Christians and Halloween

Growing up in a small mid-western town, I loved Halloween. Dressing up as a favorite superhero or monster, putting one of those ridiculous flat plastic masks on my face with an elastic string—so I couldn’t see or breathe—then walking around the streets in the dark—seems like a good idea. Packs of tiny demons, ghosts, vampires and comic book characters going up to houses and declaring an ultimatum like little sugar junkies. “Give us a handful of candy or we’ll do some minor vandalism to your property. Your choice buddy. Trick or Treat.” I looked forward to Halloween all year long.

And I had been a Christian for a while before I ran into the anti-Halloweeners. People who thought all that scary monster devil stuff is a sin. That Halloween is some kind of forbidden occult, demonic thing—Christians shouldn’t have anything to do with it. We should either turn off the porch light and not answer the door. Which, I don’t know, doesn’t sound like followers of the guy who said to be the light of the world, and if anyone knocks He would open the door. Or, some people would Jesus Juke Halloween night by giving out Gospel pamphlets instead of candy. Answer the door and be like, “Oh, what have we here? A little prostitot and a baby demon. Isn’t that special. Here’s a piece of paper with John 3:16 on it. Now, get off my porch—Hope you don’t go to hell.”

So what should faithful followers of Jesus do? Is Halloween just good clean fun? Or is it, at best, a guilty pleasure—and at worst, a grievous sin bordering on witchcraft and devil worship? What are we supposed to think about it?

Well, what is Halloween? Where did it come from, what does the name mean?

Halloween is an old English word that means the night before All Saints Day. Hallow is like “Hallowed be Thy name.” To hallow means to make holy, and the people who are made holy because of Jesus are called “Hallows” –what we would call “saints.” “Een” is like “evening” or “eve” and in this case it means the eve of hallows. Like Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas. Hallows-eve, Halloween is the night before All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day. English is weird but that’s where the name came from.

Halloween and All Saints Day are Christian holidays. We remember all our Christian brothers and sisters who have died and gone to be with Jesus in heaven. People who are experiencing on a whole other level what it means to be connected to Jesus Christ and His promise of resurrection from the dead, His triumph over darkness—they’re still waiting for the end of the world when Jesus comes back and everyone will be raised from the dead—but they’re actually waiting with Him. They see Him in His resurrected glory right now. So All Saints Day is a day to remember the dead in Christ and remember the hope we have that is found in Jesus. A day to celebrate that we’re not afraid of dying.

By the way, All Saints Day was created and put on November 1st as a way of baptizing a pagan holiday. The Celtic festival of Samhain was all about ancestor's ghosts and bonfires—All Saints Day was a Christian answer, a way to take the day back. When the Gospel went into pagan cultures the church would build houses of worship over the top of pagan temples—redeem the place and make it holy. Just like the Christians—who were once unholy and dead in their sin, but were made alive and redeemed—other aspects of their cultures were also redeemed and made holy. This is where most of our holidays (which is old English for holy day) this is where most of them come from. Taking things that had previously been in darkness and confusion, and redeeming them, bringing them into the light and using them for the glory of God. Just like Jesus did with all of us. It’s actually pretty wonderful.

That’s why we play songs like “Superstition” in church. Taking something that was originally offered to the world and the flesh and the devil and bringing it to church. Maybe next time we hear that song we’ll think of Jesus and how He has power over all the superstitious things of this world. That we don’t believe in any of that nonsense anymore, we believe in the Gospel. At NewChurch we’re all about redeeming culture instead of hiding from it.

Reformation Day. By the way, as a quick aside, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church on Halloween—to show that the great evils being done in the name of Jesus were demonic and the church needed to reform—this evil also needs to be taken down. That’s why October 31st is also known as Reformation Day. 

So these are days to celebrate the hope we have in Jesus. We don’t have to be afraid of death. Halloween is all about how we don’t have to be afraid of the dark. Death doesn't threaten us any more. If we’re with Jesus, then dead things can’t hurt us. All the dark things can’t hurt us anymore. This includes the devil and demons and all those things that most modern people in the west don’t even think exist.

If you’re a skeptic who doesn’t believe in all that supernatural demon stuff—that’s okay. That’s exactly what they want. They don’t want you to believe in them. They still believe in you, though. 

The thing is, you can’t really believe in Jesus without believing in the devil and demons. Like C.S. Lewis said, “Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or He was actually Lord and God” which means everything He said was true—even the stuff He said about demons. He talked about demons and the devil a lot.

One of the main things Jesus did in His ministry was cast out demons. You have to deal with that if you’re gonna believe in Jesus. One of the first things He told His disciples to do was to cast out demons in His name.

Luke 9:1-2

“One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Jesus gave them His power and authority, then sent His disciples to cast out demons and announce the kingdom of God. Listen to me—announcing the kingdom of heaven and casting out demons is the same thing. 

Jesus came to a world that was under the rule and reign of the devil. We don’t really know the chronological blow by blow of when it happened, but sometime after God created the heavens and the earth there was a rebellion in heaven led by an archangel named Lucifer—a third of the angels rose up in prideful arrogance against God and the angel armies. Lucifer, also known as the devil, and his legion of rebels were cast out of heaven and were given dominion over the earth. The devil setup the kingdoms of men with hatred and war and confusion. When Jesus said He brought the reign of God, the kingdom of heaven—that was Jesus taking His people back from the devil. 

Now this part might seem weird but demons like to live in people—they long to be attached to flesh. People think demon possession is only for the movies or some kind of made up fantasy, but it’s actually very common—you’ve never met a person that didn’t have some kind of spirit living inside them. They either have one of those ancient demon creatures, or they have the Spirit of God living in them. No one is empty. 

But you don’t have to be afraid, if you believe in Jesus, if you’re a baptized child of God, then you have been born again by the Spirit and the Holy Spirit lives in you. You no longer belong to the kingdom of this world but you have been called into the kingdom of light—the kingdom of heaven. Every baptism is also an exorcism. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

The devil was the ruler of the world until Jesus rose from the dead. Then all the kingdoms and cultures of this world were rocked to their core by the cross and the resurrection. Jesus changed everything. 

I know all this supernatural stuff might be a little hard for us to believe from our fully skeptical modern vantage point—where we don’t see stuff like this anymore except in movies. But it wasn’t always like this.

The devil and all his monstrous minions used to just go around scaring people into worshiping them. They would do all kinds of dark magic and supernatural signs—and people would be terrified, they would do whatever the demons told them to do. Human sacrifice, torture, mutilation, every kind of violent sexual perversion, whatever. It was the default state of the world in the grip of demonic sin.

But a funny thing happened after the resurrection. Jesus had taught His people how to cast out demons, how to silence the monsters, how to destroy the darkness with light.

What happens to the dark when you shine light on it? Light always wins. And the darker the dark, the less light is needed to make a big difference.

So all of a sudden, even a little child with the smallest amount of faith could send the devil packing. This is why in places where the Gospel has been preached, we don’t see a lot of supernatural demonic activity. These days, most people in the west can live their whole life and think that kind of stuff doesn’t even exist. The devil had to come up with a new strategy if he wanted to keep people in the dark, keep them worshiping him and all the false things of this world—in the new reality where the name of Jesus whispered by anyone with faith can shut him down.

Satan is real. He’s just as dedicated to holding onto his kingdom as he ever was. In our culture, he’s just under the surface of everyday life, hiding in the shadows, trying to trick us into thinking he’s not there. He wants to undermine everything God is doing in us and through us. 

But we don’t have to be afraid.

Ephesians 6:10 says

“Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

1 Peter 5:8-9 says

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith."

We’re always at war. But the war of a follower of Jesus isn’t with other people, it’s with all those demonic spirits. Ephesians 6:12 says,

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

The rulers and authorities, the cosmic powers of this present darkness—that’s what Jesus has set us free from. When it says “the heavenly places” it’s talking about anywhere the people of God who are living in the reign of heaven—anywhere we go. 

Everywhere we go there’s still evil all around us. Those spiritual forces surround us, they’re invisible, they set traps for us constantly and they rule and reign in the hearts of unbelievers. It’s why the world seems to be going crazy. This is what we’re up against. That’s the bad news. But we don’t have to be afraid. The good news is that Jesus has overcome the authorities of this world. 

The devil’s power has been limited. He is currently bound and when Jesus returns he’s gonna be thrown into the lake of fire that is prepared for him and his followers. Until then, it’s our job to keep announcing the kingdom of God—keep casting out demons. 

Back to Halloween. Remember that Satan’s root sin is pride. So, one of the best ways to send him running like a cockroach under the couch is to mock him. That's the whole point of dressing up like the devil in a ridiculous red suit with horns and a tail. That's not what he looks like, he's a fallen Archangel—I'm pretty sure he’s quite a beautiful creature. So, when we dress up our kids like an ugly red goat and say "Hey Devil, this is you!" Na na na na na!” It’s because we're not afraid of him anymore. It’s because he lost to Jesus and no longer has power over Christians. We have no fear of the demonic realm and won't be controlled by superstition! Halloween is a victory taunt.

These days, a lot of kids dress up as superheroes, so maybe the original Christian meaning of Halloween gets a little lost in popular culture. It's fine to put on a Hello Kitty costume or pretend you're Batman for the night—I don’t care—but if you really want to get into the original Halloween spirit, then you need to go a little darker. Make it a solid reminder that we are Christians and we're not afraid of the dark—we are the light that chases the shadows away.

If you really want to go for it, you ought to decorate your house like a graveyard, turn on the porch light, buy a bunch of the best candy you can afford and show the love and victory of Christ all night long by answering the door in a silly red devil suit—and instead of filling the world with doom and darkness (like the devil is trying to do all the time), on Halloween help fill it with candy and laughter.

Be part of the resistance. We are freedom fighters. James 4:7 says

"Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Be part of the resistance. Christians are free from the power of the devil because of Jesus. In our baptism we are filled with the Spirit of God, the devil is cast out. We’re born again. To believe in Jesus is to be a new creature. You are no longer under the power and dominion and authority of the devil. So don’t listen to him. Don’t listen to his lies, his promises, his tricks. Resist him. Remind him that Jesus is your Lord and he needs to get the hell out. Tell him to away. Mock him in the name of Jesus. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

Is there a literal real devil? Yes. But we don’t have to be afraid.

Are there really demons everywhere? Yes. But we don’t have to be afraid.

Should Christians celebrate Halloween? Yes. Because we don’t have to be afraid.

Jesus reigns over this fallen demonic world through His people. That means you are the ones who need to go around casting out demons by announcing the kingdom of God is here. 

Your homes and your schools and your workplaces—everywhere you go. You carry the authority of Jesus Christ with you. You are the light of the world. Cast out the darkness in the name of Jesus. If you walk into someplace that has a creepy vibe, cast out the demonic weirdness in the name of Jesus. If you wake up in the middle of the night and feel like you’re in an episode of Goosebumps, just say it out loud, “I command you nasty demons to leave at once in the name of Jesus.” 

You better be sure you know who you are in Jesus, though. It doesn’t take much faith but it does take some. If you don’t have faith in Jesus and trust His promises they’ll be the ones laughing at you. In Acts 19 there were some sons of a Jewish priest who heard about St Paul casting out demons in Jesus’ name and thought they could play exorcist, it says “But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.” I’m not trying to scare you but if you’re gonna command demons in the name of Jesus you better be sure you’re actually a baptized child of God.

WARNING TO THE BAPTIZED. And also, if you’re a baptized child of God but you live your life like an unbeliever—unfaithful, lukewarm, lazy—got all kinds of secret sins going on. You need to knock it off. Let me warn you in the most serious way I can. You are inviting demonic strongholds into your life. I’m not saying you’re gonna go to hell, but you’re asking for misery and confusion and darkness. You have to resist the devil and not give in to temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

God will provide you a way out. You are not being tempted any more than anyone else. Resist the devil and he will flee. And whatever your favorite sins are, confess them and repent, don’t invite the devil into your life. Resist temptation and live in the freedom Jesus has won for you. Your sins are forgiven because of Jesus—start living in the light, like a person who believes that and is truly thankful.

It’s scary out there but you don’t have to be afraid. The light has come. Happy Halloween. AMEN