How interested are Christians supposed to be in the spirit world?
How Interested Should Christians Be in the Spirit World?
A Biblical and Baptist-Theological Reflection on Spiritual Awareness
The short answer: Christians should be deeply and rightly interested in the spirit world. Scripture makes it clear that the spiritual realm is not only real but central to the believer’s identity, relationship with God, and warfare in this fallen world. However, that interest must be grounded in Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, and guarded against deception.
1. Man Is a Spiritual Being
God created man with a body, soul, and spirit, making him unique in all of creation. The apostle Paul prayed accordingly:
First Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 23:
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The spiritual component of man is essential for communion with God. However, because of the Fall, the human spirit is dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), like a deflated balloon—lifeless until regenerated by the Holy Spirit through the new birth.
Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
When a sinner repents and places his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells him, quickens his spirit, and enables him to walk with God.
First Corinthians chapter 6, verse 19:
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"
2. God Is Spirit, and Must Be Known Spiritually
John chapter 4, verse 24:
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
God is not known through the flesh, emotion, or intellect alone. He is Spirit, and He reveals Himself by His Spirit to the spirits of those who are born again.
Romans chapter 8, verse 16:
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."
The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14), which is why Christians must learn to live by the Spirit.
Galatians chapter 5, verse 16:
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
Galatians chapter 5, verse 25:
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Walking by the Spirit includes discerning the Lord’s leading, resisting the flesh, and rejecting counterfeit spiritual experiences.
3. The Spiritual Realm Includes Both Good and Evil
While the Holy Spirit is the only Spirit we are to welcome and obey, there are many other spirits—demonic and deceptive—who operate in the same realm. Scripture is clear that the spiritual realm includes fallen angels, deceiving spirits, and principalities of darkness.
Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Second Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 through 5:
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
There is an invisible war being waged at all times, and the believer must be vigilant.
First Peter chapter 5, verse 8:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
4. Not All Spiritual Activity Is of God
There is a deadly trend in our day where people claim to be "spiritual" but have no relationship with the God of Scripture. This is not new.
Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 4:
"Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."
Being interested in “the spirit world” apart from the Word of God and the Spirit of God is not harmless curiosity—it is rebellion and idolatry. This includes witchcraft, New Age mysticism, spiritism, or any channeling of “energies.” The story of the seven sons of Sceva demonstrates the danger of dabbling in spiritual matters without being born again and clothed in Christ’s authority.
Acts chapter 19, verses 13 through 16:
"Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, 'We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.' Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?' Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."
Only those who are sealed with the Holy Spirit and clothed in the armor of God can wage spiritual warfare rightly.
5. Our Engagement Must Be Grounded in the Word and Spirit
Second Corinthians chapter 2, verse 11:
"Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices."
First John chapter 4, verse 4:
"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 11:
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
The believer’s interest in the spirit world must not be passive or speculative—it must be active, Scripture-saturated, and Christ-centered. Our task is not to explore spiritual mysteries for entertainment, but to walk in victory, equipped to discern truth from error, and to glorify the Triune God.
Conclusion: Right Interest in the Spirit World Honors God
To ignore the spiritual realm is to ignore a large portion of the Bible and the Christian life. Yet to obsess over the demonic is to shift our focus away from Christ. The balanced, biblical view is this:
Know that God is Spirit (John 4:24), and that we are spiritual beings made to walk with Him.
Know that spiritual warfare is real, and we are called to stand equipped (Ephesians 6:13–18).
Know that the Holy Spirit is our power, teacher, and comforter (John 14:26).
Know that no spirit, no force, and no demon can overpower the believer who abides in Christ.
Isaiah chapter 54, verse 17:
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord."
So yes, the Christian must be interested in the spirit world—but not from curiosity or superstition. Our interest should be one of warfare, worship, and walk, driven by truth and empowered by the Spirit of God.
