This morning it’s the concluding verses of 1John 2 which grab my attention. Like, REALLY grab my attention! As in, “Don’t skim past this, Pete . . . This is profound! This is jaw-dropping! . . . Hover over it . . . Chew on it . . . Don’t walk away from it the same as you encountered it.”

I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 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.

(1John 2:26-27 ESV)

Deceivers are gonna deceive. John writes to his beloved children, “Don’t let them do it!” They may have gone out from us, John says, but they’re not of us (1Jn. 2:19), they are trying to deceive you. But don’t let them, for you have no need that anyone should teach you. Because the anointing that you received from Jesus abides in you.

The anointing . . . aka The Spirit of God . . . Third Person of the Triune Godhead . . . God Himself. Where? In you.

Come on! Noodle on that for a bit and tell me that it doesn’t send the awe-o-meter off the scale.

Unless of course, we don’t really believe what we say we believe. That when the Son said that He would ask the Father to send to us the Spirit to be with us forever, dwelling with us and being in us (Jn. 4:16-17), He didn’t really mean it . But guess what? He did mean it. And we did get it (Eph. 1:13-14). And guess what, too? Jesus said the Spirit would teach us all things (Jn. 14:26).

The Truth-teller would expose fanciful tales. The Comforter would bring clarity to confusion. The Illuminator would dispel darkness. And from where? From inside us. Do we believe it? Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

And how does He do that? The Spirit of God in our hearts teaches us about everything through the word of God in our hands. Open the book and hear His voice. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, every time we open our bibles we should be anticipating an encounter of the divine kind. Word of God speak! Or, as the psalmist puts it:

Open my eyes, that I may behold
       wondrous things out of Your law

(Psalm 119:18 ESV)

Open my eyes . . . That’s Holy Spirit talk. That’s an ask of the Anointing. An ask we’ll only make if we really believe that His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true.

Like I said, chewing on this should be jaw-dropping. Mere mortals indwelt by the Mighty Maker. Our spirits supernaturally one with God the Spirit. Teeny, tiny brains somehow enlarged to grasp cosmic, eternal truths. All because we have received His anointing. All that we might abide in Him.

The word of God in our hands, the Spirit of God in our hearts.

What unfathomable grace. To God be the glory.