1 John 2:18-25.       

In some areas, there has been an increased interest in “anointing.” You can find books on how to receive or develop various types of anointing. Anointing is understood as God’s blessing and empowerment to accomplish extraordinary feats in His name. These range from healing and preaching to fundraising and miracles. Certain individuals are even believed to have the power to pass on these acts of anointing.

In the Bible, anointing is an expression of God’s sovereign will, not a response to individual requests. In the Old Testament, individuals were set apart and given authority (power) to fulfill God’s calling, such as a ruler, a priest, or a prophet. In the New Testament, John addressed those who received his letter as “my dear children” (2:1).

They are ordinary believers living out their calling by “walk[ing] in the light, as he [Christ] is in the light” (1:7). They are cautioned to “not love the world or anything in the world” (2:15). This calling is an “anointing from the Holy One” (v. 20). They are empowered to discern truth from falsehood, real from counterfeit.

Faithful believers today share this anointing for the same purpose—that they may “remain in the Son and the Father” (v. 23).

Author: Duane Brush