The Anointing That You Received

“I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” (1 John 2:26-29 ESV)

“The anointing” is not something talked about much these days, at least not that I am aware of. So I looked the word up in a Greek interlinear, and I learned that the word “anointing” refers “to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, guiding the receptive believer into fullness of God’s preferred-will. This anointing functions through faith (pístis), i.e. God inwardly persuading the believer of His preferences.” And what God prefers is all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to him.

For, when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, and we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to righteousness, the Holy Spirit of God comes to live within us and to guide us into all truth, and to teach, encourage, warn, counsel, empower, and instruct us in the ways of righteousness and in holy living. Now God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, dwells within those of us of true faith in Christ.

[Mk 13:11; Lu 2:26; Lu 4:18-19; Lu 10:21; Lu 12:11-12; Jn 14:26; Jn 15:26; Jn 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2; Acts 20:23; Rom 8:9,14; 1 Co 2:14-16; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 12:1-31; Rom 12:1-8; Eph 4:1-16, etc.]

Yet, when this says that, since the anointing that we received from him abides in us, that we have no need that anyone should teach us, this is not doing away with the spiritual gift of teaching or the need for us, as the body of Christ, to instruct and to teach one another. Otherwise we would not be given those gifts of the Spirit, and we would not be instructed in the Scriptures that we are to instruct and encourage and exhort one another, and that we are to speak the truth in love, one to the other, too.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

What I believe this is teaching us is that we now have the Holy Spirit living within us teaching us, if we are willing to be taught by him, and if we will listen to him and obey him. For we now have the Word dwelling within us. But we must still test whatever we hear against the Scriptures, in their full context, to make certain that “the spirit” that we are listening to is the Holy Spirit and not another spirit which may be trying to influence us in any particular direction. But it is the Holy Spirit who enlightens us to all truth.

And in order that we not be deceived by other human beings who are trying to teach us the Word of God, we must be listening to the Holy Spirit, and we must test all that we hear or read against the teachings of the Scriptures in their full context. For many false teachers are among us who take Scriptures out of context, and who twist them to make them say what they do not say if taught in their appropriate context. And this is trickery that is widely being used today in order to deceive those who are lacking in biblical knowledge.

And now, we who believe in Jesus Christ with God-persuaded faith in him must abide in him. And to abide in Christ is to live in him, and him in us, and it is to continue in him, and to keep on walking in obedience to his commands, and to keep on in holy living, and in denying self and dying daily to sin. And it is for us to surrender our lives and our wills to the will of God for our lives, and to submit to God’s will and purpose for our lives in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God.

For the grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works, the good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them as his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10).

So, faith in Jesus Christ, that is genuine God-persuaded faith, denies self, dies daily to sin, and follows Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in practice, though not necessarily in absolute perfection. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God. For if sin is what we practice, we will die in our sins (Luke 9:23-26).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Only in Him  

An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face. 

https://vimeo.com/87181019