Mensa Otabil - The Anointing Abides In You
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1 John 2:27 — But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, just as it has been taught you, you will abide in Him.
So John is still talking about how Christians must discern truth from error, from lies, the spirit of Christ, and the spirit of the Antichrist. He speaks about the anointing which Christians have received, which we also have if we are Christians, that teaches us. He mentions that the anointing in us teaches us, and we don’t need anyone to teach us. This can be a little tricky because people can interpret it to mean that nobody else should teach them as Christians.
However, if you look at the same passage, John says the anointing that teaches you is not a lie, just as it has been taught, or it was taught to you. John is talking about two kinds of teachers: the teachers who teach you the word of God and the spirit of God teaching you the word of God at the same time. Both are complementary, and it is important to understand that God will always raise pastors and teachers to teach us the word, but the Holy Spirit also teaches us from within, especially concerning the specific actions we should take as Christians in our day-to-day lives. You don’t go to ask your pastor, «Should I do this? Should I do that?» The Holy Spirit in us leads us, but in terms of the doctrine of the church, God has ordained people to lead us.
Two things are said about the anointing. First, he says the anointing abides in us. We have explained that the anointing there talks about the Holy Spirit; He abides in us. The Holy Spirit is not a visitor to the believer; He doesn’t come in and go out; He abides; He is a resident. This is a major concept because it is a New Testament idea, different from the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon special people, equip them, enable them, and anoint them to do a task, and after the task or mission was accomplished, the Holy Spirit would leave them. The Holy Spirit doesn’t reside permanently in the people of the Old Testament, but because of what Christ accomplished for us, the Holy Spirit doesn’t just come upon us to use us; He abides; He is a resident; He is at home inside the believer. This is a very important concept that we need to live by and with. Then he says that if the anointing abides in you, you must abide in the anointing.
The Spirit of God doesn’t just live in us; we must also live in Him. What does it mean to abide in the anointing or to live in the Holy Spirit? It means that we must be aware of His presence, we must be submitted to His presence, and we must follow His leading. Then we are abiding in Him. We bring our lives into agreement with Him, and we live the lives that He wants us to live. The Christian life has different components; from this passage, there is the presence of God in us and the life of the believer in the Spirit of God.
If the Spirit of God is in you, you are walking in the Spirit of God; you are obeying the Spirit of God; you are living by the Spirit of God. Your choices and decisions are all influenced by the Spirit of God, and that is the anointing that is in you that John says nobody needs to teach you. I don’t need to come and teach you, «Don’t sin,» «Don’t commit adultery,» «Don’t fornicate,» and «Don’t lie,» because the Spirit in you already teaches you how to do the right things with God, and you need to follow that anointing that stays and abides within you.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank you for the presence of your Holy Spirit. I live my life through Him. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»