This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life. These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

                                                                                                               1 John 2:25-27 

Two things that Christians should be able to declare, is that we are a confident and blessed people. Today’s passage can be easily overlooked but carries profound truths regarding anyone who claims the name of Jesus. When interpreting John’s letter (and the rest of scripture for that matter), we would do well to remember what John is conveying to us in this passage.

Our confidence comes not from ourselves rather from the promises of God (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). John declares, “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.” Scripture is full of God’s promises but consider just a few of these regarding the new covenant:

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

                                                                                                           Matthew 11:28-30 

Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal. Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 

                                                                                                                   John 6:27-29 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

                                                                                                                 John 7:25-26 

Our job is to believe. Our acceptance into God’s kingdom is brought about by the sacrifice of Christ and our placing our full trust in His provision. We all have times in which we do not feel confident. But our spiritual security is not based on a feeling or how well we have performed today, or any other day of our lives. Spiritual security and confidence comes from the promises of God. He is the One who will bring about the final result of our salvation and it is based on faith in Jesus alone.

While John does not gives us information concerning those who were “trying to deceive” these early Christians, we know that there will be people today who will not assist in “shoring up” our faith rather they will lead us into doubt and fear. Remembering the promises of God in times like these is a very valuable asset in defending against the voices of others. And that takes us to John’s second declaration.

We are a blessed people because we have the anointing of God placed on and in our lives. This anointing comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the word chrisma, which has to do with the giving of abilities and gifts. Carefully consider what John is telling us regarding this anointing on our lives: “You have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things.”

I am a lifelong learner and educator. I believe in the value of preaching and teaching the truth found in the Bible. I have spent a considerable amount of my time participating in just that. So we need not underestimate that power of teaching scripture. However, when it comes to learning, the Spirit Himself is the best teacher. The most obvious of reasons for this is that God is perfect and we are not. When mankind teaches, we do so with a partial view of spiritual things. God teaches us out of the depths of His spiritual riches, which are found in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, as imperfect people, we can get tired, fed up, and moody. Our ability to instruct others is effected by our physical, mental, and emotional state. When we are not feeling right, it can greatly alter our effectiveness in dealing with others. Not so with God. He is consistent and doesn’t change “like the shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

Thirdly, people carry agendas. We all have a bias toward a certain theological leaning or bent. We tend to classify or label different points of view, again, because we are looking only with a partial view of spiritual things. But God doesn’t carry such agendas. He speaks in absolute truth all of the time.

So, we need to realize that God has anointed some individuals with specific gifts of teaching and preaching, given to the church for the purpose of guiding, shepherding, leading, and building up other believers. However, these individuals are not to take the place of our pursing God out of our own anointing. It is the responsibility of every believer to spend time with God, studying the scriptures, and allowing God the opportunity to teach us personally.

When we neglect our own time with God and completely rely on the knowledge and ability of another (preacher or teacher), we are missing the tremendous truth that John is revealing to us. This is at best irresponsible and at worst dangerous. Our allegiance is not to be toward a specific (human) person, doctrine, or belief system. Our allegiance is to the Person of Jesus Christ. He is our Savior, King, and Lord! He is the One in whom we place our complete trust, relying on His promises for eternal life. As we rest in those promises and operate out of the anointing given to us by the Spirit, we can walk upright in the confidence and blessing that comes from having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!