The anointing we received
I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1 John 2:26-27 CSB
When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God, through the Holy Spirit, lives in us. That is the "anointing" we received from God. John mentioned this previously: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20). This is the possession we have because of our relationship with Christ, and “remains” in us. Paul also referred to this anointing, "Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us" (2 Corinthians 1:21). Since the Spirit of God is in every believer, we should no longer be deceived by false teachers for He will not just "guide us into all the truth" (John 16:13a) but also "will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you" (John 14:26). Thus, "he [the Holy Spirit] will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come" (John 16:13b). The Holy Spirit will only speak of what we have in the Scriptures. If what we hear or taught to us is not in line with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will convict us by leading us to the truth. The Gnostics claim that we can have a new revelation outside of God's Word. But the Lord Jesus Christ opposes such belief for we already have the revealed truth through God's Word. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is so important for without it, as John was saying in the epistle, we will easily be deceived by the false teachers. We do not need deceivers who will try to teach us false teachings. It will be the Spirit of God who is in us who will guide us so we can distinguish the truth from error. Let us, then, listen and obey to the Spirit’s leading and teaching.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
