What Does the Bible Tell us About the Source of Psychic Powers?

It is our conviction that not only the history of parapsychology and the occult, but biblical teaching as well, indicates that human nature is devoid of the supernatural capacities that many psychics and occultists claim. Nowhere in the Bible is man presented as having supernatural powers that originate from his own nature, and so any truly supernatural miracles performed by men or women must originate either from a divine or a demonic source—either from God and the good angels or Satan and the fallen angels (demons).

This is why when we examine the Bible, we discover that the miracles done by believers are done entirely through the power of God or holy angels.

Which biblical prophet was able to do miracles apart from God’s power? Who were the disciples before Jesus gave them authority? Did any of them perform miracles? Even the greatest, most godly man alive, apart from Jesus, never did a single miracle (John the Baptist; Matthew 11:11, John 10:41). Likewise, the most dramatic miracle performer apart from Jesus was Moses. But Moses confessed that his power to perform miracles was not his own, but God’s alone (Exodus 3:11,20; 4:1-17). Jesus himself taught, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV).

Further, note the thrust of the following scriptures. Collectively, they imply that there is no latent psychic ability for men and women to develop.

In Acts 16:16-19 we find the story of the slave girl who had “a spirit of divination.” Significantly, when the apostle Paul cast the spirit out of the girl, she lost her psychic powers. “And it [the spirit] came out at that very moment. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.” Now if this girl’s powers were innate and natural, why did she lose them the very moment that the spirit was cast out of her? It would seem evident that the psychic powers came from the spirit, not the girl.

Moses, the greatest prophet in the Old Testament, had no power except from God. As noted, Moses openly confessed the miracles he performed were not from his own hand. God Himself spoke specifically to Moses: “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it” (Exodus 3:20; cf. Deuteronomy 34:11,12). “See that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power” (Exodus 4:21).

What was true for Moses was consistently true for every other Old Testament biblical prophet who performed miracles: Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, etc. (cf. Micah 3:8).

In the New Testament we find the same situation—apart from God the apostles had no power of their own. The apostles were “clothed with power from on high” by God the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Act 2:4,43). For example, in the healing of the lame beggar in Acts 3:12, “When Peter saw this [the people’s amazement over the miraculous healing], he replied to the people, ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?’” (emphasis added).

The apostle Paul and Barnabas reflected the same attitude. In Acts 14:11-15 we find the attempted worship of Barnabas and Paul by the crowd that had witnessed their miracles: “And when the multitudes saw what Paul had done… [they said] ‘The gods have become like men and have come down to us…’ [but Paul said] ‘Men why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you…’” In Acts 10:26 Cornelius attempted to worship Peter after seeing his miracles, but Peter responded, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” In Acts 4:29,30, Peter prayed, “Now Lord… stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders…” (NIV). In Acts 14:3, “Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.” In Acts 9:34, “And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you….’” In Acts 19:11, “And God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul…” In Romans 15:19, “In the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit… I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Jesus Himself said in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I have given you authority… over all the power of the enemy….” Further, in James 5:17: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” but when he “prayed earnestly” a miracle from God resulted. 

Similar verses declaring that divine miracles come from God and not from man are found in Genesis 41:16, Daniel 1:17,20; 2:27-30; Mark 6:7; Acts 15:12,16; 19:11; Romans 15:19; and 1 Corinthians 12:9,10,28,30.

But if the Bible is clear that men have no supernatural powers, it is just as clear that the devil does have them and that he can perform true miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

The evidence, then, would seem clear. Occultists themselves frequently admit they have no psychic abilities apart from their spirit guides. The Bible also testifies that men are without latent supernatural power and that miracles come from one of two sources: God or Satan. Finally, over a century of intensive parapsychological study has failed to produce any genuine evidence of latent psychic ability.

All of this seems to indicate that man is not the psychic and supernatural creature that many in the New Age and the modern revival of the occult claim he is.

Finally, biblical miracles are not to be equated with psychic powers, as so-called Christian parapsychologists maintain. To confuse the supernatural manifestations in Christianity and the occult is dangerous. Upon examination, the surface similarities are seen to mask contrary natures that are irreconcilable.

	Source or Origin	Purpose or Goal	Result or End Product
Biblical Miracles	God or Angels	(a) To display divine power and/or reveal or confirm divine truth (Exodus 4:5,29-31; 7:5; John 15:24; Acts 2:22)(b) To lead people to God, resulting in individual salvation (John 4:39; 10:38; 11:40-45; Acts 17:31)	To glorify God (Exodus 9:16; John 11:4, 40-42)
Psychic Powers	Satan or Demons (Acts 16:16-19)	(a) To display occult power, and/or reveal or confirm occult truth and thereby hide or counterfeit divine truth (Acts 8:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:9,10) (b) To deceive and to lead people to false gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-5) resulting in the destruction of the soul (Revelation 21:8)	To glorify man or demons to the exclusion of God (Acts 13:8-12)

1. For a fascinating study, see M. Scott Peck’s People of the Lie. Even in the category of spiritual gifts, the nature of the gift, implies a person does not possess it prior to its being given. ↑