Daily EncouragementNäide

John states the fact of the anointing - “You have an anointing.” The reference is to the Holy Spirit, and “the Holy One” who gives him is the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 6:69). The anointing is an initial and abiding gift to all true believers - “the anointing you received from him remains in you” (1 John 2:27).

The blessings of the anointing include the provision of “an instinct for truth.” The phrase appears in a comment by George Findlay: “To the true believer and faithful seeker after the knowledge of God, the Holy spirit gives an instinct for truth, a sense for the Divine in knowledge and doctrine.” James Denney speaks of “the simple Christian spirit which has the anointing from the Holy One and knows instinctively whether that by which it lives is present in the message it has heard or not.”

To have the anointing is to enjoy the privilege of a Divine teacher - “his anointing teaches you.” He leads us to him who is the Truth. He gives us “a progressive understanding of the Truth embodied in him” (Robert Law). His teaching is adequate - “you do not need anyone to teach you” (1 John 2:27). Of course, human teachers who expound the truth are not excluded. The apostolic word and the anointing Spirit are both indispensable and indivisible.