First John: 1 John 2:27a-The Anointing Lives Within Every Believer Lesson # 87

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. (ESV)

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday September 20, 2017

www.wenstrom.org

Lesson # 87

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. (ESV)

“But the anointing that you received from him abides in you” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “but” (2) nominative second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), “you” (3) nominative neuter singular form of the noun chrisma (χρῖσμα), “anointing” (4) accusative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “that” (5) second person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb lambanō (λαμβάνω), “received” (6) preposition apo (ἀπό), “from” (7) genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “him” (8) third person singular present active imperative form of the verb menō (μένω), “abides” (9) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (10) dative second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), “you.”

The conjunction kai means “but” since the word functions as a marker of contrast meaning that it is introducing a declarative statement which stands in contrast with the declarative statement in .

The plural form of the personal pronoun su refers to the recipients of this epistle as a corporate unit and is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions indicating that each one of the recipients of this epistle received an anointing from the Lord Jesus Christ whom John describes in as “the Holy One.”

The verb lambanō means, “to receive” since the word pertains to acquiring possession of something.

The second person plural form of this verb means “each of you” since the word refers to the recipients of this epistle as a corporate unit and is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.

The relative pronoun hos means “which” referring to the nominative neuter singular form of the noun chrisma, “anointing” since the two agree in gender (neuter) and number (singular).

The genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos means “him” referring to the Lord Jesus Christ since John taught in that each of the recipients of this epistle possessed an anointing from the Holy One who we noted is a reference to Jesus Christ.

The intensive personal pronoun autos is the object of the preposition apo, which means “from” since it functions as a marker of source expressing the idea of this anointing of the Holy Spirit originating from Jesus Christ.

Therefore, this verb lambanō is expressing the idea of the recipients of this epistle receiving from Jesus Christ as a possession this anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The aorist tense of the verb lambanō is a consummative aorist which is used to emphasize the cessation of act or state which emphasizes the act of the recipients of this epistle receiving the indwelling of the Spirit from Jesus Christ the moment they were declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

As was the case in , the noun chrisma here in means “anointing, endowment, empowerment” and here the word is used figuratively for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who empowers or enables the believer to understand and obey the truth of God’s Word and to discern false doctrine.

The verb menō means “to live” since the context indicates that the Holy Spirit is living within the recipients of this epistle who as we noted were believers living in the Roman province of Asia in the last decade of the first century A.D.

The idea of being alive is being expressed here by this verb in that John is saying that the Holy Spirit is alive in the recipients of this epistle.

The concept of occupying a place or dwelling in a place is found here in that the Holy Spirit is occupying or dwelling in the recipients of this epistle.

The idea of eternal life is of course found here in that the Holy Spirit is eternal life.

The concept of conducting one’s life is also present in that John is saying that the Holy Spirit is conducting Himself through the various activities of the recipients of this epistle who are obedient to His teaching.

The dative second person plural form of the personal pronoun su means “each one of you” since the word refers to the recipients of this epistle as a corporate unit and is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.

This word is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker location.

Therefore, this prepositional phrase expresses the idea that the Holy Spirit is located within the recipients of this epistle.

The present tense of the verb menō is a gnomic present used to make a statement of a general, timeless fact, which expresses the eternal spiritual truth or spiritual axiom indicating that the Holy Spirit “as an eternal spiritual truth” or “spiritual axiom” exists in the state of living within each of the recipients of this epistle.

However, this anointing which each of you received from Him lives within each of you. Consequently, each of you have absolutely no need that anyone teach you. Quite to the contrary, because His anointing teaches each one of you about everything, namely what is true so that it is never a lie likewise in the same way, it has taught each of you, continue to make it your habit of living in fellowship with Him. (My translation)

begins with an adversative clause which stands in contrast with the declarative statement here in .

The latter asserts that the antichrists were attempting to deceive the recipients of this epistle who we noted were believers living in the Roman province of Asia in the last decade of the first century A.D.

The former asserts that the anointing which is mentioned in which each of them received at the moment of their justification from Jesus Christ, the Holy One, lives in them.

Therefore, the contrast is between these antichrists and the recipients of this epistle.

The implication is that there is a contrast between the lies of the antichrists and the possession of truth by the recipients of this epistle because of this anointing, which is a reference to the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

This “anointing” is figurative language for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who empowers or enables the believer to understand and obey the truth of God’s Word and to discern false doctrine.

Therefore, the word is a synonym for the indwelling of the Spirit.

In the Old Testament, kings, priests, and prophets were anointed with oil, symbolizing their empowerment by the Holy Spirit and authority to accomplish the appointed tasks given to them by God.

Therefore, when John uses this word chrisma, “anointing,” he is using Old Testament language for the empowerment from the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will.

This “anointing” is John’s terminology for what Paul called the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who serves as the believer’s true teacher and mentor.

The Holy Spirit’s purpose during the church-age, therefore, is to indwell every believer in order to provide a temple for the indwelling of the Shekinah Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, which serves as the principle of victory over the indwelling old sin nature.

He provides the believer the spiritual capacity to understand the Word of God, since the Spirit serves as the believer’s true teacher and mentor in place of the absent Christ (cf. ).

He mediates the person of Christ in the believer.

This anointing, which is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit as the believer’s true teacher and mentor, protects the believer from the lies of the cosmic system, which are promoted by Satan’s false teachers.

He would protect the recipients of First John from the antichrists and their false doctrine pertaining to the person of Jesus Christ.

So here in , John is mentioning one of the post-conversion ministries of the Holy Spirit, namely teaching the believer the doctrines of Christ (cf. ; ).

God the Holy Spirit teaches the believer through the Word of God (; ).

Several passages state that the believer is to give heed to what the Spirit is saying to the churches because of this spiritual principle that the Spirit takes the doctrines of Christ and makes them understandable to the believer.

The Spirit speaks to the church through the communication of the Word of God (cf. ; ; ; ; ; , , ; , , ).

In , the prepositional phrase apo tou hagiou (ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου), “from the Holy One” and the prepositional phase apʼ autou (ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ), “from Him” in both express the fact that Jesus Christ is the source from which the recipients of this epistle received this anointing.

This is not a reference to the Father since Jesus taught His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to indwell them (cf. , , ; ).

Notice in , , , , the Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples including John that He would ask the Father to send them the Holy Spirit.

Thus, He is the source of the believer receiving the Holy Spirit to permanently indwell them since His request for this from the Father on their behalf prompted the Father to send the Spirit in the first place.

In other words, His prayer is the source of the Father sending the Spirit to indwell those who trust in His Son as Savior.

Thus, this would indicate that “the Holy One” is not a reference to the Holy Spirit but rather the “anointing” refers to Him.

In fact, this title is ascribed to Jesus Christ in .

Consequently, this would also indicate that the “anointing” is not a reference to the Word of God.