What is the anointing you received in 1 John 2:27?

The "Unction" of verse 20 is the same as the "Anointing" of verse 27, and the reference in each case is to the Holy Spirit. Indwelling the children of God, He becomes the Source whence proceeds their spiritual understanding. Now the simplest babe in the Divine family has received the Anointing, and so may be said to "know all things." The word for know is the one meaning inward, conscious knowledge. If it be a question of acquired knowledge, there are ten thousand details of which at present the babe is ignorant, but the Anointing gives him that inward capacity which brings all things within his reach. He knows all things potentially, though not yet in detail.

“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” The word here translated “unction” is the same word translated “anointing” in verse 27. In the Old Testament, priests and kings were anointed with oil, and in one case at least a prophet. Each of these involves a place of dignity as representing God in some way. The anointing is typical of the bestowal of the Spirit of God as necessary to equip the individual for his holy and responsible position. There are other lovely aspects and characteristics of the Spirit’s activity as dwelling in every believer today, such as the seal of the Spirit, the earnest of the Spirit; but the anointing involves the wonderful capacity given by the Spirit of God to every renewed soul, for the reception and understanding of the truth of the Word of God. The natural man is ignorant of this, and mere intellect will not enlighten his darkness (1 Corinthians 2:14). But the least experienced believer, being indwelt by the Spirit of God, has a capacity now by which he may know even the deep things of God. “Ye know all things” does not mean that knowledge in detail is given apart from exercise of soul in learning, for this is not so; but that the real, vital knowledge of God is possessed in the soul, and that the power of discernment of all things is present in the believer, so that, in submission to the working of the Spirit of God, he is able to discern in all that is presented to him what is truly of God. It is not a mere automatic guarantee, but a living, vital power which, when submitted to, gives unfailing guidance and wisdom. Wonderful, blessed provision of grace!

"But the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you." The "ye" is emphatic, as in vers. 20 and 24. He had said that the word heard was to abide in them: the sole and written standard of the truth. Now he repeats the other blessed truth. The holy unction, the Spirit given to them, abides. His anointing abideth in you, "little children": this He faithfully continues. Now the anointing of the Spirit is to understand and enjoy in power the truth of God in Christ.

These three sources of defence against error are worthy of careful consideration. First, John reminds them of the unction of the Holy One, by which they knew all things. The same Spirit that dwells within us as the Spirit of adoption is the unction or anointing, as well as the seal and the earnest. (See 2 Cor. 1:21-22, etc.) As the anointing, the Spirit of God, bringing us thus into association with Christ, gives us two things — intelligence and power. In this scripture it is in the aspect of intelligence, and John teaches the "babes" that since they have been anointed by the Holy Ghost, they are themselves at the source of all knowledge, not that they actually know all things, but that, in having the anointing, they have the possibility within themselves of knowing, and thus of distinguishing between, truth and error. In divine things it is well to bear in mind that the Holy Ghost is the only power of apprehension. (See 1 Cor. 2) The mind, human reason, and intellect have no place here. As another has said, "The activity of mind is the greatest barrier to the understanding of the truth of God." Hence it is often the case that a mere child in the things of the world is the wisest in the things of God. The psalmist thus says, "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients; because I keep Thy precepts." (Ps. 109:99-100) The source, then, of all wisdom and knowledge for the believer is the word of God as unfolded by the Holy Ghost. God has in this way furnished the "babes" in His family with an all-sufficient means of discernment and defence when surrounded by anti-Christian errors. As to these they need not that any one should teach them, because, walking in dependence on God, the Holy Spirit Himself will put them on their guard, and show them what is truth and what is error. A remarkable exemplification of this occurred recently in another land. Under the guise of more light and greater charity the very foundations of the truth were assailed in a certain city, and especially in connection with the saints of God. One brother was aware of the danger, but at the outset, for the sake of peace, and because, as he then thought, the poor and simple would not be able, to enter upon such questions, he kept silence. Finally he was compelled in faithfulness to the Lord to separate from those who maintained the false doctrines; and in a letter recently received he relates, to the glory of God, that not one of the simple souls, for whom he had been afraid, has been led astray; but he adds that, with scarce an exception, all the educated and intellectual have either refused to judge, or have accepted, the erroneous teachings. Like "the babes" of our passage, those who proved themselves faithful had, and have, the unction of the Holy One, and therefore, distinguishing the truth from error, were not ensnared by the plausible persuasions of the Evil One.

The 'unction from the Holy One' means spiritual knowledge and understanding. This does not mean that we understand everything as soon as we are born again. Rather it means that we have the general ability to understand the thoughts of God. We are able to recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd and to distinguish it from strange voices. This ability to discern is of utmost importance in our days when so many voices vie for our attention. The Spirit as the unction helps us to understand the truth. John in his gospel shows how the Spirit uses the Word to instruct us:

All this the Apostle had been saying in order to fortify the babes against the seducing teachers. In verse 27 he reverts again to the Anointing, for it was by the Spirit given to them that all these things were made available for them. What a comfort it is to know that the Anointing abides in us. There is no variation or failure there. Again the Anointing not only abides but teaches of all things. Instruction may reach us from without, but it is by the Holy Spirit that we have the capacity to take it in. We do not need that any man should teach us. This remark is not in tended to discredit teachers whom the Lord may have raised up and gifted to do His work, otherwise we might use it to discredit the very epistle we are reading. It is intended to make us realize that even gifted teachers are not absolutely indispensable, but the Anointing is.

The Anointing Himself is truth. This is repeated in slightly different words in chapter 5:6. Christ is the truth as an Object before us. The Spirit is truth, bringing it into our hearts by divine teaching. To these babes John could say, "even as it has taught you," for the Anointing was already theirs.

The "unction" or "anointing" is of course an allusion to the Holy Spirit of God, who indwells all who believe the gospel of their salvation (see Eph. 1:13); but we shall understand these statements better if we see that the Apostle John is not here considering Him exactly as a distinct Person indwelling us, but rather as the source of a new life which produces in us new faculties and new powers.

Attention to the exact language employed will at once show that the "Holy One" in verse 20 cannot be the Holy Ghost. It is an unction "from the Holy One." Now every believer knows that the Spirit of God is Himself the anointing [unction]; and consequently it could not be said, as in verse 27, that we received it from Him. The "Holy One" will therefore mean either the Father or Christ; for, as we learn from John's gospel, both the Father and the Son are said to send the Comforter. (See John 14:16, 26; John 15:26; John 16:7.) There is nothing in the context to indicate whether it is the Father or the Son that John had in his mind in writing "from Him." In fact, both are so habitually one in his thoughts that we often find in this epistle one named where we might, grammatically speaking, expect the other. (See, as an example of this, John 2:28-29.) We can the better understand this if we recall the words of our Lord Himself: "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father."

But there is something more specific in our next quotation "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him" (1 John 2:20, 27). Connected with this unction from the Holy One is the knowledge of all things. You will observe here a point of intersection with the other lines of this truth, and it is in connection with the word of God. "He shall guide you into all truth." Possessing this knowledge, the saint is able to discern error, and he needs no one to teach him.

I need hardly say this does not refer to Christian teaching. The text has been abused by some to deny the need of God-given teachers. This is not the thought at all. But we have received an anointing from God — we need no human teaching, only divine. Some one comes to you and claims to have discovered some wondrous truth in Theosophy, Spiritism, Christian Science. You are not to be tempted to inquire; the unction you have already received teaches you. There is nothing beyond that.

Notice, too, it is the babe who has this unction. It is no question of attainment, or even of experience; it is a divine instinct enabling us to detect and refuse error. We recognize it as not truth, for it does not give us the Christ of God; therefore we reject it. This anointing abides in us and teaches us to abide in Christ our Lord.

Gathering up these thoughts, we shall find, at least so far as we have gone, a distinct meaning of the anointing of the Spirit. For Christ, it was His official designation for the place to which God had appointed Him, Priest and King, and his qualification in power for the place. For the saint, it is the distinct designation, in the gift of the Spirit, that he belongs to God, and a qualification to live here in separation from all evil. By the fact of my anointing I am set apart to God. I am His for the service to which He has called me. The anointing oil is upon me, and abides. Nor is this a mere past, formal act; but a living Person who guides, teaches, empowers me for everything I meet. Above all, the Holy One teaches me to abide in Christ, to cleave fast to Him.

But more than this follows: we are "anointed" as believers, we receive the unction from the Holy One, whereby, as John says, we know all things. God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power the Lord Jesus, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil. (See Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38) To us who believe it is rather energy of communion with His revealed mind; still the Spirit given is of power, and love, and a sound mind; and He that anointed us is not man, but God. Hence, as the apostle with the last hour before his eyes says, the unction as surely abides as it teaches us of all things. It is no transient display of power over Satan outwardly, no qualification of apostles only, as some have thought. It is the permanent privilege of the Christian for his own soul's entrance into the revealed mind of God; and "the babes" (τὰ παιδία) have it as truly, if not so manifestly, as the most mature. The apostles and prophets of the New Testament received, of course, gift or energy for their work; but they are never said to be "anointed" as such.