Verse 27 – The Holy Spirit hand-off
27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. (1 John 2:27–ESV)
The problem that the financial firm my advisor worked with has is this: they have no boots on the ground. They are in a large midwestern state up by Lake Michigan, but I am in the Central Savannah River Area. The local representative has much more access to me. Similarly, the locale religion sales reps in the First Century were much closer to the church than John could be.
There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, though1. It could be said that this friend sticks closer than a false evangelist. He is the Holy Spirit, and he abides inside of the Christian.
My financial advisor asked me, “Hasn’t [company x] sent you a letter about me yet?” Here John is like the company sending a letter to the locals saying, “You have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. Remember that experience, that event? He abides in you. You don’t need anyone so when these false teachers arrive with their literature, or when they stand by the Masters Golf Tournament smiling and telling you about things untrue just walk on by. You have what you need.”
It should be pointed out that Jesus had the same issue that John did. As a man, he was limited to a certain place. The Holy Spirit is not bound by such limitations. Jesus sent that counselor. He teaches and reminds. John reminds them of this.
A grand summary
His last sentence in this section wraps this whole thing together. They have an anointing that teaches about everything. It is the truth and has no barbs of falsity with it. The Holy Spirit had taught them these things when John was not around. “Take that to the bank,” he says. “Abide in Jesus.”
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