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The Holy Spirit: Is His Anointing for an Elite Group?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We would all like to be a member of the elite group.  I am referring to being at the top of the class, the “cream of the crop.”  It might be a student striving to be in the top 10% of the class academically.  It could be an employee pushing to receive recognition as the best employee in the company.  Perhaps it is a person seeking to achieve a powerful position in an organization.  Those in the elite group are often highly respected, while those who are merely ordinary are not recognized and are at times rejected, especially by those who are the “elite.”  There are those who seek to divide believers into groups based on their relationship to the Holy Spirit.  Due to their misunderstanding of the work of the Spirit in a believer’s life, they teach that some believers are in an elite group as compared to other believers.  

While it is true that every believer doesn’t yield to the Holy Spirit to the same degree and doesn’t experience His power to the same extent, it is not true that there is an elite class of believers as far as their possession of the Spirit is concerned.  Some teach that some believers have the Holy Spirit, while others do not.  Some have been baptized with the Spirit, but others have not.  Some believers have special gifts of the Spirit, with others possessing inferior gifts.  Some have experienced the Spirit’s “anointing,” while others lack that “anointing.”  Is this teaching biblical?  Is there a segment of believers who have a “corner” on the Holy Spirit?  

In the past eight articles, we have been studying the Holy Spirit, our Divine Comforter.  We have observed His work in the Old Testament, the Gospels, and the Book of Acts.  We are currently looking at the present work of the Holy Spirit in salvation.  We have observed that He convicts the world of sin, regenerates (gives spiritual life to) the sinner that trusts in Christ, and indwells every believer from the moment that he/she trusts in Christ.   In this study, we will examine this doctrine of the Spirit which is related to His indwelling but is often misunderstood:  His anointing.  We will answer the question:  “The Holy Spirit:  Is His Anointing for an Elite Group?”    

What is meant by the Spirit’s work of anointing?  

  • The Spirit’s anointing defined
    The anointing is that ministry of the Holy Spirit by which He enables the believing sinner to be taught spiritual things.

  • The Spirit’s anointing described
    Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer concisely described the Spirit’s anointing in this way:  “The anointing is universal, occurs at the moment of salvation, and doctrinally is the same as the indwelling of the Spirit .  The teaching that one is anointed subsequent to salvation and that it is a second work of grace or possible only when filled with the Spirit is not the teaching of Scripture” (Major Bible Themes, p. 103).  This runs counter to what is taught by many that certain believers are “anointed” while others are not, and corrects the common misconception that the anointing occurs in a believer’s life at a point after he is saved rather than at salvation.

    • Who is the author of the anointing (II Cor. 1:21)?  God the Father.  “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God” (II Cor. 1:21).  

    •  Who is the agent of the anointing (I John 2:20, 27; cp. I Cor. 2:10, 12, 14, 15; John 16:12-15)?  The Holy Spirit.  “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. . . . But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him” (I John 2:20, 27).  Every believer is anointed with the Spirit (I John 2:20, 27), just as Jesus was anointed with the Spirit for service (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38).   The result of the anointing is knowing all things (God’s truth) and not needing to be taught because we are taught through the anointing.  Though the Holy Spirit is not described in I John 2:20, 27 by name, it is implied that He is the agent of the anointing (the One through whom we are anointed) because of His instructing ministry which is mentioned in other passages (I Cor. 2:10, 12, 14, 15; John 14:26; 16:12-15).  

    • What is meant by the abiding of the anointing (I John 2:27)?  While we are anointed with the Spirit at the point of salvation, this anointing continues throughout the Christian life.  “The anointing which you have received. . . abides in you” (I John 2:27).  

    •  What is the aim of the anointing (I John 2:20, 27)?  

      • The primary aim of the anointing is that we might be instructed by Him and know His truth.  Our reliance must be on the Spirit to teach us the Word.  He is involved, not only in the inspiration of the Scriptures (II Tim. 3:16; II Pet. 1:21), but also in the illumination of the Scriptures to our hearts.  Our reliance on human teachers is not good, according to John; the Spirit must be our primary Teacher.  But we must also realize that the Spirit uses human teachers to present His truth (Eph. 4:11-14; I Tim. 1:3; II Tim. 2:24-26; 4:1-5; Tit. 1:7-9; Heb. 5:12).  

      • A secondary purpose of the anointing may be a setting apart for God’s service (cp. Ex. 40:9-15; I Sam. 16:12-13; I Kings 19:16; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38).  Anointing with oil in the Old Testament was a frequent way of symbolizing setting apart someone or something to God for His service.  Prophets (I Kings 19:16), priests (Ex 40:15), and kings (I Sam. 16:12-13) were consecrated or set apart to God by anointing.  The Lord Jesus was anointed with the Spirit, setting Him apart and empowering Him for service (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38).  The Spirit empowers us also.  

(Sources to Consult:  Class notes—Soteriology, Professor Otis Stone, Calvary Bible College, 1978; The Holy Spirit, Charles C. Ryrie, pp. 72-73; The Great Doctrines of the Bible, William Evans, pp. 118; Major Bible Themes, L. S. Chafer and John F. Walvoord, p. 103; Systematic Theology, L. S. Chafer, Vol. VI, pp. 133-134)

There is no elite class when it comes to the believer’s possession of the Holy Spirit.  Every believer is anointed with the Spirit!  His anointing in your life enables you to understand His truth.   Depend on the Spirit’s instruction in order to understand His Word and impart it to others!

Because of His Grace—Pastor Charlie