Anointed

 

Little children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now, many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing [chrisma] from the Holy One, and you know all things.                  1 John 2:18-20

These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.                       1 John 2:26-27

The above passages from the Apostle John address the principle of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. John understood that the term “anointing” was a synonym for the operation of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8, For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity [akarthsia – uncleanness], but in sanctification [hagiosmos – set apart for God]. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. The Holy Spirit wishes to set each believer apart from the world for God’s purposes, but it takes agreement on the part of the believer to accomplish it. The believer decides how far he wishes to go in his relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 says I say then: walk [peripateo – present imperative active – keep on walking] in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. When walking with the Holy Spirit is an all-consuming interest, there is no room for the lusts of the flesh. As the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), his preoccupation is with God’s purposes. One of the lessons I learned to “coach” my wife through natural childbirth was steam engine blowing. That is, the mother will wish to push before the cervix is fully dilated, and the coach gets her to do steam engine blowing. If the mother is blowing, she cannot push at the same time. In the same way, Galatians 5:18 says But if you are led [ago – present imperative passive – being led] by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. When the Holy Spirit is his priority, there is no need to perform by being religious. 

The Holy Anointing Oil 

Moreover, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. “You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. “With it, you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. “You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. “You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. “You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. ‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. ‘Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”            Exodus 30:22-33 

The Law of Moses introduced the holy anointing oil as a means of ordaining and consecrating certain leaders in their important positions. These included not only Aaron and his sons but also priests, prophets, and even kings. The anointing oil would be olive oil mixed with four particular spices according to specific measurements. ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations.’  It was to be strictly used for this purpose only; it is holy and shall be holy to you. Moses would consecrate the Tabernacle and its elements with oil as holy. It was also the means God used to ordain these men with the Spirit of the Lord to fulfill the obligations of their important positions. The Holy Spirit was upon specific leaders, while the new covenant promised the indwelling Spirit would reside in each believer. Cyrus, King of Persia, would be referred to as God’s anointed since he would be the one to release the Jews from exile. Even Lucifer was considered God’s anointed as the cherub who covers (Ezekiel 38:14). They were prepared for their missions. 

The Anointed One

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So, they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.                    Isaiah 61:1-3 

The coming Messiah, as prophesied by Isaiah, is the One anointed by the Lord to bring good news to the afflicted, etc. He would be referred to as the Christ, the Anointed One, as He fulfilled every promise made during his first coming. That anointing would occur at His baptism when the dove would descend from heaven, symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and the Father’s voice would say, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased" (Matthew 3:16-17). He would now be equipped to complete His mission on earth.

Anointed with Fresh Oil 

But You have exalted my horn [strength] like that of the wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh [the best] oil. And my eye has looked exultantly upon my foes, my ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me. The righteous man will flourish [parah – blossom] like the palm tree; he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.                      Psalm 92:10-15 

In the above passage, the psalmist declares that the anointing of God strengthens the believer in every situation, including deliverance from enemies. The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree; he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. He will be fruitful even in old age. Psalm 28:7-8 says The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore, my heart exults, and with my song, I shall thank Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is a saving defense to His anointed.9 Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd also, and carry them forever. The anointing of the Holy Spirit manifests God's power and strength in the new covenant age. The anointing is employed as the believer gives the Holy Spirit full authority in his life. 

Born of the Spirit

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.                John 3:5-6 

The new birth, being born from above, born of the Holy Spirit, is the only avenue into the kingdom of God. The human spirit, now fully alive, is the means by which each believer is connected to the power and ability of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). Empowerment by the Holy Spirit is not automatic and is not derived from any kind of human effort. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. The spiritual ability of God can only be experienced through the Holy Spirit: that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Spiritual life and power are not realized by human effort; there is a “great gulf fixed” between man’s efforts and God’s presence. In Romans 8:3-4, For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

Jacob’s Ladder

He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.                     Genesis 28:12-14 

Jacob had an amazing experience in a dream, as Moses relates above, commonly known as Jacob’s Ladder. The Lord was giving him a picture of the spiritual life to come in the new covenant age. That ladder is a picture of the Holy Spirit, connecting the believer directly with God and heaven. The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being (Proverbs 20:27). Jesus referred to the same imagery when speaking to Nathanael in John 1:51 when He told Nathanael, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." The Son of Man would bring salvation to all mankind through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Lord promised Jacob that “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south. 

An Illustration

The story is told about the Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman who was giving a performance one night in New York City. Perlman had suffered from polio as a child, and he wore large, heavy braces on both his legs and used crutches to get around. On that night, the audience cheered as Perlman first appeared on stage and then sat quietly as Perlman slowly made his way to center stage. As he sat down and picked up his violin, the audience cheered again. Perlman gave the signal, and the orchestra began to play.

However, just a few bars in, one of his violin strings snapped with the sound of a gunshot. There was silence in the hall as everyone expected the performance to stop. Yet, much to everyone’s surprise, Perlman signaled for the conductor to continue where they had left off. The performance continued, and Perlman made up for the missing string by finding some of the notes on the three remaining strings. Elsewhere, he rearranged the music in his head and improvised. Perlman played with passion and amazing skill. 

When the music ended, the audience sat stunned momentarily, appreciating the magnitude of what they had just witnessed. Then they rose to their feet and cheered wildly. Perlman lifted his bow to signal for silence. Then he said, “You know, it is the artist’s task to make beautiful music with what you have left.”

This story illustrates the principle of the anointing that the Holy Spirit brings to each believer who places his complete trust in God. When the believer trusts in the miraculous power of God, all things are possible—Perlman's confidence in his ability to overcome the challenge of the broken violin string. The anointed believer is not discouraged by any difficulty since the Holy Spirit is always present.

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright. Save, O Lord; may the King answer us in the day we call.     Psalm 20:6-9