1 John 2.20-Each Believer Possesses the Anointing of the Spirit So That They Possess Knowledge of the Truth
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday August 30, 2017
First John: 1 John 2:20-Each Believer Possesses the Anointing of the Spirit So That They Possess Knowledge of the Truth
Lesson # 78
1 John 2:20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. (ESV)
“But you have been anointed by the Holy One” stands in contrast with the previous declarations in 1 John 2:19 regarding the antichrists, which assert that they were non-believers.
“You have been anointed by the Holy One” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “but” (2) nominative second person plural form of the personal pronoun su (σύ), “you” (3) accusative neuter singular form of the noun chrisma (χρῖσμα), “anointed” (4) second person plural present active indicative form of the verb echō (ἒχω), “have been” (5) preposition apo (ἀπό), “by” (6) articular genitive masculine singular form of the adjective hagios (ἅγιος), “the Holy One.”
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 possessed an anointing from the Holy One.
The use of this personal pronoun as the nominative subject is often unnecessary in Greek since the form of a finite verb in this language indicates the person, number and gender of the subject.
This is what makes Greek an “inflectional” language.
When the personal pronoun is used therefore, it may serve to clarify the subject or contrast the subject with someone else or for emphasis.
Here it is used for emphasis and contrast indicating that it is expressing an emphatic contrast between the recipients of this epistle and the antichrists mentioned in 1 John 2:18-19.
The verb echō means “to possess” and the second person plural form of this verb refers to the recipients of this letter as a corporate unit.
This verb’s direct object is the noun chrisma, which means “anointing, endowment, empowerment.”
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.
When John uses this word chrisma, he is using Old Testament language for the empowerment from the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will.
In the Old Testament, the oil used to anoint the articles of the tabernacle or the priests, kings and prophets came to signify the enablement as well as the setting apart by the Holy Spirit who came on the person at the anointing with oil.
Olive oil was also a symbol in the Old Testament for the Holy Spirit in Zechariah 4:4-6.
In the New Testament, this “anointing” signifies empowerment by the Holy Spirit for service.
Therefore, the verb echō indicates that each one of the recipients of this epistle in contrast to the antichrists possess an anointing, i.e. the empowerment from Holy Spirit from the Holy One, which is a reference to Jesus Christ.
The articular form of the adjective hagios means “the Holy One” since the word is functioning as a substantive which is indicated by its articular construction which functions as a substantiver meaning that the article is converting this adjective into a substantive.
The word refers to the Lord Jesus and not the Father since He taught His disciples that He would ask the Father to give them the Holy Spirit to indwell them and all those who trust in Him as Savior.
“And you all have knowledge” presents the result of the previous assertion that each one of the recipients of this epistle existed in the state of possessing an anointing of the Holy Spirit from the Holy One, Jesus Christ.
“You all have knowledge” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “but” (2) second person plural perfect active indicative form of the verb oida (οἶδα), “you have knowledge” (3) nominative masculine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “all.”
The adjective pas functions as a substantive and is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions indicating that each one of the recipients of this epistle possessed knowledge of the truth.
The verb oida means, “to possess knowledge of something.”
In context, it would appear that this knowledge is of the truth since John assures the recipients of this epistle in 1 John 2:21 that they knew the truth and employs this very same verb to do this.
Therefore, this verb in 1 John 2:20 indicates that each one of the recipients of this epistle possessed knowledge of the truth.
1 John 2:20 However, each one of you possess an anointing from the Holy One. Consequently, each one of you possess knowledge (of the truth). (My translation)
The apostle John’s declaration in 1 John 2:20 stands in contrast with his previous declarations in 1 John 2:19 regarding the antichrists, in which he asserts that they were non-believers.
Now, here in 1 John 2:20, the apostle John asserts that each one of the recipients of this epistle possessed an anointing from the Holy One which is a reference to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which they received at the moment of regeneration from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the contrast is between the recipients of this epistle being believers as evidenced by the fact that they possessed this anointing from the Holy One and the antichrists being non-believers because they did not possess this anointing.
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. John 16:13-16).
He mediates the person of Christ in the believer.
This anointing, which is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit as our 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.
In 1 John 2:20, the prepositional phrase apo tou hagiou (ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου), “from the Holy One” expresses 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. John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26; 16:5-15).
Notice in John 14:16-17, 26, 15:26, 16:5-15, 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 and in fact, this title is ascribed to Jesus Christ in John 6:69.
Consequently, this would also indicate that the “anointing” is not a reference to the Word of God.
Lastly, in 1 John 2:20, the apostle John presents the result of the previous assertion that each one of the recipients of this epistle existed in the state of possessing an anointing of the Holy Spirit from the Holy One, Jesus Christ.
This result clause asserts that each one of the recipients of this epistle possessed knowledge.
This knowledge is of the truth since John assures the recipients of this epistle in 1 John 2:21 that they knew the truth.
Therefore, this result clause is teaching that each of the recipients of this epistle possessed knowledge of the truth as a result of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
This corresponds to what Jesus Himself describes the Spirit as the Spirit of truth in John 15:26.
Also, He taught in 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would lead them into all truth.
It also corresponds to what John teaches in 1 John 2:27 that this anointing teaches the believer.