Walking under ladders, seeing a black cat or hearing an owl, breaking a mirror, (un)lucky number 13, horoscopes and magical objects such as water collected from a waterfall or tying string around one’s waist—these are common cultural superstitions. They are seen to bring either good or bad luck. But what do superstitions have to do with Christianity? Surely we chucked them out along with other pagan beliefs? While we may not hold to any of the above superstitions, there are some common ‘Christian superstitions’ that abound in the church. Let’s have a look at just a few.
Responding to an ‘Altar Call’ Makes You a Christian
How many times have you listened to a preacher who whips up the emotions of the congregation, culminating in an ‘altar call’? Those who respond to the call go up to the front and are encouraged to “ask Jesus into their heart.” Once they’ve done this, they’re assured that they are now Christians.
Altar calls are no guarantee of salvation.
Surely this is just an effective form of evangelism that Christians have practiced from the earliest of times? Actually, it’s quite novel, invented by Charles Finney, the controversial revivalist preacher, during the 19th century. The apostles certainly preached the gospel. And thousands responded in faith. Yet we never read of any sort of ‘altar calls.’ These are no guarantee of salvation.
How then can we be assured of our salvation in Christ? God sovereignly calls us to himself. He regenerates our hearts by his Spirit. He forgives our sins through Christ, and clothes us in his righteousness. It’s these actions of God that save us; not repeating a prayer during an altar call, or any other works of our own. We receive our salvation purely as a gift of grace from God, through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
“I Bind You, Satan!”
How many prayer meetings have you been to where some zealous prayer warrior will start with, “I bind you Satan, and every demon in this room”? I’m sure these folks are well-meaning. But we really don’t have any warrant in scripture to do such things. Speaking to demons is called divination in scripture. The Bible expressly forbids this (Leviticus 19:26). It’s odd. We criticise Roman Catholics for praying to Mary and the saints. And we correct others who pray to dead ancestors. Rightly so. Yet we don’t blink an eye when people in our churches pray to Satan!
We don’t blink an eye when people in our churches pray to Satan.
This common superstition among Christians is based on a misinterpretation of Matthew 16:19, in which Jesus speaks of binding and loosing. Nowhere in that text are Satan or demons mentioned. Instead the text is about church discipline. Those in the church who persist in sin are to be bound (removed from the fellowship); those who repent are to be loosed (restored to the fellowship).
Jesus shows us how we should pray: to our Father in heaven. To him alone. We have no need to bind Satan or his demons. There’s no need to rebuke them from our meetings. We don’t need to even fear them. The good news is that Jesus has already dealt a fatal blow to our enemies at the cross. We’re on the winning team! “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them (the powers of darkness), for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
“Out, You Lying Spirit!”
Has anyone ever “discerned” a spirit of fear, or poverty, over you and then proceeded to drive it out? Yeah, been there, done that. But is it really possible that Christians can have demons in them? It’s clear from scripture that demons exist and they can possess people. We read about Jesus and the apostles driving out demons (Matthew 8:28-34). But were these people believers when they were demon possessed? In every instance we see that this is not the case (Mark 5:1-13). Some believed in Jesus after he had released them from the power of the demons (Mark 5:19-20). But none were believers who were possessed.
If we confess Jesus as Lord, we have become a new creation. His Spirit dwells in us. We now belong to God and as his adopted children call him “Abba Father” (Romans 8:15-16). How can something that belongs to God also be inhabited by demons? It’s not only impossible but unbiblical.
Some people use demons as an excuse for their habitual sin patterns.
Some people use demons as an excuse for their habitual sin patterns, claiming that they’re unable to break free from sinful cycles because of demonic strongholds. Stop being superstitious about your sin. We continue to sin because there remains a sin nature within us. But by God’s grace, he’s forgiven our sins in Christ and is renewing us day by day with his Holy Spirit. What we need is not deliverance from demons. We need instead to be reminded of Christ’s glorious gospel every day.
Generational Curses, Among Others
Maybe you’ve been told that if your great-grandfather was an inyanga or a Freemason, you need to have a curse broken over your life. Or that because your dad committed adultery, you need the spirit of lust to be driven out of you. This kind of belief is prevalent among many Christians.
Those who argue for the existence of generational sin point to Exodus 20:5-6. There it says that God will not clear the guilty, but visits “the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” But this doesn’t describe generational sin. As in, God isn’t here cursing an innocent child for the sin of his forebears. Instead it is describing the effects of sins that are perpetuated through generations. God visits the iniquity of the children who themselves hate him. The children are as guilty for their own sins as their fathers were, and God justly punishes them for it.
Thank God that in Christ we have been set free!
Scripture repeatedly states that God is just and he only punishes those who are guilty of their own sin. Deuteronomy 24:16 says, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.” Simply put, we are not accountable for the sins of our forefathers. Further, we don’t have to live our lives in fear, wondering if we may be cursed because of our parents or theirs. Jesus already became a curse on our behalf on the cross (Galatians 3:13). Thank God that in Christ we have been set free!
The More You Give, the More God Will Bless You
You’re bound to have heard this preached from pulpits in one form or another: “Unlock God’s blessing upon your life by giving more money to the church.” God’s blessing is seen to be dependent on my actions; the more I give, the more God will bless me. Alternatively, if I don’t give enough, he’ll curse me. This is otherwise known as the prosperity gospel. It’s really no gospel at all, but pure legalism. It’s often justified by misusing texts from the Old Testament (such as Malachi 3:8-9), which were applicable for the nation of Israel, but have now been fulfilled in Christ.
God’s blessing isn’t dependent on our level of giving, but instead on his free gift of grace.
While Christians should give generously of their finances to the church as a part of our worship to God, our giving is not dependent on God blessing us or not. Instead we give cheerfully simply as a response to God’s grace in our lives (2 Corinthians 9:7-8). The good news is that God’s blessing over our lives is not dependent on our level of giving, but instead on his free gift of grace to us through Jesus Christ.
Keep the Gospel at the Centre
The Christian’s tendency to run off into superstitions happens when we lose sight of the gospel. We foster superstitious tendencies when our faith becomes about performing the right magic formula to earn God’s favour. What we need instead is to trust in Christ and his gospel.
We foster superstitions when our faith becomes about earning God’s favour.
Trust in the one who perfectly obeyed God’s law on your behalf. Trust in him who has fully paid your debt of sin through his death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. In Christ alone, God has done everything necessary for you to be reconciled in peace to him and enjoy his favour for all eternity.
Rest in Christ, in his glorious finished work, and in him who comforts weary sinners with these words, “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
