A serious question

Logos · Post by **Logos** » Fri 2 January 2004 5:46 pm

I have a serious question here, and I hope that no one mocks it. Is it possible to sell your soul to the devil? The reason why I ask is that I have heard stories where people have allegedly sold their soul to the devil. I was wondering if there is any truth to it.

Seraphim Reeves · Post by **Seraphim Reeves** » Fri 2 January 2004 6:00 pm

logos,

I have a serious question here, and I hope that no one mocks it. Is it possible to sell your soul to the devil? The reason why I ask is that I have heard stories where people have allegedly sold their soul to the devil. I was wondering if there is any truth to it.

I wouldn't mock your question, for there is nothing humorous about it.

Obviously, if someone were to try to "sell their soul" to the devil, they'd be giving an open invitation to him to destroy their lives, offering their hearts for a stooping perch for his "friends" as it were. Whether someone would ever be delivered from such a state by the grace of God (typically via an excorcism of some kind), is something we could only hope for.

However, there is no "deal" we can broker with the devil that is valid. He has no right to you, no ownership over anyone. Thus, if someone did such a foolish and sinful thing as barter a deal with satan, they are not somehow "beyond redemption." No one is, on this side of the grave. But the salvation of such a person is greatly imperilled, I would imagine. It's not something to play around with, nor anything pertaining to the occult.

Seraphim

away · Post by **away** » Sun 4 January 2004 3:03 am

He cant buy and you cant sell, only God owns what he made. All the devils has is lies. There is no substance to any of them.

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Sun 4 January 2004 1:37 pm

I guess, you sort of can, though it's nothing as formal as what you might hear about. You "sell" yourself to the devil when you "sell out" God and a Christian life. Basically, when you turn yourself away from God you are selling yourself into the slavery of sin, of which the Devil is sort of the leader of (though even the devil is a slave himself--just perhaps the most independent and powerful slave among the slaves). I don't think you can "make a deal" with the devil, though. I think that everything is based not on your relationship with the devil, but with God. John 3:16-19 seems to be saying that... those who sell themselves into slavery do so because they have rejected the light--one need not consciously accept the Devil as popularly thought of to in actuality leave God's grace. The Devil, after all, can change himself into the form of an Angel of light... we need to be very careful

OrthodoxyOrDeath · Post by **OrthodoxyOrDeath** » Mon 5 January 2004 12:28 pm

What I have been told by our priest is that one cannot sell their soul to the Devil since he doesn't have the power yet to own it. But you can be "selling it".

As Blessed Theophan the Recluse says, it is possible for a demon to posses or act from within the heart of an unbaptized person, whereas all they can do is act from the outside to tempt those who are baptized.

A person "selling their soul" to the devil does not sell their soul, rather he rolls out the red carpet to the demons to act on him and have a very strong influence over him - sometimes even possession. They delight in this.

Barring possession however, you always have freedom to fight. And the best way to fight is to starve the passions, especially the ones which afflict you the most. The demons would love to have you believe you are theirs, so that you give up the fight and fall into despair.

But there is always hope as long as there is a battlefield.