Mensa Otabil - The Anointing Teaches Us (10/25/2025)
First John Chapter 2, Verse 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 talks 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 me as a Christian. However, if you look at the same passage, John says the anointing that teaches you is not a lie, just as you have been taught, or it was taught to you.
So John is discussing 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 essential for us 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 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 guide us into that doctrine.
Two things he says about the anointing: first, he says the anointing abides in us, and we’ve explained that this anointing refers to 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 crucial concept because it is a New Testament concept, 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, then leave them after the task or mission was accomplished. The Holy Spirit does not 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, and that’s 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 we must be aware of His presence, be submitted to His presence, and follow His leading. When we do this, we are abiding in Him. We bring our lives into agreement with Him, and we live the lives He wants us to live.
So the Christian life has different components. From this passage, there is the presence of God in us, and there’s also the life of the believer in the Spirit of God. If the Spirit of God is in you, and 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, your decisions, are all influenced by the Spirit of God, and that is the anointing that is in you. John says nobody needs to teach you that. I don’t need to come and teach you, «Don’t sin, don’t commit adultery, 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.»