In preparing for my Bible study last week, I was told to get ready for the question, “Why do demons possess people but angels don’t?” Wow! I was not expecting to be dealing with a question like that! How do you answer that? There’s nothing in Scripture that says, “This is why demons possess people but angels don’t.” Ultimately, we know that demons are fallen angels (Revelation 12:3-4) so angels should be able to do the same thing demons do.

I poured over Scripture for the week leading up to the study trying to find something that would help answer the question to no success. I then started theorizing and doing some biblical theology and logic, as well as bouncing my ideas off the other pastors on the staff at church. I think at the very core of the issue is the aim of angels and demons. Angels whole aim and purpose is to please and glorify God. God created humans with a free will in order to chose him or chose yourself, worshiping yourself and making yourself a “god” instead of worshiping the one true God. Because angels want to please and glorify God they will respect and honor his creation, they do not want to impose their will on us because that is ungodly.

The picture above is a good picture of this. Jesus stands at the door and knocks, but the door handle is only on the other side. Jesus won’t impose himself upon you because he wants you to freely worship and praise him! (There are some exceptions, think of Paul in Acts 9) The angels follow Christ in this, not imposing their wills on His creation. Fallen angels, or demons, attempt to destroy God’s creation and invert the way God intended creation to be made.

Christians are also to be in dwelt by the Holy Spirit. As the songs says, “There’s a God shaped hole in all of us” that we attempt to fill with our own little gods. Demons try to fill this hole as well but can never satisfy us like God can.

It’s also interesting to note that Christians who try to manipulate others to get them to do their will are acting in a demonic fashion. Are there some things that you need to let go of in order to stop hindering God’s work in someone’s life?

(HT: Dr. Heth)