Anointed by God
By Nick Bibile
1Jo
21 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.
John begins verse 20 with but meaning
it has to do something with the previous verse he has been talking. So this
verse flows with the context. We see here John is contrasting these believers
with heretics who have removed themselves from the believing community (cf.
The word Anointing
(crisma). Christians are "anointed
ones," What John is saying here is the ones that left the church are the
false Christians, they called them selves to be Christians but they were not
anointed. What do you mean by anointed? The Hebrew word is mashah it means to
pour oil upon, to smear or rub. This was done to the sacred furniture
especially to the altar.
Ex 29:36 And thou shalt offer
every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse
the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it,
to sanctify it.
But the most significant uses of
maí²Ží¸¡hÖ¼/i>, however, are found in its application, not
to sacred things, but to
certain sacred persons. Like
anointing of a king by pouring out oil on his head at the coronation. Then the
priest was anointed. (Exod 29:7; Lev 4:3, 8, 12) Prophets were also anointed (1
Kings
Christ
the head of the church is anointed so is the body of church the believers are
anointed. The true Christians are the Lords anointed ones. They are anointed
not by oil but by the Spirit of God.
2Co
1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is
God;
22
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Heb
1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
These
are the true believers. The true believers, the wise virgins who had oil in
their lamps, which would never go out. Ye know all things. This is not
to be taken in a large scale and say, the anointed Christians know all the
truths of God and all the mysteries of God, but they are enlightened and
understand the false and the lies. This should be taken in the context of the
subject between the false and the truth, the false Christians, the antichrists
and the true Christians. The true Christians know the most necessary things for
salvation.
Joh
6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with
him.
67
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words
of eternal life.
69
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God.
Here
we see the true Christians, the true disciples of Christ are his anointed and
the elect ones, they may backslide but they will not be apostates. There is a
difference between an apostate and a backslider. We all know the word
backslide, what is an apostate?
A
falling away, a withdrawal, a defection. Not found in the English Versions of
the Bible, but used in the New Testament, in the Greek original, to express
abandonment of the faith. (2 Thes 2:3) The ones who left the church in verse 19
are not backsliders but apostates. As I said there is a difference between a
backslider and an apostate.
A
good example is Peter. Peter was on of the leaders among the disciples but when
Jesus was going to the cross he behaved badly and he backslide. Peter denied
the Lord with cursing. We see Peter repenting when Mary Magdalene went and told
him that the Lord has risen from the dead, when Peter heard, he mourned and
wept. (Mark 16:10)
Peter
was convinced that the Lord has risen from the dead, but that was it for Peter.
He never expected the Lord to use him, better to go fishing. (John 21:3) Others
were in the same mood so they went with Peter, they did not catch any fish.
Then the Lord appears and turns their failure into success. Jesus made
breakfast to the disciples. Then after breakfast Jesus said to Peter;
Joh
21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that
I love thee. He saith unto him, feed my lambs.
This
was a cutting question, spoke three times to Peter. It hurt and humbled Peter.
The command to Peter was, Feed my sheep. (John 21:16)
The
lord spoke to Peter three times was a way of forgiveness and restoration. The Lord
knew that out of the disciples Peter was the most hurt when he denied him.
Peter thought he had lost his office; here Jesus is restoring his position as a
disciple back again. Judas was also a disciple; Peter and Judas both fell from
their office of apostleship. But there is a difference. Judas, as a lost man,
lost his office forever; Peter as a saved man lost his only temporarily. Judas
was an apostate; Peter was a backslider. Judas was an unbeliever and a devil;
Peter was a sheep and a believer. Judas had remorse of conscience; Peter had
godly sorrow. Peter came back to Christ with humility and repentance. Judas
went away committing suicide as he died on his own hands, but Peter died as a
martyr.
21 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.
They knew all things then why did he write
since they knew? Truth comes from God; the word of God is the word of truth. We
need to confirm the truth and defend the truth at any cost. They knew of these
truths and they were not ignorant but it is very proper to put it in
remembrance. The apostle is confirming of what they knew, and putting it into
remembrance and establishing the truth against the deceivers and the apostates.
Whenever there is a revival hypocrites also
will spring up among the true saints. There was a revival of during the time of
Josiah but we see soon after there was a time of apostasy in the land. There
was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the land during the time of John
the Baptist, but there was great apostasy. During the time of Jesus many were
called but a few were chosen as multitudes came to hear him but only a few were
true disciples.
Also there was a great outpouring of the Spirit
during the time of apostles as we see in the book of acts. Also we see
apostasy.
Ga 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus
Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Php 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told
you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the
cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is
their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
2
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit
of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The true Christian is not a dull, lifeless
sleepy Christian but he is fervent in spirit. He loves to serve the Lord.
Ro 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent
in spirit; serving the Lord;
How many here today are fervently serving
the Lord? Or are you one of those dull lifeless people who say you are a
Christian? But those who are dull and lifeless, when it comes to worldliness
they become fervent. They are fervent in the worldliness, excited in the
material things but get bored in the spiritual things, as they are dull to
them. They have no desire to serve the Lord with gladness. Even if they do for
a while it is with a heavy burden.
False regeneration will make an outward
Christian, but true regeneration will circumcise the heart to love the Lord
with all your heart and to serve him. There is a holy desire longing for him,
you will hunger and thirst after Gods holiness.
Psa. 27:4, One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I
seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. Psa. 42:1, 2,
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O
God; my soul thirsteth for God,
for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Psa. 63:1, 2. My
soul thirsteth for thee, my
flesh longeth for thee, in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I
have seen thee in the sanctuary. Psa. 84:1, 2, How amiable are thy tabernacles,
O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth,
yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out
for the living God. Psa. 119:20, My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath
unto thy judgments at all times.