First John: 1 John 2:27c-The Spirit’s Anointing Teaches the Believer About Everything Lesson # 89

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

Tuesday September 26, 2017

www.wenstrom.org

Lesson # 89

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 as his anointing teaches you about everything” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction alla (ἀλλά), “but” (2) comparative particle hōs (ὡς), “as” (3) articular nominative neuter singular form of the noun chrisma (χρῖσμα), “anointing” (4) genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “his” (5) third person singular present active indicative form of the verb didaskō (διδάσκω), “teaches” (6) accusative second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), “you” (7) preposition peri (περί), “about” (8) genitive neuter singular form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “everything.”

The strong adversative conjunction alla means “but to the contrary, but in fact, quite to the contrary” since the word introduces an assertion which stands in direct contrast to the idea of the recipients of this epistle needing someone to teach them the truth.

The particle hōs is not functioning as a comparative marker but rather a marker of cause meaning it is introducing an assertion which presents the reason for the command at the end of the verse which required that the recipients of this epistle live in fellowship with Holy Spirit.

Once again, we have the noun chrisma which means “anointing, endowment, empowerment” and 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 articular construction of this word is employed with the genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos, which means “His” to denote possession expressing the idea that this anointing is the Holy Spirit’s.

Once again, we have the verb didaskō which means “to teach, instruct” in a formal or informal setting and speaks of the Holy Spirit teaching the recipients of this epistle about everything in God’s plan.

We also have again the second personal plural form of the personal pronoun su, which means “each of you” since the word refers to the recipients of this epistle as a corporate unit and it is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.

The present tense of this verb didaskō is a gnomic present which is used of a general, timeless fact indicating an eternal spiritual truth.

Here it expresses the idea that the Holy Spirit’s anointing is “as an eternal spiritual truth” existing in the state of teaching the recipients of this epistle about everything in God’s plan.

The genitive neuter singular form of the adjective pas means “everything” since the word denotes totality and is used with reference to the truth.

This word is the object of the preposition peri, which means “about” since the word is a marker of reference expressing the topic or content of what is being taught by the Spirit’s anointing.

“And is true” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (2) nominative neuter singular form of the adjective alēthēs (ἀληθής), “true” (3) third person singular present active indicative form of the verb eimi (εἰμί), “is.”

The conjunction kai is used this time epexegetically meaning that the word introduces an assertion which defines specifically for the reader what John means in the previous assertion that the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches them about everything.

The verb eimi means “to possess a particular characteristic.”

The third person singular form of this word refers to the content of what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches rather than the Holy Spirit’s anointing itself.

The nominative neuter singular form of the adjective alēthēs means “true” since the word pertains to expressing or being characterized by expressing the truth and speaks of something being in accordance with reality and historical fact.

Therefore, this word describes what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches as being according to reality or fact.

Therefore, the verb eimi is expressing the idea that what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches possesses the characteristic of being true.

The present tense of the verb eimi is a gnomic present which is used for a general, timeless fact or specifically, a spiritual axiom or an eternal spiritual truth.

Here it is used to express an absolute statement that is true all the time and is expressing the idea that what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches is “as an eternal spiritual truth” true.

“And is no lie” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (2) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “no” (3) third person singular present active indicative form of the verb eimi (εἰμί), “is” (4) nominative neuter singular form of the noun pseudos (ψεῦδος), “lie.”

The conjunction kai this time is a marker of result meaning it is introducing an assertion which presents the result of the previous assertion that what the Holy Spirit’s teaches the believer is true.

The verb eimi again means “to possess a particular characteristic.”

The word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou, which expresses an absolute, direct and full negation.

The third person singular form of this word refers to the content of what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches rather than the Holy Spirit’s anointing itself.

The nominative neuter singular form of the noun pseudos means “lie” since the word pertains to a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth.

Here it refers to false doctrine and specifically to the claims of the proto-Gnostic teachers who taught that Jesus Christ was not a human being.

Therefore, the verb eimi and the emphatic negative adverb ou along with the noun pseudos are expressing the idea that the content of what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches never possesses the characteristic of being a lie.

The present tense of the verb eimi is a gnomic present which is used for a general, timeless fact or specifically, a spiritual axiom or an eternal spiritual truth.

Here it is used to express an absolute statement that is true all the time and is expressing the idea that the content of what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches is “as an eternal spiritual truth” never a lie.

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)

Next, we have a strong emphatic adversative clause which stands in direct contrast to the idea of the recipients of the epistle needing someone to teach them the truth.

It makes the assertion that this anointing they received at justification teaches them about everything.

Therefore, the contrast is between the recipients of this epistle needing to be taught the truth from the antichrists with that of their having no need of anyone to them because they are indwelt by the Spirit.

“About everything” refers to the Spirit apostolic teaching concerning the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ and His Saviorhood.

This is indicated by John’s teaching in which exhorts the recipients of this epistle to continue to reject the proto-Gnostics’ teaching concerning Jesus of Nazareth and to continue to obey his apostolic teaching concerning Jesus.

John asserts in that these teachers are antichrists since they reject that Jesus is the Christ and therefore the Son of God.

John then explains what he means by the prepositional phrase “about everything.”

He goes on to describe in a positive and negative sense the characteristics of the content of what this anointing teaches the recipients of this epistle.

He uses a positive assertion followed by a negative one to do so.

The latter is the direct result of the other.

The positive assertion maintains that the content of what this anointing taught is true.

This means that the Spirit’s teaching is expressing truth.

It describes what the Holy Spirit’s anointing teaches as being according to reality or fact.

The negative assertion which is the result of this positive maintains that what the Spirit teaches is never a lie.

This means that what the Spirit teaches the believer never deviates from or perverts the truth unlike the teaching of the proto-Gnostic teachers who taught that Jesus Christ was not a human being.