Determining the superiority of either side in either conflict is
difficult since the decisive factor in gaining a victory is often hidden.
This was certainly the case when the Spanish Armada sailed against
England. It was one of the greatest fleets ever assembled, and the
Spanish ships dwarfed the English vessels. They towered above the
sea, and the very sight of them threw fear into the English. It
appeared to be no mystery where the superior power was, until an
unforeseen factor entered the picture. A strong wind began to blow
up the English Channel and it was discovered that this made the
large Spanish ships unmanageable, whereas the smaller English
vessels could still maneuver. The result was, the Spaniards were at
the mercy of the wind, and were blown up the channel into the
North Sea, and around the coast of Scotland, and finally on to the
Hebrides where they were smashed to pieces.
The wind changed the whole picture, and gave the victory to the
apparently inferior. The winning wind was the decisive factor. It is
the wind that changed the whole picture in the battle of light against
darkness also. Go back to Pentecost, and you find a small group of
120 people facing a Roman Empire, and an unfriendly Judaism. A
picture of weakness facing a great strength. Yet, when the wind
came upon the 120, they received the promised power of the Holy
Spirit, and they went out and turned the world upside down. The
wind was the decisive factor, and again, the apparently inferior
gained the victory. Pentecost was the day of the anointing of the
church, and from that time on all who enter in the body of Christ by
faith in Christ are anointed with the Holy Spirit. John is saying to
the Christians of his day that it is this anointing that is still the
enabling power to be superior over evil forces, and it keeps the
believer from being deceived by the antichrists.
In verse 20, John with one blow destroys the professed
superiority of the Gnostics. They said they were unique and above
all others, for they knew what only the initiated could know. Those
who had not gone through their particular rites just were not
capable of knowing the mysteries of God. John tells the Christians
that this is nonsense, for he says to all of them, "You have been
anointed by the Holy One-Jesus Christ Himself." He said, you know
all things, or as the modern versions have it, you all know. John is
contrasting the Christian position with that of the Gnostics. They
say only the elite can know the deep truths of God, but John says all
Christians know the deepest truths possible to know in knowing
Christ. John did not make a distinction between the slave and the
educated Roman convert, or the even more knowledgeable Jewish
Christian. They all had the anointing of the Spirit, and they all
knew the basic truth of Christ's deity, and the need for faith in Him
alone for salvation.
Every Christian is equal when it comes to the knowledge of God's
greatest truth. Educated Christians go deeper, but none can go
higher, for knowing Christ is the pinnacle of Revelation. All of the
true believers are one here, and this is why John knew that those
who went out of the fellowship were not true believers, for had they
been anointed of the Spirit, they too would have known Jesus to be
the Christ, and could never have forsaken Him or His body.
The word here for anointed is chrism, and so all Christians have
a chrism from Christ. As He is God's Anointed One, so we are His
anointed ones. We are Christ's Christ, or as one has said, we are
little christs-miniature messiahs seeking in Christ's stead to bring
the world to be reconciled with the Father though Him. Every
believer is protected by the Holy Spirit within from being lead
astray by the folly and deception of the antichrists. This explains
why, when the antichrist comes, that Paul speaks of in II Thess. 2,
that though all the unsaved in the world will be deceived, there will
be none of the elect deceived. They cannot be, for the Holy Spirit
within makes it impossible for them to be deceived, for they know
Christ, and can recognize any lie that would seek to deny this most
fundamental of all truths.
This whole concept of the anointing takes us back to the Old
Testament where priests and kings were anointed for God's service.
It was a special thing for them only that set them apart to be used as
instruments of God's Spirit. Now in the New Testament age all
believers are anointed. We see in this another support for the
doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Every one of us are
anointed by Christ, and not just pastors and missionaries. They
have the additional distinction of being set apart by the church, and
they must give an account to the church, but all are anointed by
Christ, and equally accountable to Him. The layman is not
obligated to prepare sermons, baptize, marry, etc., but he is just as
responsible for witnessing to the lost as is the pastor.
John is not saying this here, but it is the logical result of what he
is saying. He makes it clear that all Christians have this in common;
that they are anointed, and have the most basic knowledge of
salvation in Christ. This fact, plus all we know of the significance of
anointing in Scripture leads to the conclusion that every believer is
commissioned to be a servant and a witness in the world.
When David was selected out of his brothers to be king we read
in I Sam. 16:13, "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed
him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came
mightily upon David from that day forward." When one was
anointed of the Spirit he was used as an instrument to accomplish
God's will on earth. This was for kings and priests, and the thought
occurred to me that there should be a doctrine of the kingship of all
believers, as well as the priesthood of all believers. Just as we are
ministers to the world for Christ, so we also reign with Christ, and
are called in Rev. 1:6 both kings and priests.
The significance of these Scriptural truths are just being
rediscovered, and are the basis for the modern interest in the
layman. The church became clergy centered, and the rest of the
believers became spectators, and the result is that the church
became Americanized to the point of everything centering around
the performance of the clergy. With the development of so many
more places to go to be entertained, and better entertained, the
church has lost a great many spectators to the world, which gives
them what they want. The result is the church is trying to figure out
how to get the laymen more active. This is a good sign and should
bring renewal to the church. It is not enough to have a gland active
here and there. The whole body must be active if the church is going
to fulfill its purpose. All are anointed, and all are responsible for
proclaiming the good news.
In verse 21 John says he writes to them, not because they do not
know the truth, but because they do. His purpose is not to address
the unbeliever, and try to convince them of the deity of Christ, but to
strengthen those who are already convinced. Knowing the truth
made them able to detect the lies of the Gnostics, but the Gnostics
were deceived by lies because they did not know the truth. In other
words, truth is only of real value to those who already know the
truth, for they alone can appreciate it and distinguish it from error.
Those who are deceived cannot tell truth from error. They are
victims of the lies of the antichrist.
This verse shows us what we often forget: That the Bible is for
Christians, and not for the unbeliever. God's written revelation is
for believers, while the preached word, and the word of testimony
from believers, are God's instruments for reaching the unsaved.
Some unsaved people are won by Bible reading, but it is rare. Most
people are won through the spoken word. The Bible is not meant to
be evangelistic, but is for the purpose of preparing the believer to be
evangelistic. Paul gives us a list of the values of the Bible, and not a
single one of them apply to the non-believer.
He says in II Tim. 3:16, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God and is profitable for doctrine," (this is the number one value,
and only a believer cares about doctrine,) "reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works." The whole Bible then, and
not just John's letters, is written to those who already know the
truth, that they might grow in it, and recognize all of its
implications, and not only avoid the lies of heretics, but be victorious
over them. With the word and the wind, that is the Holy Spirit
within, the believer will always be a winner in the conflict with evil
ideas. May God help us to be more aware of our unique anointing,
and to be more conscience of the winning wind within.
