NEIL T. ANDERSON
THE
BONDAGE BREAKER -- VICTORY OVER THE DARKNESS
Miles J. Stanford
January 1992
DR. NEIL T. ANDERSON, a former aerospace
engineer with Apollo, graduated from Talbot Theological Seminary. He is now professor of
Practical Theology there, and chairman of his department. He is also director of Freedom
in Christ Ministries, through which he conducts seminars on Spiritual Conflicts and
Counseling, which are designed to free Christians from demonization.
He has written two almost identical books, both published
in 1990: The Bondage Breaker, 247 pages, Harvest House, and Victory
Over the Darkness, 245 pages, Regal Books. Dr. Anderson's statements will be
in green italics; all emphases ours.
Some have attempted to incorporate the truths of
identification and position with Covenant or Charismatic errors. But it cannot be done,
and this material is a prime example of that fact. Tragic books--they will prove to be
harmful to the vulnerable element in the church, which is legion.
"DEMONIZATION" -- Dr. Anderson
does not utilize such terms as "possession," and "indwelt," concerning
the Christian and demons. Rather, he resorts to the less inflammatory
"demonized." By this he usually means that one or more demons are indwelling the
Christian.
Dr. C. Fred Dickason, "dean" of the demon
deliverers in our evangelical schools of higher theological learning, is professor of
Theology and chairman of the Theological Department at Moody Bible Institute. In his book,
Demon Possession and the Christian, Moody Press, 1978, he
writes:
The word "possession" implies ownership.
Actually demons own nothing. [They once invested in a herd of pigs.] The NT regards them
as squatters or invaders of territory that does not belong to them. It is much better to
use the term "demonization," or "demonized" (p. 38).
Demonization is always presented as a spirit's inhabiting
a human. It seems quite clear that we may define demonization as demon-caused passivity or
control due to a demon's residing within a person, which manifests its effects in
various physical and mental disorders and in varying degrees (p. 40).
Demonization and its erroneous theory are held by all
"deliverance" professors in our schools. Some of the better known are: Drs.
Anderson, Kwas and Louweres, at Talbot; Drs. Warner and Gruden, at Trinity; Drs. Wagner
and Kraft (plus others), at Fuller; Dr. Pennoyer, at Seattle Pacific; Dr. Niehaus, at
Gordon-Conwell; and Dr. Dickason, at Moody.
CHRISTIANS INDWELT BY DEMONS!
My first approach was to get a demon
to expose itself and then command it to come out. Usually this resulted in a great deal of
trauma for the person, and one would wonder who was the more powerful. Although progress
was made, the episode would often have to be repeated again.
Let me quickly add that demon control
does not mean ownership. In his book, What Demons Can Do to Saints (Moody
Press, 1977, p. 57), Dr. Merrill Unger writes, "The demon enters... as a squatter,
and not as an owner or a guest or as one who has a right there. But he comes in as an
intruder and as an invader and enemy. He comes in if the door is open by serious and
protracted sin."
The debate usually centers on the
question, "Is it possible for a Christian to be demon-possessed?" Perhaps we
should state the question this way, Can an evil spirit and the Holy Spirit occupy the same
space in a human life?
The god of this world occupies a place
in our atmosphere, and so does the Holy Spirit. And Satan presently has access to our
Father in heaven. So it should not be thought impossible that demons influence or
partially control the life of one in whom the Holy Spirit also dwells. If this possibility
is difficult for you to swallow, I encourage you to read Demon Possession and the
Christian, by C. Fred Dickason (Bondage, p. 173).
What if you do make provision
for the flesh by giving Satan an opportunity in your life through sin? Do we have blanket
immunity from Satan's invasion? No, that protection is conditional on our responsible
participation in God's plan for our protection. Dr. Unger writes: "Who dares assert
that a demon will not invade the life of a believer in which the Holy Spirit has been
grieved by serious and persistent sin and quenched by flagrant disobedience?" (What
Demons Can Do to Saints, p. 52) (Bondage, p. 180).
You (Christian) realize that you have
been an unwitting target for Satan's temptation, accusation, deception, and control. You
have been irresponsible by not resisting Satan as you should. You wonder, "Am I
doomed in my dilemma? I have left the door open for Satan, and he has taken advantage of
my spiritual passivity. Can I get him out of the places he has wormed into?"
(Bondage, p. 181).
EXCISE ADAM; INSERT SATAN -- When Dr.
Anderson enters the non-doctrinal, "experiential" realm of demons indwelling
Christians, his error becomes limitless. Eradicating the Old Adam, he often substitutes
the Old Serpent.
They (many Christians) berate
themselves and punish themselves for not having the willpower to break a bad habit, when
instead they should be resisting Satan in an area where he has obviously robbed
them of control. Anything bad which you cannot stop doing, or anything good which you
cannot make yourself do, could be an area of demonic control (Bondage, p. 179).
Paul gives us the scriptural answer to this demonic
syndrome: "For the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that
I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I but (Adamic) sin that dwelleth in
me" (Romans 7:19,20).
Dr. Anderson has Satan and his evil spirits replacing
Adamic lust, and the God-given conscience. But James wrote, "Every man is tempted (or
tested) when he is drawn away of his own (Adamic) lust, and enticed" (1:14). The
apostle John stated, "And they who heard it, being convicted by their own
conscience..." (8:9).
Knowing the nature of God and
His ways will help you discern evil spirits. If a little voice inside you is pushing you
to act impulsively, luring you into temptation [James
said it is one's own lust] or accusing you relentlessly [faithful God-given conscience] , it is
not the voice of God. The more you walk in step with Jesus and learn of Him, the better
prepared you will be to recognize Satan's deception and discern his strategy (Darkness, p.
106).
SATANIC DIVERSION -- The believer is
diverted into error when he is taught that the Adamic Old Man is eradicated, and that
Satan and his demons are the source of much of his failure. The indwelling Adam is of the
earth, earthy (1 Corinthians 15:47); his worldliness comes naturally, and he requires no
assistance from either Satan or demons.
Satan and his demons are involved in
trying to distract you from your walk of faith by peppering your mind with his attempts to
establish negative, worldly patterns of thought in your mind which will in turn produce
negative, worldly patterns of behavior (Darkness, p. 159).
Requiring much time, the Holy Spirit nurtures the growing
believer from immaturity to maturity. Defeats are a vital part of His processing for
growth. Understanding and benefiting from one's identity in Christ comes after many
years. During the walk of spiritual childhood, the member of the Body of Christ is not
"destroyed" for lack of knowledge!
Shelley was a Christian long
before she audited my (demonology) course. But her walk of faith had been stymied by the
archenemy of faith: a mind plagued by demon suggestion. She was a child of God all
right, but she was a defeated child of God, the unwitting victim of the Deceiver. She
didn't [yet] understand
her identity in Christ and was being "destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea
4:6) (Darkness, p. 156).
ADAM, OR SATAN? -- There are built-in
penalties for eradicating Adam. Paul would not instruct the believer to count himself to
have died unto sin if the Adamic source of sin had been eradicated. Dr. Anderson has
eradicated Adam, and again substituted Satan.
"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of (Adamic) sin" (John
8:34). And Paul said, "Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are whom ye obey, whether of (Adamic) sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness" (Romans 6:16).
It is possible for the believer to be
filled with Satanic deception or filled by the Spirit. To whichever source you yield, by
that source you shall be filled and controlled. When you allow Satan to deceive you in any
area of your life, you are vulnerable to his control in that area (Bondage, p. 178).
How is the believer to gain the all-important knowledge of
the true nature of the indwelling Old Man, if Satan and his demons are given all the
"credit"? How about carnal church members, here?:
Lies come from the father of lies:
Satan himself. Deceiving spirits had circulated a lie about Dick in an attempt to destroy
the congregation's confidence in God (Bondage, p. 133).
And how about "good ol' self," here?:
Instead of realizing that their
minds are being prepared by the fiery darts of the enemy, they think the problem is their
own fault. "If those evil thoughts are mine, what kind of a person am I?" they
wonder. So they end up condemning themselves while the enemy continues his attack
unchecked. [Even Pogo knew who the enemy was!] I see about 65 percent of all Christians living at this level of
spiritual conflict (Bondage, p. 107).
ERADICATION -- A victim of one-naturism,
Dr. Anderson is unable to understand that Romans 6:1-10 is positional truth. The
old man of Romans 6:6 has been positionally crucified, but he erroneously deduces
that it is actually crucified, destroyed, dead and gone. (Not 'til the Rapture,
brother.) You know Adam is in there, characteristically sinful as ever. You should
acknowledge him, and not place the blame on Satan or a demon.
You had a sinful nature before your
conversion (Bondage, p. 45).
Your old self--the sinner--and your
old nature--characterized by sin which was inevitable since you were separated from
God--are gone forever (Darkness, p. 77).
Then you get a new skipper--a new Old
Man. The Old Man no longer has any authority over us; he is gone--completely out of the
picture (Darkness, P. 78).
As a child of God, a saint, you are no
longer under the authority of your old Old Man. He is dead, buried, gone forever
(Darkness, p. 79).
ANYTHING BUT ADAM! -- Having eradicated
the fleshly Adam, Dr. Anderson is forced to create a "flesh" of his own
psychological making. But fallen Adam, comfortably ensconced within, is naturally
fleshly--he has no need of "learning," "environmental influences,"
"memory traces," "training," "conditioning," or
"habits." He does not have a pre-programmed propensity to sin; he is the
personification of sin, its indwelling source, in toto! For the one-naturist,
however, it is "anything but Adam"! If these eradicationists would adhere to the
scriptural doctrine of the two men--the two Adams--all of their irrational maneuvering
would be eradicated instead.
FLESH?
This learned independence from
God is referred to in Scripture as the flesh (Bondage, p. 43).
Your flesh, that part of you which was
trained to live independently from God before you met Christ, did not die.... You
still have memories, habits, conditioned responses, and thought patterns ingrained in your
brain which prompt you to focus on your own interests (Bondage, p. 45).
When we were born again we
became spiritually alive, but our flesh, that collection of ingrained, self-centered
habits and patterns which we learned when we were spiritually dead, remains. [Dr. MacArthur's erroneous term for all this is "the old
graveclothes. "] (Bondage, p. 126) .
While you were serving under it,
your old self trained and conditioned your actions, reactions, emotional responses,
thought patterns, memories and habits in a part of your brain called "the flesh"
[So that's where it is!]
(Darkness, p. 79).
During the years you spent
separated from God, your worldly experiences thoroughly programmed your brain with
thought patterns, memory traces, responses and habits which were alien to God. [Is not Adam the proto alien?] So, even
though your Old Skipper is gone, your flesh remains in opposition to God as a
pre-programmed propensity to sin (Darkness, p. 80).
HUMANISTIC ENVIRONMENTALISM --
Adam created and controls his own environment, both moral and material. Ask any
environmentalist!
You may still act independently of God
by responding to the mind-set, patterns and habits ingrained in you by the world you lived
in (Darkness, p. 81).
You were born physically alive and
spiritually dead in a hostile world. Before you came to Christ, all your stimulation came
from this environment. Every day you lived in this environment you were influenced by it
and pre-conditioned to conform to it (Darkness, p. 161).
When you became a Christian your sins
were washed away, but your predisposition to think and behave a certain way, which you
developed as you adjusted to your environment, remained ingrained in your flesh (Darkness,
p. 162).
BONDAGE -- All bondage was judicially
broken via our identification with Christ's death unto sin on the Cross. By faith in that
fact, we are to count ourselves to have died unto sin, and to be now alive unto God in
Christ above (Romans 6:11).
How are strongholds destroyed?
Patterns of negative thinking and behavior are learned, and they can be unlearned
through disciplined Bible study and counseling. Some strongholds are anchored in demonic
influences and spiritual conflicts from past and present mental assaults which lock their
victims in bondage (Bondage, p. 54).
I love my heavenly Father and I want
to be in harmony with Him, so I strive to obey Him (Darkness, p. 62).
So where should you place your effort
in the process of spiritual growth and maturity? The only thing you can do is improve the
harmony of your relationship with God through your diligent [self] efforts to obey Him (Darkness, p.
62).
... As long as she continues to
believe God and live in harmony with Him by obeying His commandments (Darkness, p. 62).
Romans 8:13 says that this is the Spirit's
responsibility--"but if ye, through the Spirit...." More legal
myopia:
Getting rid of the old self was God's
responsibility, but rendering the flesh and its deeds inoperative is our responsibility
(Romans 8:13) (Darkness p. 81) .
WRONG ADAM -- Dr. Anderson would point us
in the wrong direction, to the wrong Adam. God does not turn back--the Cross did not bring
reformation, but re-creation. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old
(Adamic) things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2
Corinthians 5:17).
The first Adam's relationship to God was Creator/created,
and subject to death--which occurred. He was on probation. The believer is re-created in
the uncreated Christ, the Last Adam, thereby in eternal birth/blood relationship
with the Father. Not Adamic life from God, but born into the life of God the
Son--the Christ-life. (And of course not on probation!)
It is God's eternal plan to bring
human creation back to Himself and restore the union He enjoyed with Adam at creation
(Darkness, p. 26).
The moment you were born again your
soul came into union with God in the same way Adam was in union with God before the
fall (Darkness, p. 42).
UNAUTHORIZED "AUTHORITY" -- In
this dispensation of faith and grace, the believer neither has nor needs authority and
power over Satan. His stance is defensive: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil"--"hidden with Christ in
God" (Ephesians 6:11; Colossians 3:3).
The believer resists the defeated foe by faith in
the finished work of the Cross, where Satan experienced his finish--his total
defeat. From this faith-resistance Satan flees. "Whom resist steadfast in the
faith"; "resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (1 Peter 5:9; James
4:7).
In the soon-coming kingdom dispensation the glorified
believer will wield power and authority legitimately with Christ upon the millennial
throne, over Israel and the nations. Satan and his demons will be confined for 1,000 years
until the final judgment. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then
shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4).
People often assume that I have some
degree of success at confronting demonic powers because of my education, calling, or
strength of personality. That is not true at all. A little child and an aged grandmother
in Christ have the same authority in the spiritual world that I do (Bondage, p. 61).
If he (Satan) can deceive you into
believing that he has more power and authority than you do, you will live as if he does.
You have been given authority over the kingdom of darkness, but if you don't believe it
and exercise it, it's as if you didn't have it (Bondage, p. 61).
Your identity as a child of God and
your authority over spiritual powers are not things you are receiving or will receive at
some time in the future; you have them right now. You possess all power and authority over
the kingdom of darkness right now (Darkness, p. 66).
"I've (God) done all I'm going to
do. I defeated and disarmed Satan at the cross. I conferred all authority on you in
Christ. Now open your eyes. Realize who you are and start demonstrating the authority you
already possess" (Darkness,p. 67,68).
ERROR, IN TOTO -- The tragic fact is that
Dr. Anderson's claims concerning the indwelling of Satan or his demons in a member of the
Body of Christ are totally false--both in the matter of Scripture, and experience. This
includes the claims of the entire "deliverance" movement: Pentecostal,
Charismatic, Evangelical, Satanist.
DISPENSATIONAL FAILURE -- Because of
failure to rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), the Church is being
victimized (not demonized) by this Big Lie.
The Greek word, ekballo, "to cast out," does not
appear in the Epistles. In the Acts and the Epistles there is not one example of demon
possession of a member of the Body of Christ. Neither is there a single word of
instruction about casting demons out of a Christian.
Comprehensive instruction is given, however, as to dealing
with sin and its power--the indwelling Adamic life of flesh, the positionally
crucified "old man."
TRUE CONFESSIONS -- Despite Dr.
Anderson's adamant teaching to the contrary, there are "deliverance" leaders who
are forced to admit that there is absolutely no scriptural basis for their
"demonization" claims.
In his infamous book, What Demons Can Do to Saints
(Moody Press, 1977), the best Dr. Unger could do was to say, "Scripture nowhere
expressly declares that a believer may not be invaded by demons" (p. 88).
Dr. C. Fred Dickason is more positive about the negative.
In his Demon Possession and the Christian (Moody Press, 1978), he admits:
Can a Christian be demonized (indwelt)? In the second part
of this book we have sought evidence from biblical and theological considerations. We have
found that though there is a great deal of information to consider, and though men adduce
evidence of varying weight, we could not come to a definite conclusion (p. 149).
We recognize the lack of conclusive evidence in the Bible
on this issue and would not elevate the result to the stature of biblical evidence (p.
157).
A rather thorough examination of the biblical evidence
leads us to conclude that it neither clearly affirms nor denies the reality of
demonization of Christians. There is some weight of evidence leading toward the
affirmative. But to be fair, we must say that with biblical evidence alone, we are unable
to reach a definite or dogmatic conclusion (p. 340).
The Big Three of "demon deliverance" likewise
'fess up:
Question: "Can Christians be demonized?"
Dr. Kurt Koch -- "American
theologians say 'no,' but those of us who have had experience with the demonized
say, 'Yes."'
Question: "Is it possible for a Christian to be
demonized?"
Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis -- "Without
hesitation, Yes. For if you have proved it in your own experience, you have no
other answer to give. The fact of the possible possession of the believer is scripturally reasonable.
I can tell you of the wreckage of those who have known 'the baptism of the Spirit,' and
have been deceived through the deception of wicked spirits" (War on the Saints,
p. 69).
Question: "Does it say in the Bible that demons can
enter Christians?"
Evan Roberts (emotionally ill leader of
the Welsh Revival) -- "There is no specific instance given in Scripture that a
Christian can be possessed by demons, but the principle is there; and you understand the
principle by experience" (The Overcomer, 1912).
PRO, OR CON? -- Dr. Anderson,
"authority" on demonism, thinks that "mediums" are part pro, and part
con:
Where do mediums and spiritists get
their "amazing" information and insight? Many of them are tied into demonic
influences.... The false knowledge and direction which come from Satan through a medium is
intended to bilk you of your spiritual vitality (Bondage, p. 117).
When a New Age medium purports
to channel a person from the past into the present, realize that it is nothing more [!] than a familiar spirit or the
fraudulent work of a con artist (Bondage, p. 122). [Which,
doctor?]
SATANISTS -- Once he gives the medium
credit, he has to extend the same bad credit to the so-called Satanists. Error is
merciless as it lashes its victims, high-placed or otherwise, on to utter foolishness.
This shameful folly includes his exercising his purported "all power and
authority" over non-existent demons in members of the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ!
They (Satanists) contacted Harry (his
convert) and agreed to stop the demonic mental assault on him if he would sign an
agreement not to share his testimony again as he has in our church. Harry signed the
agreement, and I haven't heard from him since (Bondage, p. 114).
Satanists meet from 12:00 to 3: 00
a.m. , and part of their ritual is to summon and send demons. Three in the morning
is prime time for demon activity, and if you have awakened at that time it may be that you
have been targeted. I have been targeted by demons numerous times (Bondage, p. 102).
STORY LINE -- Charismatics are prone to
tell "stories" (testimonies) in an effort to bolster their lack of reality, to
say nothing of their lack of doctrinal foundations. There has to be a constant
"upgrading." Peter Wagner's story of his wife, Doris, and the "demon"
in her bedroom with the "luminous green eyes," is no longer adequate.
What is one to think of the emotional and spiritual
stability and integrity of leaders, even faculty professors responsible for the spiritual
instruction of our young people, who teach and publish these "lying wonders"?
Not to mention the editors and publishers who make them available to Christians,
young and old! The following brief "story" by Dr. Anderson could either be a
common charismatic lie, or he could actually think that it was as he depicts. Either
way....
I was prepared to speak in chapel
(Biola) on the topic of deliverance and evangelism, in which I would expose some of the
strategies of Satan in these areas. Early that morning I rose and showered before my wife
and children were awake.
When I stepped out of the shower
I found several strange symbols traced on the fogged-up mirror. I didn't do it, and
Joanne, Heidi, and Karl were still asleep; they hadn't done it either. [Trace invisible markings on the mirror with your finger, any time prior
to your hot shower]. I wiped the markings off the mirror,
suspicious that someone was flinging darts at me to dissuade me from my chapel message.
I went down to eat breakfast
alone, and as I was sitting in the kitchen, suddenly I felt a slight pain on my hand that
made me flinch. I looked down and saw what appeared to be two little bite-marks on my
hand. [From whom did that "demon" purloin
those tiny tushes?]
"Is that your best
shot?" I said aloud to the powers of darkness attacking me. Do you think symbols on
the mirror and a little bite are going to keep me from giving my message in chapel today?
Get out of here." The nuisance left, and my message in chapel went off without a
hitch (Darkness, p. 86). [But there was a hitch, brother!]
Oh, but wait! DeVern Fromke's new book is soon to be
released, and he has included some "stories" that will make Oral and Richard
cringe. Over twenty years ago I wrote that DeVern had gone charismatic (Tri-S No. 2,
p. 23) . He has always felt badly handled thereby, insisting that he is ministering
to charismatics. He has a class composed of charismatic pastors in Indianapolis, at
present.
The question in all this is, just who has been ministering
to whom? DeVern's coming book includes "stories" with a new dimension, and he
has "checked" them out, too....
TEXTUAL TORTURE -- Dr. Anderson replaces
the law here, with his obsession, Satan. In an unmistakable context of law, Galatians 5:1
states: "Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free,
and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
If we give in to Satan's accusations,
temptations, and deceptions, we can be influenced by Satan's wishes (Gal. 5:1). Freedom in
Christ from demonic deception and interference is the inheritance of every believer (Gal.
5:1) (Bondage, p. 185).
PRO-TONGUES
I am not against spiritual gifts, even
prophecy and tongues. I am committed to obey Scripture, and 1 Corinthians 14:39 says,
"Desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues" (Bondage,
p. 168).
IMAGINE!
Do away with fruitless fantasy. To
imagine yourself doing things without ever doing anything is dangerous. You will lose
touch with reality. But if you imagine yourself obeying the truth, you can motivate
yourself toward productive living--as long as you follow through by doing what you imagine
(Darkness, p. 171).
EULOGIZATION -- Dr. Robert L. Saucy,
professor of Systematic Theology at Talbot School of Theology, says of The Bondage
Breaker:
Written by one actively
involved in the battle for lives, this SOLIDLY BIBLICAL WORK reminds us that our spiritual
struggle involves more than sinful desires and psychological disorders. Evil spirit powers
are waging war against us, often undetected. DR. ANDERSON UNMASKS their deceptive
influence in our lives and guides us in the practical use of God's means and provisions
for victory.
On the back cover of Victory Over the Darkness,
Dr. Saucy writes:
A much-needed book for everyone who longs for spiritual
growth--even more, joyous spiritual victory--in a dark world.
In his Acknowledgements, in Victory Over the Darkness,
Dr. Anderson reciprocates in kind:
I am grateful for the excellent
faculty at Biola University/Talbot School of Theology, where I have had the privilege of
teaching for over seven years. Special thanks to Dr. Robert Saucy, who has been my mentor,
friend and favorite theologian (p. 6).
In his Acknowledgements, in The Bondage Breaker,
Dr. Anderson writes:
I'm so grateful to my students at
Talbot School of Theology who constantly challenge me to stay true to my deepest
commitment: biblical truth. No person helps me more in this area than my dear colleague,
Dr. Robert Saucy. Bob, you have been my rudder (and sometimes my anchor when I was tempted
to proceed without due reflection) in the sea of spiritual conflicts. I'm indebted to you.
To top things off, or to bottom things out, the back cover
of The Bondage Breaker includes the following hard-to-believe accolade:
Very few books strike the reader as a permanent classic
and an essential tool for the Christian life and ministry. This is one of them! The book
is one of the most important volumes for the believer that I have read in a long time...
filled with biblical understanding concerning most questions of the Christian life in
terms of victory and deliverance from sinful attitudes, habits, and lifestyles. --Dr.
David Hocking
(Senior Pastor of Calvary Church of Santa Ana, California;
Radio Bible Teacher on the nationwide Biola Hour broadcast.)
Also see: NEIL T. ANDERSON - SETTING
YOUR CHURCH FREE -- LIVING FREE IN CHRIST |