The Holy Spirit

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all. . . And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him" 1 John 2:20,27

Devotion #13 of 14

THE MINISTERING SPIRIT, #9 Knowing the implications of truth

"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). This is an extremely sensitive area--not because of any ambiguity in Scripture, but because of the tendency of men to think small. Truth has implications; i.e., it has a direct relationship to every day life. How are we able to apply Scripture to our personal situations? The modern church offers us many programs acclaimed to provide necessary answers. There are experts without number in the hallowed halls of religion that can tell us "how to" fulfill the will God. Books have been written about "how to" be good husbands and wives, start a church, learn to pray, have a "quiet time," lead a regimented life . . . etc. You will note that no such instruction is included in the Word of God. God tells husbands to "love their wives," but does not provide the details of how to do so. The same may be seen in the command for children to "honor their parents," or citizens to "honor the king," or elders to "feed the flock." The adaptation of Scripture to life is personally directed by the Holy Spirit. This involves convicting us of sin, persuading us of the applicability of truth to our situation, and the confidence that God will honor our efforts. This is what is meant by "ye need not that any man teach you." John did not mean there was no place for teaching: he himself was teaching in his letter. What is more, the He was speaking of the application of truth, not its affirmation. The result of the Spirit's teaching is not the accumulation of information, but "abiding in Him." In fact, the reception of His tutelage guarantees you will abide in Jesus; i.e., "ye shall abide in Him." The fact that this is difficult for some to receive does not diminish its truth or power! This is confirmed by the immediate context in which John wrote. Early believers were soon confronted with influential teachers that had once companied with the Apostles themselves. These teachers were actually imposters, yet appeared to be from God. No doubt they referred to their previous association with the Apostles in an attempt to make disciples of men. Notwithstanding, they were not from God, and their message was not from God (1 John 2:18- 19). John informs these believers that they have already been equipped to confront the delusions they faced. They had received an "anointing" from the Holy One. That "anointing" was the Spirit Himself, resident in their hearts (Gal 4:6). He was knit to their own spirits, and would enable them to decipher false apostles from real ones. Let no one be so naive as to suppose this would be accomplished by merely knowing the text of Scripture. Such knowledge is absolutely imperative, and can under no conditions be excluded. The correlation of Scripture with circumstance, however, requires more than the human intellect; more than a disciplined procedure; more than a legal prohibition. I will tell you that if it were not for the Holy Spirit, all of us would have been swept away by damning heresies (2 Pet 2:1) a long time ago! Of course, abiding in Christ involves infinitely more than the avoidance of false teachers. The presence of the Holy Spirit, together with your yieldedness to His direction, will equip to in everything essential to remaining in Christ. What a glorious ministry He has to us!