WHO HAS IT, WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT IS NOT, WHAT IT DOES, AND HOW IT WORKS.
WHO HAS IT. Everyone who has the Spirit of God is anointed. (2 Corinthians 1:21)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me…” (Luke 4:18)
“You have an anointing from the Holy One…the anointing which you have received.” (1 John 2:20,27)
“The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy…and will be turned into another man…do as the occasion demands, for God is with you.” (1 Samuel 10:7)
WHAT IT IS. Oil poured, rubbed, or smeared, as an act of consecration. Greek: “krisma” (noun); “krio” (verb). This signified the invisible anointing, which accompanied or followed it. Anointed is a synonym for chosen, or selected. (Psalm 105:15)
“Messiah” means “anointed”. Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed, at God’s command. (1 Samuel 10:1; 16:13)
In the Old Testament, the only anointed person mentioned by name was a heathen emperor. “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus…” (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-7) Cyrus was anointed in the sense that he was chosen by God to do a work for him in the world. No prophet poured oil on his head. The LORD “stirred up his spirit” to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-4) Here, the term is figurative.
WHAT IT IS NOT. The anointing is not a feeling. Those anointed with oil had to wash their hair sometimes! When they did, they washed off the visible symbol; but the anointing of the Spirit of God remained. They were God’s anointed – no matter what their condition.
The anointing is not a mystical, spiritual potion, poured out upon a person to make him different from everyone else. True, Saul was changed into another man after being anointed, and Samson performed amazing feats of physical strength, but both failed because their lives were not compatible with the anointing.
Samson was a charismatic delinquent. Saul was anointed flesh. David, on the other hand, was a man after God’s own heart. (1 Samuel 13:14)
The anointing may in fact sanction what is already in a person’s heart. Jehu desired to terminate Ahab and Jezebel’s dynasty. Jehu was a furious driver, a dangerous man! The man who anointed him with oil ran from his presence! The man who was to turn the temple of Baal into a public toilet was meeting privately with some fellow military officers, probably planning a coup d’atat when unexpectedly anointed. (2 Kings 9:1-13,20; 10:27)
While the anointing empowers some to do what is already in their hearts, others are instructed when anointed. After being anointed, they don’t need “more oil on the head” so that they can feel anointed.
“From that time on, your decisions should be based on what seems best under the circumstances, for God is with you.” (1 Samuel 10:7 – The Living Bible)
The anointing of a person with oil was a visible symbol of God’s blessing on that person. The invisible reality was the immediate presence and continuing power of the Spirit of God in that person’s life. The anointing made them the anointed.
The anointing is not many anointings. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recover of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord…” (Luke 4:18,19)
Jesus was anointed by God to do many things, but he didn’t need many anointings. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power when John baptized him. He didn’t give him “anointings”! Jesus did the things that God anointed him to do. (Acts 10:38)
Those who seek “anointings” should instead seek spiritual gifts. Gifts enable God’s people to minister effectively. Don’t seek anointings for this, that and the other – desire spiritual gifts! The “many anointings” concept is both distractive and unscriptural and could lead to a form of spiritism. (1 Corinthians 12:1-3)
The anointing is not the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit is a person, not just a power. (John 14:16,17) The anointing is his presence. “If the Holy Spirit was a power, we would want more of it; but the Holy Spirit is a person who wants more of us.”
In 1 John 2:27 the apostle John refers to the anointing as “the” and “it”. (The Greek in 1 John 2:20 does not have the indefinite article: “the” anointing is implied.) The anointing is an Old Testament symbol of God’s abiding presence. (1 John 2:20,27)
WHAT IT DOES. The abiding anointing means that when faced with a problem or an opportunity, you should act accordingly. “You have no need that any should teach you” doesn’t mean that you don’t need teachers. It means that the anointing of the Spirit of truth helps you to distinguish truth from error. Jesus said: “I will not leave you in the dark.” (John 14:18)
The anointing is the presence of God, whether consciously realized or not. At times, his presence is tangible in mighty power. So real that your physiology can be affected and your strength depleted. Sapped of energy, you may think that the anointing has left you. It hasn’t. At all times the anointing is present, whether you feel anointed or not.
Seeking assurance that you have the anointing is like seeking assurance that you are led by the Spirit. We are led far more than we are aware. We don’t have to feel anointed any more than we have to feel led. Put your faith in the facts of God’s Word, and let the feelings follow.