What is the transference of spirits? Dr. Alex W. Ness's answer
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In short: Transference of spirits is the biblical observation that a spirit, godly or ungodly, can pass from one person to another through close association. Dr. Alex W. Ness's book Transference of Spirits traces the phenomenon through Scripture, explains its psychology and root causes, and shows how a believer can discern it and stand protected in Christ.
Where the idea comes from
The phrase is not a chapter heading in the Bible, but the thing it describes is on nearly every page. Moses lays hands on Joshua and Joshua is "full of the spirit of wisdom" (Deuteronomy 34:9). Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah's spirit and receives it (2 Kings 2). God takes of the spirit that is on Moses and puts it on seventy elders (Numbers 11). On the darker side, Saul's jealousy spreads to his servants, Jezebel's spirit drives a nation, and Paul warns the Corinthians that "evil company corrupts good habits" (1 Corinthians 15:33). In each case a disposition moves from one person to others. That movement is what Dr. Ness calls the transference of spirits.
What Dr. Ness means by the term
Dr. Alex W. Ness (1921 to 1996) was a Canadian Bible teacher who taught pastors in more than 100 countries, and the book grew out of what he saw in that ministry. He uses "spirit" in the broad biblical sense: an attitude, a disposition, an influence, and sometimes a personal spirit being. His argument is that these are contagious. A critical spirit in one leader spreads through a church. A spirit of faith in one believer lifts a whole prayer meeting. Because the mechanism is the same in both directions, the subject is not only a warning but an encouragement: the right associations transfer the right things.
How transference happens
The book identifies the ordinary channels: close association and friendship, authority and submission, the laying on of hands, teaching, and the atmosphere of a home or a congregation. None of these is bad in itself. Each is a channel, and what flows through it depends on the source. This is why Scripture is careful about who lays hands on whom (1 Timothy 5:22) and why Paul could say "follow me as I follow Christ".
Discerning it
Dr. Ness gives practical tests. Does the influence draw you toward Christ or away from Him? Does it produce the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh? Is it accompanied by truth or by flattery and pressure? Has your own attitude changed since a particular association began? The book is full of case illustrations from his travels, which is what makes it readable where many books on the subject are either abstract or sensational.
The believer's protection
The last part of the book is about standing. The believer is not a passive victim of whatever spirit happens to be in the room. Submission to God, resistance to the devil (James 4:7), the renewing of the mind, and deliberate choice of fellowship are the means by which a Christian transfers the Spirit of Christ to others rather than absorbing what is around them.
Where to read it
Transference of Spirits is a 155-page paperback, first published in 1981 and kept in print by Moriah Publications, which holds the exclusive rights to Dr. Ness's books. New copies come only from Moriah Publications; the copies on AbeBooks, ThriftBooks and eBay are secondhand earlier printings.
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Frequently asked
Is transference of spirits a biblical term?
The exact phrase is not in the Bible, but the Bible repeatedly describes spirits and dispositions passing between people, from Moses to Joshua, Elijah to Elisha, and in warnings about bad company. The term summarises that pattern.
Is the book only about evil spirits?
No. Dr. Ness treats both directions. The same channels that spread a wrong spirit spread the Spirit of Christ, so much of the book is about becoming a source of the right transference.
Who should read Transference of Spirits?
Pastors and counsellors, believers who sense an influence they cannot explain, and anyone who wants a scriptural rather than sensational treatment of the subject.
Where can I buy a new copy?
From Moriah Publications, the official publisher and only source of new copies. It ships from Canada.