One of the greatest and most significant words of the New Testament is “Christ.” It is used in more than five hundred verses, eighty-two of which it is linked to “the Lord Jesus – CHRIST.” Christians have no difficulty understanding who Christ is. Christ is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Godhead. He is our Saviour, and at the same time, He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the Creator and Sustainer or all things. On and on we could go, and you believers would follow me each step of the way.
Before returning to our scripture let’s dig a little deeper into that word “Christ.” Sometimes it is used as a title: John refers to this in verse 22: “Jesus is the Christ.” Notice the definite article: “Jesus is THE Christ.” As I just said, eighty-two times we read “the Lord Jesus Christ.” But more than twice as often as that we read simply “Jesus Christ.” Sometimes “Christ” is substituted for Jesus’ name: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ” – Luke 2:11. But then there is the added thought: “unto you is born… a Saviour which is Christ the LORD.” There “Christ” is verbally upgraded for the sake of the shepherds, who were just learning about Jesus.
Now here is the thing I’d like you to notice this evening: The English word “Christ” is the Greek word “christos” which literally means “anointed.” Jesus is the especially anointed One. Obviously, the Greek word “Christ” is not found in the Old Testament, but the equivalent “Messiah” is. And “Messiah” like “Christ” means “anointed one.” It would be cumbersome, but we could say “anointed One” every time we read “Christ.” So verse 22 could be read: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the ‘anointed one?’” Chapter 1 verse 3: “and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus ‘the anointed.’” And 2:1: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus ‘the anointed’ the righteous.”
A week ago I introduced you to the words “antichrist” and a related word not in this chapter – “false Christs.” “False Christ” is literally “pseudochristos,” in Greek and “antichrist” is “antichristos.” And again, they mean “pseudo-anointed” and “anti-anointed.” I introduced the subject of the antichrist and antichrists because John does. “Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” Beware everyone, we are living in the midst of an antichrist world. So, “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.”
In the midst of that warning we have: “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” Hidden in verse 20 is another reference to anointing, but it isn’t “the Holy One” – the Lord Jesus. Philologists and etymologists tell us that the Greek root word for “Christ” is “chrio” – (khree’-o). “Christos” is a derivative of “chrio.” And the root word translated “unction” in verse 20 is also “chrio,” taking us back to “anointing.” In fact, all three times that “unction” – “chrisma” (khris’-mah) are used in the Bible, they are in this chapter. Verse 27: “But the anointing which we 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…” In other words, on one side of Christ Jesus are the antichrists and on the other side are the minichrists. In the midst of a world filling with lying, Christ-denying antichrists, there are you believers. And “ye have an anointing of the Holy One, and ye know all things.” On one side of the Anointed are the deniers of the anointed, and on the other side are you who have been anointed. All you who have fallen asleep can wake up now, we’re coming back to verse 20.
“Ye have an unction from the Holy One.”
You believers; all of you who have spiritual life, you have been anointed by Christ. Even though there are some similarities, this anointing is not the same as baptism. This is more closely related to some Old Testament illustrations than to baptism. There is an important special purpose and blessing in this, which is described later in this chapter.
In the Book of Exodus God instructed Israel to make a special altar for the worship of the Lord. When it was finished and approved by God, it was commanded that it be anointed with oil. And Israel was also to anoint the Tabernacle, making it unlike any of their personal tabernacles. Moses was told to put the oil of anointing on each of the objects inside the tabernacle. Samuel anointed Saul to be king of Israel, and then later so was David. I Samuel 16:13: “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the mist of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward…” These two men were anointed, setting them apart from the rest of Israel for their royal service. Earlier, Moses anointed his brother Aaron. “Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.” David says in Psalm 133, that the precious ointment “upon the head… ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard,” and “went down to the skirts of his garments.” Aaron was drenched in that holy oil. He was set apart from Israel, even from the rest of the Levites as the Lord’s special high priest.
And that is the point: Those Old Testament anointings set those people and objects apart, consecrating them for God’s purpose. All those anointings in the Old Testament made the anointed person or object different from their peers. The anointing was a setting apart or sanctification. In most cases it signified a purification, and in some cases it denoted an empowerment. And the purpose and illustration continues here in I John. “YE have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” The antichrist will claim to have God’s anointing, but it will not be true. The false Christ’s claim to have God’s anointing, but it is a lie. “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.” You believers, on the other hand, have received the true anointing of God. And the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you – lives permanently in you.
“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”
Even though we shall rule and reign with our Lord Jesus, we have not been anointed and ordained to that office. And even though we are a royal priesthood and a peculiar people, we haven’t been anointed in the same way that Aaron was. I’m not sure I’d enjoy having my hair and beard, shirt and trousers drenched in oil, even if it was holy and precious ointment. There are probably several purposes for our anointing with the Holy Spirit, but there is one which stands out in this chapter. “The anointing which we 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.”
I believe that “the Holy One” who is doing the anointing is the Lord Jesus. Peter accused the Jews in Acts 3 of choosing Barabbas over “the Holy One and the Just.” And in Mark 1:24 a group of Satan’s demons cried out: “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” John’s “Holy One” is the same as the one in Mark. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who authorized this unction. And I also believe that the anointing oil in this case is the Holy Spirit. As the Son of God said of Himself in Isaiah’s prophecy: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings…” Every Christian has the anointing unction of the Holy Spirit permanently residing on him and in him. As verse 27 says, “The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you…”
This brings us back to some of the things which the Lord said about the Holy Spirit. In the great fourteenth chapter of John, Christ began: “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me.” “I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself…” “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Eventually the Lord said, “I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth…” “These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” And two chapters later Jesus added: “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”
The Lord Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “He shall teach you all things…He will guide you into all truth.” This the anointing to which John refers. This is the knowledge of all things to which he refers. Is this a promise of omniscience? Don’t be silly. That is the prerogative of God alone. But we have access to all the knowledge we need to have.
Remember, this is one of John’s purposes in this letter; perhaps his highest purpose… “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may KNOW…” “Hereby KNOW we that we are in him.” “And ye KNOW that he was manifest to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” “We KNOW that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” “We KNOW we have passed from death unto life…”
I John 4:2: “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God; Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of anti-Christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” Going back to our scripture from chapter 2: we have enough information available to us to know when we are facing an antichrist or a false Christ.
Every child of God has an unction from the Holy One. And here is another of John’s tests of the in Christ. Do you have this unction? Have you been anointed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit?