Part 3. An Analysis Of All The Verses On “Anointing” As Relating To Believers
As I wrote in a previous article, there are only a small number of references to the word “anoint” in the New Testament. They are in the following verses.
The verb [Chriō; χρίω.] Used of believers. [All references.] There is one reference in one verse.
Though the verb appears in Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 1:21; Hebrews 1:9, there is only one reference to believers in 2 Cor 1:21.
- (2 Cor 1:21, Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
The noun [Chrisma, χρίσμα.] Used of believers. [All references.] There are only three references to be found in two verses.
- (1 John 2:20 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.”
- (1 John 2:27 “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.”
What Do These Verses About Anointing In The New Testament Mean?
The verb [chriō, χρίω]. Used to describe both status and function.
- 2 Cor 1:21 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
- The anointing comes from God Himself. As this verse states, He establishes believers together in Christ [or He makes them stand firm together in Christ.] He “anointed us” [by giving us His Spirit into our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come]. He sealed us [sphragizō; σφραγίζω] by His Spirit to mark us out as His own and to bring us the assurance of our identity as His people, in Him. This was a pledge or guarantee [arrhabōn, ἀῤῥαβών] which can be described as a down-payment given in advance as security for the promised full payment.
The status of the person whom God anoints changes. Once they were not “in Christ.” Now they are “in Christ.” Once they were without the Spirit. Now they have received the Spirit. Once they were outside the family of God, but now they have received the Holy Spirit [the Spirit of adoption] and have been adopted into His family, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15.
This applies to every believer. No comparatives or superlatives here. So it is possible for a person to say, “I am the Lord’s anointed!” provided we recognise that every other believer in the world of every age group can say the same! Even the 5 year old who gives his or her life to the Lord today is among the Lord’s “anointed” in Biblical terms. As such, he or she will never become more anointed, no matter how long they grow into spiritual maturity. Nor can he or she pass on their anointing to another person no matter what spiritual giants they may become in later life. Each anointing by God of a person is unique and unrepeatable for that person and is non-transferable.
Not only do believers have a new status before God but they are also being equipped by Him to function and live for Him. His anointing of them gives them knowledge they could never have otherwise. That is the point of this verse. John’s readers were living at a time when an early form of Gnosticism was prevalent. Some aspects of Gnosticism involved having secret knowledge which was derived through secret rites and ceremonies for the few. John is at pains to show that the anointing God gives, makes His knowledge available to all whom He has anointed by His Spirit. Unlike Gnosticism there were no ceremonies or rites one had to undergo to receive their secret knowledge. God’s anointing of His people makes His knowledge available to all His anointed as they open their lives to Christ as Lord and Saviour.
The noun [Chrisma, χρίσμα]. These three are the only noun references in the New Testament to believers. They are all found in 1 John 2, verses 20 and 27.
- (1 John 2:20 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.”
Who is the “Holy One?” In the New Testament, the ‘Holy One’ appears to refer to Jesus Christ (see Mark 1:24; Luk 4:34; Joh 6:69; Act 3:14). [NOTE 1].
It is not surprising that Jesus is seen as the dispenser of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had predicted that happening. All the gospel writers record John the Baptist saying that Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit. [See NOTE 2].
It appears however that Jesus would only do that after His death, resurrection and ascension, that is, His glorification. Jesus said on the last day of the feast in John 7, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John commented on this, “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39.
It fits in with Peter’s description of the happenings on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:3, “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” Having ascended back into heaven, Jesus was then given the promise of the Spirit for Him to pour out on His believing people. It means then that in John 20:22 as Jesus breathed on them [NOTE 3] saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” it was a proleptic saying [NOTE 4] of a future promise to be fulfilled after Jesus’ glorification. There was no indication that the disciples received the Spirit of God until the day of Pentecost.
- 1 John 2:27 “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.”
Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would teach His disciples, Luke 12:12 “for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
John records the words of Jesus, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26. “Will teach all things” is (didaskei; διδάξει =will teach) and (panta; πάντα = all things). Here it is in the future tense because the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out when Jesus spoke these words.
The wording in 1 Jn 2:27 is similar. However naturally it is not future tense but present tense because the Holy Spirit had already been poured out on the day of Pentecost before John wrote these words. Thus the translation here is (διδάσκει = teaches) and (πάντων = ‘everything’ or ‘all things’). That was the present day reality when John wrote this epistle. The anointing by the Holy Spirit enabled them to understand spiritual truths and realities.
As Paul wrote, 1 Cor 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” The “natural” person is the unregenerate person who has not received the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things have to be spiritually discerned, and that is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of believers.
In the next article, we will look at what these truths about anointing mean for us today. But what is apparent is that to be anointed by God refers to the time we came before God in repentance for our sins seeking mercy and in faith opened our hearts and lives to Him to live as He desires us to live.
NOTES
[NOTE 1]. The “Holy One” appears to refer to Jesus, Mar 1:24, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” Luk 4:34, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” John 6:69 “and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Act 3:14, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.”
[NOTE 2]. Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit. Mat 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Mar 1:8 “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 3:16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John 1:33 “ I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
NOTE 3] “Breathed” is [emphysaō; ἐμφυσάω] This is its only use in the New Testament but it was used in the Greek Old Testament in Genesis 2:7 where God breathed on Adam and he became a living soul. The original creation came into being by an act of God, so Jesus brought into being a new creation by His acts as the promised Messiah. It would begin when they received the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
NOTE 4] “Proleptic” means representing something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred. It was an anticipation of what would take place on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God would be poured out on His people.
Blog No.476 posted on Monday after Easter 10 April 2023.
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476. The Blessing Of Being Anointed By God. But Who Are The Anointed? (Part 3 of 4).
Part 3. An Analysis Of All The Verses On “Anointing” As Relating To Believers
As I wrote in a previous article, there are only a small number of references to the word “anoint” in the New Testament. They are in the following verses.
The verb [Chriō; χρίω.] Used of believers. [All references.] There is one reference in one verse.
Though the verb appears in Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 1:21; Hebrews 1:9, there is only one reference to believers in 2 Cor 1:21.
The noun [Chrisma, χρίσμα.] Used of believers. [All references.] There are only three references to be found in two verses.
What Do These Verses About Anointing In The New Testament Mean?
The verb [chriō, χρίω]. Used to describe both status and function.
The status of the person whom God anoints changes. Once they were not “in Christ.” Now they are “in Christ.” Once they were without the Spirit. Now they have received the Spirit. Once they were outside the family of God, but now they have received the Holy Spirit [the Spirit of adoption] and have been adopted into His family, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15.
This applies to every believer. No comparatives or superlatives here. So it is possible for a person to say, “I am the Lord’s anointed!” provided we recognise that every other believer in the world of every age group can say the same! Even the 5 year old who gives his or her life to the Lord today is among the Lord’s “anointed” in Biblical terms. As such, he or she will never become more anointed, no matter how long they grow into spiritual maturity. Nor can he or she pass on their anointing to another person no matter what spiritual giants they may become in later life. Each anointing by God of a person is unique and unrepeatable for that person and is non-transferable.
Not only do believers have a new status before God but they are also being equipped by Him to function and live for Him. His anointing of them gives them knowledge they could never have otherwise. That is the point of this verse. John’s readers were living at a time when an early form of Gnosticism was prevalent. Some aspects of Gnosticism involved having secret knowledge which was derived through secret rites and ceremonies for the few. John is at pains to show that the anointing God gives, makes His knowledge available to all whom He has anointed by His Spirit. Unlike Gnosticism there were no ceremonies or rites one had to undergo to receive their secret knowledge. God’s anointing of His people makes His knowledge available to all His anointed as they open their lives to Christ as Lord and Saviour.
The noun [Chrisma, χρίσμα]. These three are the only noun references in the New Testament to believers. They are all found in 1 John 2, verses 20 and 27.
Who is the “Holy One?” In the New Testament, the ‘Holy One’ appears to refer to Jesus Christ (see Mark 1:24; Luk 4:34; Joh 6:69; Act 3:14). [NOTE 1].
It is not surprising that Jesus is seen as the dispenser of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had predicted that happening. All the gospel writers record John the Baptist saying that Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit. [See NOTE 2].
It appears however that Jesus would only do that after His death, resurrection and ascension, that is, His glorification. Jesus said on the last day of the feast in John 7, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John commented on this, “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39.
It fits in with Peter’s description of the happenings on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:3, “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” Having ascended back into heaven, Jesus was then given the promise of the Spirit for Him to pour out on His believing people. It means then that in John 20:22 as Jesus breathed on them [NOTE 3] saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” it was a proleptic saying [NOTE 4] of a future promise to be fulfilled after Jesus’ glorification. There was no indication that the disciples received the Spirit of God until the day of Pentecost.
Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would teach His disciples, Luke 12:12 “for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
John records the words of Jesus, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26. “Will teach all things” is (didaskei; διδάξει =will teach) and (panta; πάντα = all things). Here it is in the future tense because the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out when Jesus spoke these words.
The wording in 1 Jn 2:27 is similar. However naturally it is not future tense but present tense because the Holy Spirit had already been poured out on the day of Pentecost before John wrote these words. Thus the translation here is (διδάσκει = teaches) and (πάντων = ‘everything’ or ‘all things’). That was the present day reality when John wrote this epistle. The anointing by the Holy Spirit enabled them to understand spiritual truths and realities.
As Paul wrote, 1 Cor 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” The “natural” person is the unregenerate person who has not received the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things have to be spiritually discerned, and that is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of believers.
In the next article, we will look at what these truths about anointing mean for us today. But what is apparent is that to be anointed by God refers to the time we came before God in repentance for our sins seeking mercy and in faith opened our hearts and lives to Him to live as He desires us to live.
NOTES
[NOTE 1]. The “Holy One” appears to refer to Jesus, Mar 1:24, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” Luk 4:34, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” John 6:69 “and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Act 3:14, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.”
[NOTE 2]. Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit. Mat 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Mar 1:8 “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 3:16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John 1:33 “ I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
NOTE 3] “Breathed” is [emphysaō; ἐμφυσάω] This is its only use in the New Testament but it was used in the Greek Old Testament in Genesis 2:7 where God breathed on Adam and he became a living soul. The original creation came into being by an act of God, so Jesus brought into being a new creation by His acts as the promised Messiah. It would begin when they received the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
NOTE 4] “Proleptic” means representing something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred. It was an anticipation of what would take place on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God would be poured out on His people.
Blog No.476 posted on Monday after Easter 10 April 2023.
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About Jim Holbeck
Once an Industrial Chemist working for the Queensland Government but later an Anglican minister in Brisbane, Armidale and Sydney. Last position for eighteen years before retirement in 2006 was as the Leader of the Healing Ministry at St Andrew's Cathedral Sydney.