In 1 Corinthians Paul explains why Christians should have nothing to do with idol worship or believing in such things. In Bible times people believed demons to be lesser gods who could be worshipped to stop problems coming into their lives. They therefore made models of demons, which were the same as idols, and worshipped them. This explains why Paul uses the words “demon” and “idol” almost interchangeably in his letter: “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons…if anyone says to you, ‘This was offered to idols,’ do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you…” (1 Corinthians 10:20,28). So idols and demons are effectively the same. Notice how Paul says they sacrificed “to demons (idols) and not to God”—the demons were not God, and as there is only one God, it follows that demons have no real power at all, they are not gods. The point is really driven home in 1 Corinthians 8:4: “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol (equivalent to a demon) is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one”. An idol, or a demon, has no existence at all. There is only one true God, or power, in the world. Paul goes on (vv. 5,6): “For even if there are so-called gods… (as there are many gods and many lords, [just as people believe in many types of demons today—one demon causing you to lose your job, another causing your wife to leave you, etc.]) yet for us [the true believers] there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things [both good and bad, as we have seen from the earlier references]”. Galatians 4:8,9 says the same thing when translated properly. Paul challenges the Galatians: “You who were enslaved to those who were not really gods… How can you turn back again to those weak and beggarly spirits (stoicheia), whose slaves you want to be once more?” (Galatians 4:8,9). Here he parallels demonic spirits with “gods who are not really gods”. But note how Paul argues [under Divine inspiration]—“even if there are” such demons/idols… for us there is to be only one God whom we fear and worship. This in fact is a continuation of the Psalmists’ attitude. Time and again the gods/idols of the pagan nations are addressed as if they exist, but are ordered to bow down in shame before Yahweh of Israel (Psalms 29:1,2,10; 97:7). Whether they exist or not becomes irrelevant before the fact that they are powerless before the one true God—and therefore it is He whom we should fear, trusting that He alone engages with our lives for our eternal good in the end. “Yahweh is a great King above all gods” (Psalms 95:3) shows the Divine style—rather than overly stressing that the gods/idols/demons don’t exist, the one true God isn’t so primitive. Neither were the authors and singers of Psalms 95. The greatness of His Kingship is what’s focused upon—not the demerits and non-existence of other gods. To do so would be altogether too primitive for the one true God. And likewise with the Lord’s miracles—God’s gracious power to save was demonstrated, this was where the focus was; and its very magnitude shows the relative non-existence of “demons”.
Further proof that people in New Testament times believed demons to be idols or “gods” is found in Acts 17:16-18; this describes how Paul preached in Athens, which was a “city given over to idols”, therefore worshipping many different idols. After hearing Paul preach the Gospel, the people said: “‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign (i.e. new) gods (demons)’ because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection”. So the people thought that Jesus and the resurrection were new demons or idols that were being explained to them. Paul goes on to teach the truth to these people, and in v. 22 he says: “You are very religious” (literally: devoted to demon worship). He explains how God is not present in their demons, or idols. Remember that God is the only source of power. If He is not in demons, then demons do not have any power because there is no other source of power in this universe—i.e. they do not exist.
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Author: Duncan Heaster
Keywords: demons, demons idols, idols
Bible reference(s): 1 Corinthians 10:20-21, Psalms 106:36-38, Psalms 96:5, 1 Samuel 12:21
Source: “The Real Devil A Biblical Exploration.”
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.