“What is a witch? What is the definition of witchcraft?”

July/August 2024 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: What is a witch? What is the definition of witchcraft? If a man is a tripartite being of body, soul, and spirit, what part of the person is defiled by the devil? In 2 Corinthians 7:1, there is an insinuation for the spirit to be cleansed: can a man’s spirit be defiled? 

ANSWER: A witch in Scripture is a man or woman who is a medium, who has or works with a familiar spirit (in other words, a demon) to practice magic, usually black magic. Such a person is often referred to as a sorcerer or sorceress. Witchcraft is to use magical formulas or incantations or to practice sorcery to bring about a desired result, most generally a wicked one. A witch may attempt to communicate with people who have died, and the demon spirits may impersonate such persons and do things that are normally impossible. Satan is a most powerful being. We do not know the extent of his power, but we do know that God is infinitely greater. The book of Job clearly shows that God sets limits on Satan’s wicked plans and activities (1:9-12, 2:4-6).

Satan entered the garden of Eden in the guise of a serpent (Gen. 3) soon after God placed man in this delightful place. He succeeded in leading mankind into sin, and as a result every human being today is born in sin. Throughout human history, Satan and his demons in their enmity against God have often seduced human beings, the tripartite creatures whom God placed at the head of His creation, and to each of whom He has given a spirit whereby they can and should worship Him. Satan seeks worship for himself. He even wickedly attempted to get Jesus, God the Son here on earth as Man, to worship him! Our holy Lord Jesus Christ used the Scripture to defeat him completely (Mt. 4:8-10).

Scripture repeatedly exposes such attempts of Satan to deceive and delude mankind and warns against witchcraft of any kind. The wicked prophet Balaam tried to curse the nation God had called out for Himself, Israel, but God protected His people against this fiendish onslaught (Num. 22–24). He had earlier protected His people against Jannes and Jambres, the magicians of Egypt (2 Tim. 3:8). They could imitate some of the miracles God had Moses do, but were stymied when it came to creating life.

God commanded His earthly people to put every witch – sorcerer, medium, person with a familiar spirit – to death (Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:31, 20:6-7,27). At the end of their journey through the wilderness, God repeated this command in Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (NKJV):

When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire; or anyone who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium … or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you.

Sad to say, Israel was not faithful to obey this command of the LORD. In 1 Samuel 28, King Saul, who had earlier cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land, sought out and went to a woman at En Dor who was such and asked her to bring up Samuel from the dead. The woman was shocked when she saw the spirit of Samuel coming up, for these people cannot really bring up the spirits of the dead. Instead, they communicate with spirits which pose as persons who have died – “lying spirits” God’s Word calls them (1 Ki. 22:22-23). Years later, King Manasseh of Judah also sinned in the way of King Saul (2 Chr. 33:6). A study of the prophets will show that God spoke against this wickedness through His servants again and again.

Our Lord Jesus, when He was here on earth, not only resisted Satan’s temptations with the Word of God but also cast out demons whenever He encountered demon-possessed persons. Usually He did not even allow the demons to speak. He gave His disciples and others whom He sent out power over demons also (Lk. 9:1, 10:17; Acts 5:16). We find Paul using this power in Acts 16:18.

The Epistles make plain the Christians are not to fellowship with those who worship idols. In worshiping idols the worshiper is not really worshiping the statues, images, icons or pictures he sees, but he is actually worshiping the demons behind these objects. The believer who takes part at the Lord’s Table is not to be partaking at the table of demons by partaking of food or drink offered to idols (1 Cor. 10:14-22). This will defile him. Scripture does not say that only one part of his essential tripartite being is defiled: he is defiled. It is the case through what he eats, looks at, listens to, or the persons with whom he joins himself in fornication, marriage, business partnership, political or religious fellowship – any kind of unequal yoke into which the person has entered. That a believer is not to be unequally linked together with an unbeliever is the plain teaching of 2 Corinthians 6:11–7:1 and other passages, such as 1 Corinthians 6:13-20.

The Lord has not instructed Christians – as He did His earthly people, Israel – to kill witches. Throughout history, many people in their zeal, and sometimes for other baser reasons, have killed or otherwise mistreated old people or even children whom they accused of being witches. Thank God, He does not desire the death of a sinner. Instead, by God’s grace even witches, slaves of Satan, have come to the Lord Jesus and have been set free from his domination.

Today, separation from evil is what God calls for, whether for an individual or a company of believers commonly referred to as a “church.” First Corinthians 5–6 insists on this in matters of morality, while 2 Timothy 2:19-22 does similarly in doctrinal matters and in our associations. May the Lord help us who are Christians not to associate ourselves with anything or anyone contrary to Him, the Holy One whose name we bear! Romans 16:19 tells us unequivocally that we should “be wise in what is good and simple concerning evil.” Let’s not become involved in the study of things that defile, lest we, like others who have even written books on such subjects, become trapped in these evil things that have a way of fascinating human minds. Colossians 2 is a chapter that is very helpful to read and to heed in connection with these things.

It is a tremendous encouragement to know that our Lord Jesus Christ has triumphed over Satan, completely defeating him at Calvary. Romans 16:20 encourages us by telling us that God will soon cause us to share in the victory that Christ has already won.

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.