Can a person sell his or her soul to the devil?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Scripture does not teach that people can “sell” their souls to the Devil. However, Satan is the “ruler” and “god” of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4). He holds power (1 John 5:19) to influence both unbelievers and believers with his deceit and false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1; Acts 16:16-19) as well as scheme and carry out spiritual attacks (1 Peter 5:8-9). We can resist Satan’s deceit by hiding God’s Word in our heart (Psalm 119:11) and putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11). When we use God’s Word as our weapon, Satan will have no choice but to flee from us (James 4:7). We must be especially on guard against false teachings in the church, as it is all too easy to tolerate or even follow those who directly contradict the teachings of the Bible like some did in the church of Thyatira in Revelation 2:20. Taking all this into account, we can find peace knowing our souls cannot be sold to Satan—and no temptation can overtake us, either (1 Corinthians 10:13).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Psalm 119:11 says: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” The best guard against the devil’s schemes is to have God’s Word hidden in our heart so that we are prepared to shut down the lies of the enemy.
• The book of Job shows that Satan seeks to harm us and get us to turn against God (Job 1:9-11, 2:4-5). Like Job, we can stand firm against Satan’s attacks.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Satan has always been a deceiver and continues to use his demons to orchestrate deceit in the lives of people today. Jesus referred to Satan as the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30).
• Nowhere in Scripture do we see people selling their soul to the devil, but we do see people influenced by evil spirits. In Acts 16:16-19, a young woman was controlled by an evil spirit of divination, but Paul cast the spirit out of her by the power of Jesus.
• We should not fear our souls being bought by the devil. On the contrary, as believers, we can rest assured that there is no temptation that can overpower us (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• Paul called the devil "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan has much power, so we should be on guard against the world’s false doctrines.
• Christians must be prepared for spiritual warfare: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).
• In this world, there are “doctrines of demons” from which people will be led astray. We must know God’s truth well enough to be able to discern these lies (1 Timothy 4:1).
• People cooperate with the devil when they sin by giving into his temptations. God challenges His followers to "resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7) just as Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
• The Devil and his schemes influence the lost, but also believers. First Peter 5:8-9 teaches, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith."
• First John 5:19 says, "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." While Satan cannot “buy souls” he has power to try to influence unbelievers down the road to hell.
• An example of false teachings impacting a church in satanic ways include Revelation 2:20 in which Jesus calls out the church of Thyatira’s toleration of woman whom He calls “Jezebel” who “calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” While we cannot sell our soul to Satan, this passage reveals we can certainly be susceptible to his lies through false teachers. In turn, we can greatly sin against God—even in His own church.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The Bible does not record any person selling his or her soul to the devil nor hint that doing so is a possibility. Unlike the popular tale of Dr. Faustus in which the title character sells his soul for twenty-four years in exchange for supernatural power, no person in Scripture makes such a deal with Satan. But what about those who claim to have sold their soul to the devil? A person may make a sincere commitment to perform some duty for Satan in exchange for something in return, but this does not make it true. Satan is called a liar and father of lies (John 8:44) precisely because he uses deception of many kinds to lead people to sin—both unbelievers and believers. The Bible teaches all people have sinned and stand in need of God's grace and salvation (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:8-9). As believers in Christ, we must be alert to the Devil’s deception and be watchful, resistant, and firm in faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). Only through diligent commitment can those with God's Spirit stay strong against the temptation of the evil one.

UNDERSTAND

• People cannot sell their soul to the devil.
• Satan is the ruler of this world and he can and does deceive many.
• Believers can resist Satan’s schemes by putting on the “whole armor of God.”

REFLECT

• When have you felt under attack by Satan, and how did you resist that attack?
• What spiritual disciplines do you have in place to prepare for spiritual attacks?
• How can you support others who are under satanic attack?

ENGAGE

• How can Christians best dispel myths about Satan to communicate the real danger he poses?
• In what ways might Satan attempt to deceive believers today, and how can we discern these lies using Scripture?
• How can we encourage and equip one another to resist the devil and remain firm in faith amidst the schemes of the enemy?