The Anointing: Spirit, Word, and our inheritance in Christ.

I remember one night at a youth summer camp I was staying up too late watching TV with some of the staff team when a TV preacher came on offering to send out “anointed” one dollar bills to anyone who would make a contribution to his ministry. His promise was that “as long as you hold on to this anointed dollar bill you will always have money.” I wondered how many people really fell for this.


This topic of “anointing” is one that has been misunderstood biblically. For some it conjures up thoughts of a sweaty preacher with a hanky, speaking in tongues, or some kind of special blessing. In 1 John 2, John tells his readers that they have been “anointed by the Holy One” (vs. 20) and the “anointing that you received from Him abides in you” and “teaches you everything” (vs. 27).

So what does John mean by anointing?

Context: It is important to remember that John is dealing with believers who are facing the false teaching of the Gnostics, those who believed in a “higher knowledge” of “spiritual things.” They were most likely using “anointing” language as a means of leading others astray in hopes of gaining some kind of enlightenment. John uses the language of the anointing in the context of exposing these false teachers, namely that they would not be deceived because they have already been anointed.

Background: The OT background of anointing surrounded the offices of prophets, priests, and kings who were anointed with oil as a ceremonial act as they entered into their office of service. Their anointing recognized them as being set apart for the work of God. David, for example, is God’s anointed king who is set apart to defeat the enemies of God. This is precisely why when he sins with Bethseba he prays, “take not your Holy Spirit [i.e. anointing] from me” (Psalm 51:11). In other words, don’t remove me from being king. The anointing he had received was his identification as Yahweh’s king.

Likewise, when Jesus comes up from the waters of baptism the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, recognizing Him as the anointed One (“the Christ”) and is marked out for his earthly ministry of prophet, priest and king only to go into the wilderness and defeat the enemy of God.

In addition, the New Testament teaches that all who are in Christ have been set aside as a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) and are kings and priest of God (Rev 1:6) and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Meaning: The anointing, therefore, is something that is true of all believers who have identified themselves in Christ and not some special blessing or superior Christianity. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Paul writes, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” In other words, the “anointing” of God for believers happens as you are “in Christ” and the Holy Spirit is given as a guarantee of our eternal inheritance. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is what sets you a part as true sons of God (Romans 8:14). So to be a Christian is to receive the Spirit (“anointing”) and consequently no one can be in Christ without having the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Some believe that because of the anointing believers can have direct revelation from God apart from the Word of God. Back in the seventeenth century such a dispute took place between the Puritans and the Quakers (who came out of the Puritan movement). The Quakers viewed the work of the Spirit as more than an identification of union with Christ (i.e. the Puritans) but rather a means of direct revelation through an “inner light.” This led them to conclude that they did not need to be guided by the Word of God because they had the Spirit of God, a more “direct line.”

The Quakers, along with other “mystical” type of groups, believed that truth was something to be found inward and that all spiritual truth dwelled within. We find many of the same teachings in our culture today, namely that we all have a “personal truth” that we have within us.

But doesn’t John teach that we no longer need a teacher? John does not mean that a Christian knows everything just because they have the Spirit. In fact, why would John even write the letter if these believers had all the instruction they needed as a result of their anointing? Instead, John understands that in the OT God spoke through mediation, namely prophets and priests (Heb 1:1), but Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come and be our teacher (John 14 and 16). Though God has appointed pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11) to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, what John means is that we don’t need a teacher for new revelation when we have the Spirit of God and the Word of God. He writes these things so that his readers would not be deceived.

What a blessing it is to know that God has not left us alone but that He has given us His Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance in Christ, an inheritance that I am quite sure is worth more than a dollar!

Pastor Wes