The abiding anointing described in 1 John 2:27 is a vital key for all believers.
It reveals a powerful truth that is the foundation for everything else God gives you.
“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 2:27).
Let’s break this verse down to understand what it is saying about this level of anointing, the one that allows you to abide in Jesus because He abides in you. It begins with, “But the anointing which ye have received of him.” The first thing I want you to notice is the word of. John says this anointing is of God, not from God.
This anointing of Him is separate from the one from Him. The one of Him is the inner anointing for living described here in 1 John. The one from Him is the outer anointing for ministry described in Acts 1:8. There is a reason these words are not the same. It seems simple, but it took me years to discover this, and when you grasp this, it will change your entire understanding. That’s why I’m sharing it with you. The anointing for living is of God; the anointing for ministry is from God.
Please notice that the Bible says the abiding anointing is in you. The empowering anointing (which is the anointing for ministry) rests on you. The empowering anointing for ministry comes later, but the abiding anointing comes at salvation.
There are three signs of the abiding anointing: hunger, faith and love. These three things happen at salvation, the moment you become one with the Lord Jesus.
1. Hunger
When a baby is born, he is hungry for food. In the physical realm, hunger is the sign of life. It’s the same in the spiritual realm. The minute you were born again, you became one with Jesus and you developed a spiritual hunger. From that moment, spiritual hunger is part of your life. You start seeking more and more of the presence of God through His Word.
2. Faith
The second thing that happens at salvation is an explosion of faith. You know that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for your sins and that He rose from the dead. How do you know that reality? You don’t need to read it in a book. You know it by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives you an inner knowing that you belong to Him, that He loves you, that heaven is your home, that there is power in the blood to set you free, and that you are redeemed. That inner knowing is faith. You receive God-given faith, and therefore you don’t have to convince yourself it’s real. The Lord becomes real to you—more real than your own life.
3. Love
The third thing that comes alive at salvation is the Holy Spirit gives you a love for the Lord Jesus you have never known and a desire to know the Lord, a desire to walk with Him, a desire to serve Him. That is love. The minute that oneness with the Lord Jesus takes place, there is a great desire to know Him. The Bible says that even though we haven’t seen the Lord Jesus, we love Him (1 Pet. 1:8).
Hunger Leads to Fellowship
The abiding anointing begins to manifest immediately as a hunger for God. When I got saved, I wanted more of what I had tasted of Him when I was 11. That was hunger. Then, suddenly, I knew I was a child of God. When I got saved, no man told me. I just knew it. The Holy Spirit put that faith in me with such reality. And third, my reaction was, “Jesus, I love You!” Those three things are the signs of life in Jesus, which begin our fellowship with Him: hunger, faith and love.
The minute your relationship with God begins, hunger leads you to fellowship. Please don’t miss that: hunger leads to fellowship. It’s simple but profound. The minute we become one with Christ Jesus, the abiding anointing is released, and our fellowship with Him begins.
We must understand that the abiding anointing reveals who the Lord is in our lives. The abiding anointing protects our hearts from deception. The abiding anointing causes us to continue in fellowship with the Lord. This anointing resides in us. It is the anointing that produces hunger, faith and love. {eoa}
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