About Image

Daily Reading

Anointing

View daily reading plan: 1 John 2.24-27

The fact that the Holy Spirit is seen here as an anointing imparted by the Lord Jesus, the Holy One, helps us to understand that in Scripture, oil is an emblem of the Holy Spirit; see also Zechariah 4. Those being addressed here are new believers and even they had an anointing. The teaching of Scripture is that whenever a person believes, the Spirit comes to reside (Jn 7.39; Eph 1.13 [verb tense - “upon believing”]; Gal 3.2).

Frequently, the Holy Spirit is seen as empowering believers both for Christian living and for Christian service, here He is seen as enlightening. Because they had an anointing they could “know all things” (v.20). That is, they had the capacity to discern between truth and error. There is permanence about His enlightening activity. The Comforter abides with believers “for ever” (Jn 14.16).

Along with the enlightening activity of “the anointing”, there must be resolve on the part of the believer to hold firmly to the sound doctrine that was imparted at conversion; “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning” (v.24). Compliance would confirm that they were among those who “abide in him”.

Again, at a practical level, we have to abide in Him by cultivating communion with Him, “cleav(ing) unto the Lord” (Acts 11.23). Some translations place the end of v.27 in the imperative mood and read, “abide ye in him”, and that is how the teaching is extended to the whole family of God in v.28.

Saturday, 4 May, 2024

Get the daily readings emailed to you