. 15:22, 25, 27, Mark 7:28), she called him "thou Son of David" (Matt. 15:22) which is a Messianic title, she "worshipped him" (Matt. 15:25), and Jesus commended her by saying unto her "great is thy faith" (Matt. 15:28). Granted, she was there in proxy for her daughter, but she was definitely a believer in Jesus Christ who was seeking after "the children's bread" for her daughter.
We also need to recognize that Matthew's gospel says that her daughter was "vexed with a devil" (Matt. 15:22), which, again, is the English translation of the underlying Greek word "daimonizomai" that is elsewhere translated as "possessed with a devil", whereas Mark's gospel says that her daughter "had an unclean spirit" which is the English translation of the underlying Greek phrase "echō akathartos pneuma".
My point?
This girl obviously wasn't "possessed", as in "owned" by the devil, but rather vexed by an unclean spirit.
I'll stop here and allow you to comment on what I've said so far before addressing any of the other instances of so-called "demon possession" that we read of in scripture.