Unfounded faith only leads to confusion. Even demons have some kind of faith, but obviously no saving faith (Jas 2:19). In 1 Corinthians 13:1, Paul compares impressive faith experiences, devoid of love, to sounding brass and a clanging cymbal, both used in pagan cultic rituals and processions in Paul’s days, to demand the attention of their gods. So, when faith, gifts, or signs become ends in themselves, they are no better than magic. Even faith that leads to miracles can be worthless, for faith without proper works means nothing (see 1 Cor 13:2; Jas 2:26).

In Acts 8, a sorcerer named Simon fully believed in miracles (he was even baptized) but his heart was full of darkness. Only faith that includes the cleansing of the heart pleases God (Acts 15:9).

Biblical faith is based on the revelation and will of God. While we may respond to God's general revelation with general faith, specific faith is a response to God’s specific will. A sick person, for example, can generally believe that ultimately God will make all things new, including his sick body (Rev 21:5; Phil 3:21). But God is also at work here and now. He could know by specific revelation that God is willing to release him into healing at a certain moment (Acts 4:30; 14:9).

Throughout Scripture, God's miracles always have a primary cause—God’s intervention—but there is often also a secondary instrumental cause of human prayers and/or personal acts of faith. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he asked for a commission to walk to him. Jesus’ specific command enabled Peter to do it, as long as he kept his faith by focusing on Jesus (Matt 14:28-31).

Paul links faith with obedience (Rom 1:5; 16:26). When God commanded Moses to stretch out his staff over the Red Sea, his faith was evidenced by his obedience. Moses’ act was successful because he was mandated, even if he could have some inner hesitation or doubt. But if he had tried to do such things without God’s mandate, even a full inner assurance would be to no avail.

Different Challenges

Faith can bring deliverance from danger or safety in the midst of the danger. The faith of young believers faces different challenges from that of more mature Christians. The first may worry whether God can deliver from difficulties. Though mature believers may realize God’s ability to deliver, their challenge may be to trust God’s wisdom anyway (see Hab 3:17–18).

In an example from the workplace, a job applicant’s total belief in the prospective employer may convince the interviewer to give him the job. But if a longer-term employee’s performance begins to slacken, the boss will not be impressed by any claims to still have full faith in the company; the boss will expect such a faith to be translated into dedication.

Easily digested milk is for babies, but solid food is for adults (Heb 5:13–14). Jesus’ disciples first saw his glory in the miracle of wine at a wedding in Cana. Yet, in the end, many of them would glorify God through suffering and martyrdom (John 21:19).

In Luke 22:51, Jesus healed the severe injury of Malchus who arrested him. But after his resurrection, Jesus did not prevent Stephen’s death by injuries, nor did he make the natural healing process unnecessary for the injuries of Paul and Silas at Philippi (Acts 7:29; 16:33). Whatever the reason for these differences, there is no indication it was because of Malchus’ strong faith versus a lack of faith of the latter.

Genuine Faith is God-Centered

God fulfills his promises according to his wisdom.[1] The promise to Abraham (to be a blessing for all nations) was not his own invention, to come true by his own faith efforts. It originated with God, and Abraham believed him. Other great examples of faith include Moses, Joshua, David, and Elijah, whose faith and prayers were not ways of achieving personal aims, but means of relying on God's faithfulness and wisdom. And even armed with specific guidance, they had to await God’s timing for the fulfillment—just as we should today.

Biblical faith reassures that God will intervene as we trust him, and leaves how he will intervene up to him (Heb 11:32–38). To claim God's promises, we should seek his kingdom—his rule—first (Mat 6:33). Genuine faith is not merely about self-interest. It even provides the strength to set selfish dreams aside, while inspiring us to long for God’s rule.^[2]

Serving God or Using God?

In the early church, magic and sorcery were seen as demonic signs. It was motivated by self-interest; not "thy will be done,” but "my will be done". Its supporters did not question the source of the supernatural power, as long as the desired results were achieved.^[3] Pagans put those who performed it on a pedestal.

In Galatians 5:20, Paul called on believers to break with sorcery, or to avoid using spiritual means to manipulate or control. Genuine faith is a fruit of God's Spirit (Gal 5:22), as opposed to a kind of faith that springs from, and is carried by, human passion and selfishness (i.e., Spirit versus flesh).

The major difference between magic and genuine faith is the practitioner’s attitude and claims to activate or channel special powers, often through ritual connections. Genuine faith can also include rituals such as baptism, communion, and anointing with oil. But unlike the magicians’ disinterest in the source of their power, our faith charges us to expect everything from the Holy Spirit.^[4]  Early Christianity was alert to this and recognized the danger of counterfeit miracles in their midst. Church father Origen noted that the difference between Christ and magicians was that the works of the latter did not include a call to moral transformation, or to live in light of God’s judgment.^[5] 

Since rituals or outward actions are not essentially magic, we must keep in mind the fundamental differences. Second Kings 5:11 notes Naaman’s objection to bathing seven times in the Jordan to be healed of leprosy, for he had expected some ritual or laying on of hands. But God had something else in mind, and Naaman got a lesson in humility.

Jesus’ miracles honored the Father. His miracles reflected his moral teachings and his coming kingdom—which should apply to all rituals. Water baptism is not a technique to activate power; it is an act which 1 Peter 3:21 describes as an answer of a good conscience toward God. Participating in communion is to remind us of Jesus’ sufferings rather than to fulfill personal objectives. Being anointed with oil by the elders has to do with the prayer of faith and the confession of sins (Jas 5:14). And the bleeding woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment was healed, not just because of touching the hem. Luke mentions her faith as the explanation for the miracle (Luke 8:48).

The sign of the cross and the picture of a fish were acceptable signs in the early church, as long as they merely represented a confession. [6] Fixating on methods can draw us toward superstitious rituals.^[7]  Even the use of Jesus’ name can become an empty ritual (Acts 19:13). Expelling demons in his name should be done in trusting Jesus to act as we intervene according to his will.

For protection against evil spirits, Jewish exorcists wore belt-boxes containing texts from the Torah. During the first centuries, a similar mixture of magic and faith crept into the church,[8] despite that Jesus did not use rituals in delivering demonized people.^[9]  This should alert us to test all church history practices in light of Scripture.

Irenaeus, another church father, complained about enchanters who tried to gain power over demons, and wrote that the true casting out of demons should be done “with selfless motives, in the power of God and in light of truth.” ^[10]  Other leaders agreed that authentic deliverances never resulted from mere formulas,^[11] but only when Jesus Christ’s power confronted the demons, affirming that he himself was still present and still ministering.[12] Short-term effects were not decisive. Athanasius (296–373) mentioned that while non-Christians may exorcise demons, only Christians could thoroughly banish them.[13] In light of the preceding points, we may formulate the main characteristics of insidious forms of magic.

Faith contaminated by magical thinking:

• strongly emphasizes own desires,
• engenders superficial feelings of emotional enthusiasm,
• offers prayers that are biased, demanding, and flippant,
• is centered on self-empowerment,
• emphasizes the thrill of the moment,
• places the spotlight on the “gift(s)” or titles of those who minister,
• creates a continuing dependence on people with prominent gifts or ministries,
• strives for reproducible methods,
• emphasizes symbolic acts, superstitions, and suggests special meanings of signs and events,
• makes associations between natural and spiritual events, based on personal impressions,
• is maintained by human techniques (marketing, puffed up testimonies),
• is often accompanied by greed and love of money,
• produces effects that do not relate to any sanctifying influence,
• is intolerant of reasonable criticism,
• nourishes pride,
• is desired as a tool for power.

 Conversely, authentic faith has following characteristics:

• Its central theme is to seek God’s will and obey his word,
• It recognizes the nature of sin, seeks sanctification (see Num 20:12),
• Prayers are balanced, not just claiming or demanding,
• It is conscious that all genuine spiritual power belongs to the Holy Spirit,
• It focuses on long-term results,
• The minister prefers to remain in the background to allow God to get all the glory,
• It acknowledges God, as revealed in the Bible, as the only source,
• No fixed methods; sole dependence on the living God,
• Jesus Christ, the only Deliverer,
• Jesus’ death and resurrection is the only way of salvation,
• It expresses serenity; God's Spirit is more important than publicity,
• It does not put much emphasis on money; recognizes greed as evil,
• It promotes the worshipping of God in awe,
• It is confirmed by the deep peace of God,
• It is open for review and helpful criticism,
• It nourishes humility,
• It educates us to trust a powerful God.

Paul’s Aprons

In Acts 19, healings and deliverances related to Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons may raise questions, for evil spirits left after contact with these objects. Yet, it underscores God's omnipotence and sovereignty to use any means that he chooses. Paul and the other apostles never adopted this as a normal deliverance method,  despite ancient myths that claimed a person’s clothes could transmit his power.  The Bible records several occasions when clothes were used in special ways, but also emphasizes that faith in God was behind it (2 Kgs 2:8; Mark 6:56; Luke 8:44).

By using Paul’s clothes, God showed the Ephesians his superiority against their sorceries. In a superstitious environment where pagans claimed special powers related to enchanted objects,  God used unenchanted, everyday items with phenomenal results, just as he did when Aaron met Pharaoh. Aaron turned his staff into a snake, and Pharaoh’s magicians did the very same thing, but Aaron’s snake then swallowed those of the magicians. And consider Elijah in his conflict with the priests of Baal. Their god was “specialized” in fertility, rain, and lightning, but God showed his supremacy, even over their domain.

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[1] “In the true prayer of faith, the person concerned submits completely to the will of God. In white magic the idea is to compel God to act. With true prayer God is really involved, whereas in white magic the name of God is used only by way of a technical formula. Genuine prayer is inspired by the Holy Spirit.” Koch, 'Between Christ and Satan', 76.

[2] “The NT miracles of Jesus have no connection with magic, or with magic means and processes, like the majority of miracles outside the NT.… It is not the knowledge of magic media and formula, but the personal relationship between God and Jesus on the one side and Jesus and men on the other side which works the miracle with no magic compulsion. … In this faith the believer shares in the rule of God and therefore, either actively or passively, experiences miraculous power. Here we have the uniqueness of the NT miracles.” W. Grundmann, TDNT II, 15.

[3] Ferguson, 'Backgrounds of Early Christianity', 227–235.

[4] “Faith ... means confidence in the character of the one trusted, rather than confidence in the outcome of the procedure initiated. It is the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.” John White, 'Demon Possession', 296.

[5] Origen, 'Contra Celsum', 1:68.

[6] Stauffer, 'New Testament Theology', 149.

[7] “A ritualistic approach to overcoming demons seems to have inherent weakness of playing the devil’s game by the devil’s rules. It may be true that demons are subject to complex symbolic and ritualistic laws, but the Christian’s authority does not spring from a manipulation of them (ritual being at best a ‘figure of truth’) but from the very fountain of authority. To depend on rituals for the exercise of power is to depend on magic.” John White, 'Demon Possession', ed. Montgomery, 296.

[8] “By the late second century ... Jesus was also depicted in some circles as more magician than savior.” Albert A. Bell, 'Exploring the New Testament World' (Nashville: T. Nelson, 1998), 131.

[9] William W. Everts, “Jesus Christ, No Exorcist,” 'Bibliotheca Sacra', 356–57.

[10] Irenaeus, 'Adv. Haereses', 2.31.2–3.

[11] Twelftree, 'Christ Triumphant', 183–85.

[12] “Jesus was not simply the archetypal exorcist now dead whose example lived on to inspire, but he himself was thought to be still ministering to the sick through his followers.... “Wonders and signs” are attributed variously to the Spirit of God, the name of Jesus and the hand of the Lord.” James Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit, 170.

[13] See Andrew Daunton-Fear, ed. William K. Kay and Robin Parry. 'Exorcism & Deliverance: Multi-Disciplinary Studies' (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2011), 27.

Bruno Sebrechts is a counselor and Bible teacher with over twenty-five years of pastoral experience. He saw God at work, especially in the healing/deliverance of the most damaged believers. His writings are the result of his extensive experience and continuous study. See www.LightInOurDarkness.net