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tasteslikegold · 02-28-2009, 10:31 AM

My response:

According to the Old Testament type, anointing accomplished two things: These two items can be found in Exodus 30, when God gave Moses the ingredients for the oil of anointing, and then commanded him in the manner of its use. First, all of the items related to the tabernacle, and the tabernacle itself, were anointed with the oil. Second, in Exodus 40, when God established the priesthood in Aaron, Moses poured the oil of anointing upon his head. In these two acts the purpose of the oil was to consecrate– to set apart for God’s purpose), to make holy, the thing or person that the oil was poured upon (Exo. 40:9; 15).

A thing that is consecrated is firstly “set apart” for a specific purpose. At the time of consecration it ceases to be a common item, and hence, it becomes holy. When God commanded Moses to anoint all of the items in the tabernacle, he said, “…it shall become holy.”

A thing that is consecrated is made holy and thus becomes uniquely qualified to be used by God. It is for this reason that Aaron and his sons were anointed (Exo. 40:15; Lev. 8:12; 30). When Aaron and his sons were anointed they were qualified to administrate as priests in the tabernacle. Thus, the anointing is also in a sense a “seal of commission,” for the carrying out of God’s purpose on the earth.

In the Old Testament example when a person or thing was anointed it was first, set apart, then it was made holy, then that which was anointed became fully qualified for God’s use. However, that was only the outward example.

In the New Testament reality the anointing is referred to as being inward: “And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in him.” (John 2:27).

So if the anointing “abides” within the believers (all believers according to John 2:20), then we must ask ourselves, what, or more specifically who the anointing is, or is related to. Well, according to John’s epistle, the entire Triune God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit abide within the believers (John 14:15-24). There is no other element, no “extra” element abiding within all believers making them holy, there is only the Triune God. Therefore the anointing must be a Person.

That the anointing is a Person is confirmed in the language of John 2:27, “….but as His anointing teaches you…” This follows the same line of thought as John’s gospel, which records the Lord’s words concerning the Holy Spirit, “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…”

As in the Old Testament example, the reality of the anointing serves two purposes: Consecration and commission. But rather than an outward anointing, the anointing in the church is inward; it is through the indwelling of the Triune God. First, through the blood of Christ we have been sanctified (1 Cor. 6:11: Heb. 10:10). This sanctification is firstly a “setting apart,” it is a separation from the common things (Heb. 10:29). Secondly, this sanctification is a process by which we are made holy (Heb. 2:10; 10:14).

According to Eph. 1:13 all believers were, “sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise”. This word corresponds with 2 Cor. 1:22, which connects the sealing of the Spirit with the anointing of God. The Greek word for “sealed” in 1 Cor. 1:22 is “sphragizō” which means, “To set a mark upon. When Paul wrote his epistles to the churches he likely placed a “sphragizo” upon the letter in wax. These wax seals were commonly used, and stamped with the insignia of the person who wrote the letter (often with a signet ring). The seal “bore the mark” of the person sending it, and therefore had the full authority of the sender.

In conclusion, the anointing is the very Person of the Holy Spirit coming to the believers by the Son and with the Father to sanctify them and commission them through the sealing of the Spirit to carry out God’s divine administration on the earth (Which would include all the functioning of the members in their respective functions in the Body of Christ).

In response to your points above I would also have to conclude that your teaching on “the anointing” is extra-Biblical. The Bible does not identify or teach three anointings as you have done above (I also found this teaching on another website: http://www.lifeinjesus-ministries.com/THEANOINTING.html ). The Bible does not refer to the power by which Christ operated in His earthly ministry as “the anointing.” The Bible does not refer to the power the apostles received on the day of Pentecost as “the anointing.” One does not have to pray for a special anointing by God because every believer has already been anointed by God to carry out His divine purpose on the earth. As you pointed out, however, some of us are lukewarm. The sons of Aaron had been anointed by Moses, yet they offered a “profane fire” before the Lord. They were therefore consumed. We can learn from this that, although every believer has the anointing, not every believer is obedient to it. It is not that we must pray for a special anointing to be qualified to preach the gospel; or to be the most effective gospel preacher. It is simply a matter of love and obedience.

In my experience, and from what I have learned of the charismatic movement (Which includes much of Pentecostalism and the “Word-Faith” movements), teachings regarding “the power of the Holy Spirit” tend to, in my opinion, stretch the truth of Scripture to unreasonable extremes. For example, while it is true that God enables us by His Spirit to perform various works of power, it is not the works themselves which God desires to be emphasized in the church. Certainly teachings on word-faith and various anointings take works of power, which are by design supposed to be ordinary functions in the Body of Christ, and turn them into the extra-ordinary. In charismatic circles it is common to hear prophecies of a coming “revival” in which a “pouring out of God’s Spirit will be unmatched in human history,” and teachings concerning such a revival are commonly promoted by those who claim to “have the anointing.” The anointing is another common theme among the charismatics. It is described in some pretty strange ways too. A charismatic preacher can “feel the anointing,” or “see the anointing move” in a crowd. I even watched one preacher claim to have experienced the anointing like water flow over him, and upon receiving it he waved his coat at the crowd, at which time scores of people fell backward as the were “slain in the Spirit.” Yet all of this is foreign to the Bible, to the apostles’ teachings, and to sound Biblical principals.

02-28-2009, 10:31 AM	#11
tasteslikegold Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 48	Re: The Anointing My response: According to the Old Testament type, anointing accomplished two things: These two items can be found in Exodus 30, when God gave Moses the ingredients for the oil of anointing, and then commanded him in the manner of its use. First, all of the items related to the tabernacle, and the tabernacle itself, were anointed with the oil. Second, in Exodus 40, when God established the priesthood in Aaron, Moses poured the oil of anointing upon his head. In these two acts the purpose of the oil was to consecrate– to set apart for God’s purpose), to make holy, the thing or person that the oil was poured upon (Exo. 40:9; 15). A thing that is consecrated is firstly “set apart” for a specific purpose. At the time of consecration it ceases to be a common item, and hence, it becomes holy. When God commanded Moses to anoint all of the items in the tabernacle, he said, “…it shall become holy.” A thing that is consecrated is made holy and thus becomes uniquely qualified to be used by God. It is for this reason that Aaron and his sons were anointed (Exo. 40:15; Lev. 8:12; 30). When Aaron and his sons were anointed they were qualified to administrate as priests in the tabernacle. Thus, the anointing is also in a sense a “seal of commission,” for the carrying out of God’s purpose on the earth. In the Old Testament example when a person or thing was anointed it was first, set apart, then it was made holy, then that which was anointed became fully qualified for God’s use. However, that was only the outward example. In the New Testament reality the anointing is referred to as being inward: “And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in him.” (John 2:27). So if the anointing “abides” within the believers (all believers according to John 2:20), then we must ask ourselves, what, or more specifically who the anointing is, or is related to. Well, according to John’s epistle, the entire Triune God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit abide within the believers (John 14:15-24). There is no other element, no “extra” element abiding within all believers making them holy, there is only the Triune God. Therefore the anointing must be a Person. That the anointing is a Person is confirmed in the language of John 2:27, “….but as His anointing teaches you…” This follows the same line of thought as John’s gospel, which records the Lord’s words concerning the Holy Spirit, “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…” As in the Old Testament example, the reality of the anointing serves two purposes: Consecration and commission. But rather than an outward anointing, the anointing in the church is inward; it is through the indwelling of the Triune God. First, through the blood of Christ we have been sanctified (1 Cor. 6:11: Heb. 10:10). This sanctification is firstly a “setting apart,” it is a separation from the common things (Heb. 10:29). Secondly, this sanctification is a process by which we are made holy (Heb. 2:10; 10:14). According to Eph. 1:13 all believers were, “sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise”. This word corresponds with 2 Cor. 1:22, which connects the sealing of the Spirit with the anointing of God. The Greek word for “sealed” in 1 Cor. 1:22 is “sphragizō” which means, “To set a mark upon. When Paul wrote his epistles to the churches he likely placed a “sphragizo” upon the letter in wax. These wax seals were commonly used, and stamped with the insignia of the person who wrote the letter (often with a signet ring). The seal “bore the mark” of the person sending it, and therefore had the full authority of the sender. In conclusion, the anointing is the very Person of the Holy Spirit coming to the believers by the Son and with the Father to sanctify them and commission them through the sealing of the Spirit to carry out God’s divine administration on the earth (Which would include all the functioning of the members in their respective functions in the Body of Christ). In response to your points above I would also have to conclude that your teaching on “the anointing” is extra-Biblical. The Bible does not identify or teach three anointings as you have done above (I also found this teaching on another website: http://www.lifeinjesus-ministries.com/THEANOINTING.html ). The Bible does not refer to the power by which Christ operated in His earthly ministry as “the anointing.” The Bible does not refer to the power the apostles received on the day of Pentecost as “the anointing.” One does not have to pray for a special anointing by God because every believer has already been anointed by God to carry out His divine purpose on the earth. As you pointed out, however, some of us are lukewarm. The sons of Aaron had been anointed by Moses, yet they offered a “profane fire” before the Lord. They were therefore consumed. We can learn from this that, although every believer has the anointing, not every believer is obedient to it. It is not that we must pray for a special anointing to be qualified to preach the gospel; or to be the most effective gospel preacher. It is simply a matter of love and obedience. In my experience, and from what I have learned of the charismatic movement (Which includes much of Pentecostalism and the “Word-Faith” movements), teachings regarding “the power of the Holy Spirit” tend to, in my opinion, stretch the truth of Scripture to unreasonable extremes. For example, while it is true that God enables us by His Spirit to perform various works of power, it is not the works themselves which God desires to be emphasized in the church. Certainly teachings on word-faith and various anointings take works of power, which are by design supposed to be ordinary functions in the Body of Christ, and turn them into the extra-ordinary. In charismatic circles it is common to hear prophecies of a coming “revival” in which a “pouring out of God’s Spirit will be unmatched in human history,” and teachings concerning such a revival are commonly promoted by those who claim to “have the anointing.” The anointing is another common theme among the charismatics. It is described in some pretty strange ways too. A charismatic preacher can “feel the anointing,” or “see the anointing move” in a crowd. I even watched one preacher claim to have experienced the anointing like water flow over him, and upon receiving it he waved his coat at the crowd, at which time scores of people fell backward as the were “slain in the Spirit.” Yet all of this is foreign to the Bible, to the apostles’ teachings, and to sound Biblical principals.