1For I desire to have you know how greatly I struggle for you and for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. 4Now I say this that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech. 5For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
6As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, 7rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, even as you were taught, abounding in it in thanksgiving.
8Be careful that you don’t let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elemental spirits of the world, and not after Christ. 9For in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily, 10and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power. 11In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us. He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. 15Having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16Let no one therefore judge you in eating or drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day, 17which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is Christ’s. 18Let no one rob you of your prize by self-abasement and worshiping of the angels, dwelling in the things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19and not holding firmly to the Head, from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and ligaments, grows with God’s growth.
20If you died with Christ from the elemental spirits of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances, 21“Don’t handle, nor taste, nor touch” 22(all of which perish with use), according to the precepts and doctrines of men? 23These things indeed appear like wisdom in self-imposed worship, humility, and severity to the body, but aren’t of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Malevolent spirits are spoken of several times in the Bible. They are called "demons" in most Bible translations, and likely represent those beings mentioned in the New Testament who fell with Satan (Matt 25:41; Rev 12:7-9). The writings of the apostle Paul speak of such creatures, who live in the upper spiritual regions of the earth (Col 3:10), and who are our true enemies (Eph 6:12), over whom the Messiah Jesus triumphed in the cross (Col 2:15). Matthew 12:24 designates Satan as their head.
In the Old Testament, these spirits are called evil spirits, and their deeds are often used by God to accomplish His own purposes (I Kings 22:20-23), even their leader Satan (Job 1:6-12). Two instances are when God used an evil spirit to judge Abimelech for the murder of the sons of Gideon, and an evil spirit punished King Saul for his disobedience to God (1 Sam 16:14-15).
Another example of the activity of fallen angels is seen in the life and work of the prophet Daniel, as they opposed his prophetic work regarding the end time and his prophesying of it, which relates to the same time of activity at the end of the age before Messiah (Dan 10:12-14).
Rather than the term "evil spirit" the New Testament often used the term "demon," which was already used in the Greek word for a spirit who had interaction with humans. Socrates (469-399 B.C.) uses this Greek term, daimon (δαιμον) in his defense against the charge of atheism by the city fathers of Athens because he rejected the Olympian gods, claiming a personal (daimon) spirit that provided direction. This may be seen in the Apology (93, 101) and in his interaction with Euthyphro1
This Greek term for a "personal spirit" with Socrates is identified with the evil spirits in the writing of the New Testament and later literature. In the biblical texts, they control some humans to do their will, while at the same time inflict physical harm and sickness on others, as in Matthew 8:16.
During the earthly ministry of Jesus, demons were especially active. Jesus cast demons out of those who were possessed (Matt 8:16, 32; Mark 5:1-13). At times, as in Matthew 8:29-31, they acknowledged the identity of Jesus and were anticipating their future judgment. Those possessed were under the complete control of the demons, but they were subservient to the Son of God.
No evidence exists that demons were in control of the persons who were regenerated during the time of Jesus on earth or after the beginning of the church that is recorded in Acts 2. In the book of Acts, Paul encountered a servant girl who was possessed by a spirit relating to the god Apollo (Greek god of wisdom and knowledge) whose major shrine was at Delphi. After being annoyed by her for some time, the apostle cast the spirit out of her (Acts 16:16-18).
The Apostle gave teaching regarding the influence of demons (principalities and powers) and the work of Satan against Christians, but demon possession of Christians is not a subject broached by him or the other apostles. There is a discussion of the rise of demonic works in the Revelation of John that relates to the end of the present order and the coming of Christ, but not of believers being possessed by them.
What is especially important to understand is the demonic activity in the life and ministry of Jesus was in view of His coming sacrificial work on the cross, and that which is found in the revelation is in view of His coming in judgment. Though we should be wary of Satan's devices, and those of the fallen angels, we are protected by spiritual forces by the word of God, our faith, and the work of the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:10-18).
Harold North Fowler, Plato (Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Phaedrus), published by Harvard University Press, 1961. ↩︎