“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” – Matthew 10:1 KJV

Is disease and illness always the byproduct of demon possession? Are all diseases and illnesses the result of ‘unclean spirits’? Some hold to the belief that when a person has a disease or illness that that means that person is demon possessed; and they use the Bible verse that I quoted above as evidence to support this belief.

But is this what Jesus really meant, or are these people reading meaning into His words that isn’t there? Well, while it is true that unclean spirits ‘can cause’ disease and illness, it is important to understand that not all disease and illness is the result of unclean spirits.

Keeping It in Context

Jesus used the expression, ‘unclean spirit’, three times in the Bible (Matt. 12:43; Mar. 5:8; Luk. 11:24). Each time that He used this expression He did so within the context of making a reference to a ‘demon’. Incidentally, ‘spirit’ is ‘pneuma’ in Greek, and could also mean ‘daemon’ (supernatural beings otherwise known as ‘demons’). A close reading of Jesus’ usage of this expression discloses that He spoke within the context of demons that ‘inhabit’: that is, ‘demonic possession’.

In fact, the expression ‘unclean spirit’ appears 10 times in the New Testament (Matt: 12:43; Mar. 1:23, 26; 3:30; 5:2, 8; 7:25; 8:29; 9:42; 11:24). In the plural form it likewise appears 10 times (Matt. 10:1; Mar 1:27; 3:11; 5:13; 6:7; Luk. 4:36; 6:18; Act. 5:16; 8:7; Rev. 16:13).  Moreover, there are variations of the expression which appear as follows: “spirit of an unclean devil” (Luk 4:33), and “foul spirit” (Rev. 18:2).

Having said that, whenever this expression is used in the Bible in reference to disease or people, it is used within the context of ‘possession’.

Not All Disease is the Result of Unclean Spirits

This is important to note because when Jesus used the expression ‘unclean spirit’, He didn’t mean to say that ‘all’ disease and illness is the result of demonic possession; nor does the Bible support the idea that all disease and illness is the result of ‘unclean spirits’.

If that were the case, then we certainly couldn’t exclude heart disease and the flu, or even the common cold for that matter, as being symptoms of demon possession. Of course, it wouldn’t make biblical sense to say that all disease is the result of unclean spirits anyway, because Acts 5:16 makes it clear that not all sickness is the result of unclean spirits:

“There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.” – Acts 5:16 KJV

Indeed, this verse shows us that there is a very clear distinction between those who were/are merely sick and in need of healing, and those who were/are “vexed with unclean spirits” and were therefore also in need of healing.

This demarcation is evidenced in the usage of the conjunction (and) which speaks of two groups of people: that is, those who were just simply sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits. In other words, not all who were sick were ill as a result of being possessed by ‘unclean spirits’; yet, every one of them needed healing.

Therefore not all sickness or disease is caused by ‘unclean spirits’.  It is important for us to understand this, because as mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are people who actually believe that just because a person has a disease or an illness that that means that person is possessed by a demon. As a result of this view some people who are ill or have a disease live in torment thinking that they are demon possessed when in fact they are not.

Out of Harm’s Way

Some people will even go so far as to tell people that if they take medication for their illness that they are demonstrating that they lack faith in God who has the power to cast those demons out of them and thereby heal them of their sickness.

Unfortunately, people have actually died as a result of following advice like this.  In my opinion, this is a very cruel thing to do to a person. And those who are responsible for feeding people with such ideas don’t even realize the psychological harm that they are causing as a result of it; nor do they see the danger that they are putting people in by telling them that it is evil to take medication.

Now don’t get me wrong here; I am not denying the fact that God can heal people. What I am suggesting is that we need to keep scripture in its proper context to avoid creating confusion that could cause people to develop psychological problems and even put them in harm’s way. In other words, we should be rightly dividing the Word of Truth, not reading meaning into it that the author never intended to convey (2Tim. 2:15).

After reading this article, I hope that you can see the truth on this matter.

Do you feel like your life is incomplete?  Do you feel like you have hit a dry spot in your relationship with God?  It could be possible that you have something inside if you that you need to get rid of.  Find out what it is by clicking HERE!