Is it true that all deliverance and inner healing happened when we got saved and became a new creation in Christ, and so there is no need for this after we get saved? What does the Bible teach about this?
There is of course a vital truth in believing who you are in Christ, and this must be part of the deliverance. But Jesus also said that believers shall cast out demons, see Mark 16:17, Matthew 10:1, 8, Mark 3: 15, 6:7, Lk 9:1, 10:19. Jesus himself cast out many demons (Mt 4:24, 8:16, 32, 9:33, 12:22, 15:22-28, Mk 1:23-27, 34, 5:8, 7:29, 9:25, Lk 4:35, 6:18, 7:21, 8:2, 27-36, 9:42,11:14, 13:12) and believers did the same (Acts . 8:7, 16:17, 19:12). The question might be, who is this aimed at? There is little point in casting demons out of a non-Christian, as the demons will return unless the person immediately repents. Most non-Christians have demons and unless a person gets deliverance when or after they get saved these can remain, and that’s why Jesus told us to cast out demons. Yes, ideally demons should be cast out as soon as the person gets saved, but the fact is that, mainly due to inadequate teaching and lack of experience of most Christians in casting out demons, most people do not receive deliverance immediately they get saved and therefore still need deliverance later on in the Christian life. In fact, some Christians accept even more religious demons after they get saved, and if they carry on sinning then this too can allow demons to remain or additional demons to enter. As already said, believing who you are as a new creation in Christ is part of the deliverance process, and may be sufficient to bring deliverance from some demons. However, it is quite clear from Scripture and experience that, for a person who is strongly bound by demons and finds it difficult or impossible to receive freedom from God by themselves, casting demons out of that person through a word of command by another believer is usually required. That’s what body ministry is about.
Many Christians also carry hurts from the past that they need to be set free from, and this does not necessarily happen when they get saved. We can’t just bury our heads in the sand and say that the person just has to believe they are a new creation and therefore they can’t have demons or hurts anymore. Inner healing also should not dwell on the problem, but bring the solution, which is Jesus and what he has already done for us. Even after a person gets saved they can get hurt, and that is why so many scriptures tell us to forgive everyone. Having the right godly beliefs is of course a part of inner healing, but it is also not the only form of inner healing possible. But for complete inner healing we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2). Of course, like physical healing, inner healing took place through the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24) and all we need to do is receive it by faith. But with physical healing, there are things we are told to do in scripture to receive healing such as lay hands on the sick (Mk 16:18), the prayer of faith (James 5:14), confession of your faults one to another and prayer for one another (James 5:16) and speaking the Word of God (Mt 8:8). The same with inner healing, sometimes we need to forgive (Mt 6:14, 18:21, 2 Cor 2:10) and let go of bitterness (Heb 12:15) to receive it. Often inner healing and physical healing are inter-related. It is very inconsistent for some of those who believe in the finished works of Christ on the cross to not believe in inner healing, yet they believe in and pray for physical healing. Either you believe all healing, both physical and inner healing takes place through the stripes of Jesus and you receive both through faith and prayer or you don’t believe you need either physical or inner healing after you are saved. You can’t have one without the other. It seems to us like legalism to forbid people from obtaining inner healing and deliverance. We need to offer complete hope through complete deliverance and inner healing, and Jesus has given us the authority to cast out demons and bring healing to broken hearts (Luke 4:18, note that this phrase is included in the majority of NT manuscripts – refer to “http://word.spiritbodysoul.com/bible-versions/”.