Things Revealed

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

1 John 2: 27

Where have we heard this before? And why do we need to be reminded that the anointing we received when we became believers “remains” in us? Because we are mere mortals. Born again, but from worldly stock. Some of us forget names seconds after introductions. Others forget important dates and appointments. And many forget that they have been transformed—filled with the power of God to do great and mighty things, forgiven for past transgressions and equipped in all ways to fulfill God’s call on their lives.

The anointing is for a purpose. One purpose is to bring us into intimate relationship with God himself, to know his love and fellowship. Another is to equip us deep within so we can step out in faith with holy confidence.

John says we received the anointing (an infilling of the Holy Spirit; the oil of God; gifting and equipping; the act of having been chosen by God). He says that it remains in us. When called to step up and step out in faith and speak the word of the Lord to friends or family, our first thoughts are often that we are not qualified. And rather than risk embarrassment, we remain silent. So John reminds us we are qualified because the anointing remains in us. No one has to teach us about it, because the anointing—the Holy Spirit—teaches us about all things. And it’s not just wishful or positive thinking, but the very power of God. Only, we must remain in him. (Jesus himself proclaimed: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”)

Paul put it this way: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

And even before Jesus walked the earth, God’s radical plan was to pour out his anointing on our lives. It was prophet Jeremiah who told us what to expect:

'The time is coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,' declares the LORD.

'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,' declares the LORD. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, "Know the LORD," because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,' declares the LORD. 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'

Jeremiah 31: 31-34

(Is this word just for Israel? Not according to Paul, who tells us in Romans that the Jews are the natural branch (the original covenant people of God) while the Gentiles are the wild branch that has been grafted in. Which means both believing Jews and Gentiles are the new covenant people of God.)

Since the Garden, God has been reminding us that he provides everything as we abide (remain) in him. But like Adam, it’s in our nature to wander away and forget what we have been given and what we have learned. In fact, much of the Bible is the history of people walking away from God and forgetting what he has done. Many knowingly. Others unaware that they had even strayed.

Maybe it’s time to get our bearings again. Do we remember that we are anointed? Are we moving in it? Are we hearing the voice of God?

If not, we need to ask, Why not?

The anointing remains in you, even if you've forgotten about it. Let the Spirit of God show you where you are and just how far you’ve wandered. Then change your direction, remember the anointing and take your rightful place as competent ministers of the new covenant.

Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Galatians 4:16

Here’s a hard Truth: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” For all who are paying attention and actually care, this Truth leads to self-examination, exploration of some of the deeper mysteries of life and, for a few, salvation. But salvation only comes when we accept the Truth that we are all sinners who need a savior. And in that moment of distressing revelation about ourselves—that we are sinners—opportunity knocks, because “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Not everyone believes there is absolute Truth (designated herein with a capitol “T” except for quotes from the Bible). Many believe truth is relative: Perspective, need and desire are just a few things that define truth at a given moment. Instead of the Truth, there are situational truths—truths defined by what works best under the circumstances. But if there is transcendent Truth that is not dependent on or our own needs, fears and desires, then what we call truth may have to yield to a higher power (e.g., my belief that I’m a “good person” and am therefore going to heaven will have to give way to the Truth that “no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again”).

Pilot was perhaps the most unfortunate relativist of all time. He was caught in the middle of the religious leaders who wanted Jesus crucified, his peers who wanted his job, and his own nagging awareness that Jesus was no ordinary man. When Jesus told him that “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me,” Pilot had a choice to make. Rather than examine his own understanding of reality or explore the profound life-changing ramifications of what Jesus was saying, Pilot simply parried and asked, “What is truth?” sealing his own fate and place in history. Pilot thought his clever response made him the final arbiter of Truth.

He was wrong.

Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last word on all things, including Truth. His disciples, then and now, have been empowered to bring God’s Truth to an unbelieving world. And not without controversy.

The Galatians were falling away from the Gospel they had been taught. False teachers had gained prominence in the church, and religious traditions, rather than faith, were being heralded as the road to salvation. Once counted as mentor, friend and Apostle, Paul’s correction was not welcome when he confronted the Galatians.

“Have I now become your enemy” he asked, “by telling you the truth?”

In a way, he had. Because a hard Truth, whether about our own sin and failings, or about false teaching or abuse of authority, is rarely welcome. Worse, Truth is often so hated that crucifying the messenger seems like a viable alternative to receiving the message. It is what the Romans and Pharisees chose. And it was what Jesus was willing to suffer in defense of the Truth about who he was and why he came into the world.

What are we willing to suffer for the Truth?

John tells us we cannot love with just “words and tongue,” (the scriptural way of saying talk is cheap), “but in actions and in truth.” Our lives have to be a living testament to God’s Truth if they are to have any impact on the people around us. That can only happen if we accept that God desires Truth “in the inner parts”—Truth which transforms the heart and mind and lovingly sets us free.

Jesus did not come to be our enemy, though some think he is. He came to save us and show us this absolute Truth: "Love never fails."

Sometimes it is absolutely our responsibility to speak the Truth in love.

Other times it’s our duty and responsibility to lovingly hear and receive the Truth from others. That doesn’t make the messenger our enemy any more than speaking the Truth make us theirs.

One measure of our maturity in Christ is this: Are we as willing to hear the Truth as we are to speak it?

If not, we need to grow up.

Which is, incidentally, something else God desires for all of us.