Daily Bread - DEC/08/07

1 John 2:27 - And the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as He has taught you, abide in Him.

We know that it is the Holy Spirit who has come to teach us all things. He has come to lead us and guide us into all truth and to take everything that belongs to our Lord Jesus and the Father and reveal it to us (John 16:13). However, John replaces the expected "Spirit" or "Holy Spirit" with the word "anointing." He uses a very specialized Old Testament word for anointing (chrisma) that is only found here in 1 John 2:20, 27. In the Old Testament this Greek word is specifically used to describe the anointing oil that was applied to priest and kings to consecrate them for the enduement of power to accomplish their purpose (Exodus 29:7; 30:25; 28:41; 1 Samuel 10:1). Thus John highlights that we have been given a special enduement of power that enables us to know all of those things that the Holy Spirit desires to teach us. Through this special anointing we have been endued with the knowledge of God so that we may know the truth and we may also know how to abide in Christ.

In this passage John emphasizes that we are the anointed of the Lord. The oil of anointing that earmarked the one who was anointed priest, king or prophet in the Old Testament is now upon those who have received the Anointed One, Christ Jesus. So in the midst of all of the turmoil and adversity John reminds the church who they are, the anointed ones! Everyone who has been endued with the Anointed One (christos-Christ) are the anointed (chrisma) of the Lord (Galatians 3:27; Colossians 1:28). As a result we can do all things through the Anointed One who strengthens us, because we have received His anointing (Philippians 4:13). We have been anointed to be His church, His representatives, His brethren, the sons of God, the people of God, to manifest His glory, to do His works, to do greater works, to be a royal priesthood, to be filled with the Spirit, to be the habitation of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the offspring of God, to possess the divine nature, to be more than conquerors, to be victorious in all things, to destroy the works of the devil, to be strengthen with the power of His might, to know those things which are freely given to us of God, to see what eye has not seen, to hear what ear has not heard, to understand that which has never entered into the thoughts of man, to know the breadth, length, the depth, the height, to do all things, to know all things, to be filled with the fullness of God and to function in the measureless ability of His power.

Be blessed,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org