What New Testament teachings align with Deuteronomy 18:11's warnings? The Old Warning Revisited “...one who casts spells, or who consults a medium or spiritist, or one who inquires of the dead.” (Deuteronomy 18:11) Israel was told to steer clear of every practice that pursued supernatural power apart from the Lord. The New Testament keeps that same line in place—only now the spotlight shines even brighter. Jesus Confronts the Darkness • Jesus never dabbled in forbidden arts; He drove them out. • Mark 1:34—“He drove out many demons…” • Luke 11:20—“If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” The message is clear: anything sourced in demons is incompatible with the kingdom He brings. Early Church Showdowns • Acts 8:9-24—Simon the sorcerer’s power is exposed as counterfeit, and he is urged to repent. • Acts 13:6-12—Paul calls Elymas the magician “a son of the devil.” • Acts 19:18-19—Believers in Ephesus burn their occult scrolls: “Many who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.” The Spirit-led response to occult involvement is renunciation, not accommodation. Explicit Apostolic Lists • Galatians 5:19-21—“idolatry and sorcery” sit among the “works of the flesh.” Those who practice them “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” • Revelation 21:8—“the sorcerers…will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” • Revelation 22:15—“Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers…” The apostles treat sorcery just as Moses did: it is detestable, dangerous, and destiny-shaping. Behind the Prohibition • 1 Corinthians 10:20-21—Pagan sacrifices involve “demons, not God,” and believers must not “partake of the table of demons.” • 1 Timothy 4:1—“some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons.” • James 3:15—worldly “wisdom” can be “demonic.” Anything that taps spiritual power apart from Christ inevitably taps into demonic influence. Living the Positive Alternative • Ephesians 5:11—“Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” • Galatians 5:22-23—seek the Spirit’s fruit, not forbidden power. • Philippians 4:8—fill the mind with what is “true… honorable… pure.” God’s people don’t need secret knowledge or mystical shortcuts. In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). Staying close to Him guards us from every counterfeit. |
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