This week in our Rooted in Christ we are going to be looking deeper at 1 John 2: 18-29.  Today we’ll look at the World of the Text of verses 26-29.

I wanted to pay special attention to this passage, as I think there is a key point here that John is making to us. Verse 27 talks about the anointing that these believers have. The word anointing there is a clear reference to the Holy Spirit. This is a huge point for our understanding of faith and our understanding of theology. We believe that as Christians, we all have access to the Holy Spirit.  In fact, we can’t be a Christian apart from the Spirit dwelling within us. That Spirit is the very third person of the Trinity, the very presence, essence, and nature of God.

This power, this very presence of God dwells within you.  In other words, you have direct access to the Father through the Son by the Spirit.

What does that mean for us in relation to false teaching and the antichrist?  Test the Spirits as scripture tells us.  If a teacher is teaching something that just doesn’t seem right, that doesn’t seem to fall in line with what Scripture tells us about who Jesus is, listen to the Spirit of God.  You have access to God.  As I tell my Bible Studies quite often, you don’t need me. I hope I am helpful and am useful to the growth of your faith, but you have all the access to the Father that you need.  You don’t need me to get to God.  You can go to Him for yourself.

Just because a teacher teaches something, that doesn’t make it Gospel.  Pray. Listen. Read scripture.  Listen to God’s voice.  Think.  That is what John means by anointing.

And as we are told, that anointing will not lie.

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