Do Christians have the authority to rebuke the devil?
Do Christians have the authority to rebuke the devil?
Answer
Some Christians believe they not only have the authority to rebuke the devil but called to be about the business of continually rebuking him. There is no biblical basis for such a belief. Satan, unlike God, is not omnipresent. He can only be in one place at a time, and the likelihood of his personally harassing individual Christians is miniscule. Of course, he has legions of demons who do his bidding, and they are everywhere seeking to destroy believers’ testimonies. It should be noted here that the Christian cannot be possessed by a demon in the same way people in the Bible are described as being possessed.
As Christians, we are aware of the reality of evil. As we struggle to st and firm in our faith, we realize that our enemies are not merely human ideas but spiritual forces that come from the personal powers of darkness. The Bible says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
God allows Satan a significant amount of power and influence over the earth, at least for now. Yet Satan is always under God’s sovereign control. The Bible tells us that Satan prowls around like a lion in search of prey (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is the power at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God (Ephesians 2:2). Those who are not born again by the Holy Spirit of God are under the power of the devil (Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Christians are no longer enslaved to Satan or to sin (Romans 6:6–7), but this does not mean we are immune to the temptations that he puts before us.
The Bible does not give Christians the authority to rebuke the devil but the power to resist him. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Zechariah 3:2 tells us that it is the Lord who rebukes Satan. Even Michael, one of the most powerful of the holy angels, did not dare accuse Satan, but rather said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9). In response to Satan’s attacks, a Christian should appeal to Christ and trust that the Lord will defeat the forces of evil.
It is not necessary for a Christian to rebuke Satan or to address him in any way. We speak to God, not to demons because God is the one who must help us. He has already given us His armor (see Ephesians 6:10–18), including the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. When Christ was tempted by Satan, He answered each time with Scripture (see Matthew 4:1–11). The Lord put the sword of the Spirit to good use and left us an example to do the same.