A: The Biblical Material
1. The Old Testament
1. General Background
a. the 2 root words for “anoint” are msh and swk.
b. msh (130x) is almost always used for ritual anointings.
c. swk (12x) is used for anointing with oil for cosmetic or medicinal purposes.
2. The Anointing of Priests
a. the relevant material is concentrated (54x) between Exodus 25:6 and Numbers 7:88
b. this is associated with the inauguration of the tabernacle and priesthood
c. this was done with specially prepared oil
d. the priests were set apart for new forms of service and from other forms of duty
e. as such, anointing is commonly associated with sanctification/consecration (Ex 29:36; 40:9 -11, 13, 15, Lev 8:10 -12, 30; Num 7:1)
f. by reason of their anointing these persons and objects are now no longer ordinary but partake of the holy character of God (Lev 8:12,30; 21:12)
g. they must now act with reference to God and his purposes
3. The Anointing of Kings
a. the relevant material is concentrated (34x) between 1 Samuel 2:10 and 1 Kings 5:1
b. this is associated with the inauguration of the kingship under Saul (15x), David (16x) and Solomon (5x)
c. the only other significant multiple reference is to Jehu (I Ki 19:16; 2 Ki 9:3,6,12; 2 Chron 22:7)
d. other references are to Absalom, Joash, Jeoahaz, Hazael of Syria
e. they seem to be recorded because of a change of dynasty or circumstance
f. the omission of other occurrences emphasises the election and empowerment that anointing represents
g. this is a connection made between the power of the Spirit and Joshua and Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4: 1- 14
h. as anointed, the kings possessed special status; this was the Lord’s anointed (2 Sam 23:1)
i. as such David is filled with horror at the thought of killing Saul (1 Sam 24:6,10,11,16, 23; 2 Sam 1:14,16)
j. Saul’s anointing was not invalidated by David’s; nor did he take advantage of his own status (2 Sam 19:21 – 23)
k. the Lord’s anointed was assumed to be under God’s special favour and protection (1 Sam 2:10; 2 Sam 22:51; 1 Chron 16:22; 2 Chron 6:42; Ps 2:2; 28:8; 84:9; 105:5; 132:10; Hab 3:13)
l. the absence of this favour and protection was an expression of the wrath of God (Ps 89:38, 51; Lam 4:20)
4. The Anointing of Prophets
a. this is recorded in 3 places (1 Ki 19:16; 1 Chron 16:22; Ps 105:15)
b. the prophetic figure of Isaiah 61:1 is anointed with the power of the Spirit of God
5. The Anointed One
a. this is an expression that can refer to a priest (Lev 4:3); king (1 Sam 2:35) or prophet (Ps 105:15)
b. it is used commonly of the king in Psalms (2;2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 89:38, 51; 105:15; 132:10, 17)
c. the emphasis is on the fact that this person has been chosen and empowered by God
d. so, even the pagan king Cyrus is the Lord’s anointed (Isa 45:1) appointed by God to a special task
e. references to an eschatological “anointed one” appear only in Daniel 9:25 -26
f. gradually, the unqualified references in the Psalms, and the ideal Davidic king in the prophets e.g. Isa 9:1- 7; 11:1- 5; 16:5; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Ezek 34:23 -24; 376:24- 25; Zech 12:7 -9 etc. became equated
g. these were seen as both eschatological and cosmic in scope
2. Jesus as the Anointed One
1. The Title “Christ”
a. this English term is derived from the Greek word Christos translating Mashiach (Hebrew) – ‘anointed one’
b. it is used of Jesus in the New testament about 1500 times
c. many of these uses focus around the death and resurrection of Jesus, Jesus as the Saviour and his intimate bond with believers (“in Christ” and so on)
d. this means that the content of the title Christos derives its meaning from the person and work of Jesus himself, rather than from preceding ideas of Messiahship
2. Jesus as Anointed by God
a. this appears in four passages (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb 1:9)
b. the first three of these appear to refer to the baptism of Jesus
c. at his baptism Jesus is anointed as the Messiah of God.
d. it is the start of a priestly service: entry into the age of priestly service (Num 4:3; Luke 3:23). As the High Priest prepared for his atonement – day ministry by washing and anointing (Lev 16:4), Jesus receives the washing of baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit with a view to his own priestly sacrifice. He consecrates himself by prayer to his coming death-baptism (cf. Mark 10:38; Luke 12:50).
e. it is the entry into his kingly ministry:(cf. 1 Sam 10:1-6; 16:12-13; 1 Ki 19:16, 19; 2 Ki 2:9, 15; Ps 2:7; Acts 10:38)
f. the launch of his prophetic ministry would begin from this time (Matt 4:23ff; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:14-15). Jesus is the long awaited prophet of God (Deut 18:8; John 1:21, 25) who interprets Isaiah’s Servant role of himself (Luke 4:16-21).
g. in being baptised representatively, Jesus acknowledges fully the judgement of God upon Israel, the Servant of the Lord (Isa 44:21), and so, through her priestly role (Gen 12:3; Ex 19:5-6) the verdict upon the whole world. The Spirit and the voice mark Jesus out as the one true repentant Israelite, himself therefore “baptised in the Spirit” upon whom the election of God as Son cf. Exod 4:22; Deut 14:1; Jer 31:20; Hos 1:10; 11:1 is concentrated, not for privilege, but for suffering service. h. the significance of Jesus’ anointing for himself.
(i) he is launched by the Spirit on the plane of world history.
(ii) he has a new level of spiritual power in his life to fulfil the will of God
(iii) he is the unique bearer of the Spirit.
(iv) the deepest revelation of his Sonship, the seal of God (John 6:27), prepares him for the spiritual conflict and suffering which lie ahead.
h. the last of the four passages referred to above, Hebrews 1:9, is situated within Jesus enthronement in heaven
i. on account of his endurance and suffering (Heb 2:9), Jesus has been exalted to the rank of end – time ruler (Heb 1:8) and high priest (Heb 5:9f.)
j. this is associated with the use of the title “Son” (Heb 1:5 citing Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:14)
3. The Anointing of the Christian
1. The Major Texts
a. the verb form “anoint” is used of believers in 2 Cor 1:21; the following verse makes it clear that the gift of the Spirit is in mind
b. the emphasis in this passage is that the presence of the Spirit assures Christians of their final salvation
c. the noun form is found in 1 John 2:20,27
d. by analogy with the use of the same word group elsewhere (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; 2 Cor 1:21 -22; Heb 1:9) it refers to the work of the Holy Spirit
e. the context in 1 John is the presence of heretical teachers who were denying: 1) that Jesus had come in the flesh i.e. had a real human body (4:2 -3) 2) that Jesus was the Son of God (2:22 -23; 5:10,12) 3) that Jesus had come only by water and not also by blood (5:6 -8)
f. in effect, this is a denial of the incarnation and the atoning work of Christ
g. the result of the anointing in 1 John 2:20 is that Christians have “knowledge”
h. this is consistent with the teaching of Jesus that those who received the Spirit would be guided into all the truth concerning himself (John 16:13 -14)
i. the anointing in 1 John 2:27 is a reality that teaches the truth about Jesus
j. this is a presence that inwardly confirms whether a word is truly from God k. it involves an inward conviction that means that the external authorisation of human witnesses is not final
2. Anointing and the Mind of Christ
a. the principal saving event to do with anointing is the baptism of Jesus
b. this is the place where Jesus steps out onto the plane of human history and moves publicly towards the cross, as such it involves an active decision
c. from that moment in Jordan Jesus was completely under the influence of the Spirit in order to resist the counter influences of Satan and evil humanity that would have prevented him from accomplishing the Father’s work on the cross
d. for the Christian to be under the power of the anointing is similarly to refuse to be deflected from God’s purposes for their life, however costly
e. this must mean to have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16; Phil 2:5)
f. the development of the mind of Christ under the anointing of the Spirit will involve an increasingly unconditional commitment to the will of the Father, like that of Jesus (Luke 2:49; John 5:19 etc.)
3. Anointing and Suffering
a. this is intimately connected with the material discussed above
b. Jesus is anointed with the Spirit at his baptism (John 1:32 – 33) because he has chosen to assume the identity of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)
c. the anointing includes power to suffer in order to bring in the kingdom of God
d. in 2 Cor 1:5 Paul says that in union with Christ, Jesus’ sufferings overflow into our lives
e. the imagery is reminiscent of Psalm 133 where the anointing oil poured over the high priest Aaron flowed down over his whole body
f. believers, as the body of Christ, participate in the anointing for messianic service of their High Priest
g. in fellowship with Christ by the Spirit, an overflow of his sufferings diffuses into our lives
h. in this way we are conformed more and more to the likeness of Christ and what is lacking in our fellowship with Jesus is brought progressively into completion (Col 1:24)
i. the book of Revelation seems to apply this to the witness of the church during the time before the return of Jesus
j. the language of olive trees and lampstands applied to the witnesses in Revelation 11 is drawn from Zechariah 4
k. there is a clear identification between “the two anointed ones” of Zech 4:14 and the “two witnesses” who suffer martyrdom on behalf of God’s kingdom (Rev 11:3,7)
l. the anointed status of the church through the present age means a favour of God that will find inevitable expression in suffering
m. this is consistent with other New Testament emphases that connect the presence of the Spirit with persecution for the name of Christ (1Pet 4:12- 14)
4. Anointing and Sanctification
By the indwelling of the Spirit, the individual is sanctified or set apart for God. In the Old Testament the anointing oil typifies the present anointing by the Spirit; oil being one of the seven symbols of the Spirit.
1. Anything touched with the anointing oil was thereby sanctified (Ex 40:9-15). In like manner, the Spirit now sanctifies (1Co 6:11; Rom 15:16; 2Th 2:13; 1 Pe 1:2).
2. The prophet was sanctified with oil (1Ki 19:16), likewise Christ was a prophet by the Spirit (Isa 61:1; Luk 4:18), and the believer is a witness by the Spirit (Act 1:8) .
3. The priest was sanctified with oil (Ex 40:15), likewise Christ in His sacrifice by the Spirit (Heb 9:14), and the believer by the Spirit (Rom 12:1; 8:26; Eph 5:18-20).
4. The king was sanctified with oil (1Sa 16:12, 13), likewise Christ by the Spirit (Psa 45:7), and by the Spirit the believer is to reign.
5. The anointing oil was for healing (Luke 10:34), suggesting the healing of the soul in salvation by the Spirit.
6. The oil made the face to shine, which was as the oil of gladness (Ps 45:7), and fresh oil was required (Ps 92:10) . The fruit of the Spirit is joy (Gal 5:22).
7. In the fittings for the tabernacle, oil for the lights is specified (Ex 25:6). The oil suggests the Spirit, the wick the believer as a channel, and the light the outshining of Christ. The wick must rest in the oil; so the believer must walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16). The wick must be free from obstruction; so the believer must not resist the Spirit (1Th 5:19) . The wick must be snuffed; so the believer must be cleansed by the confession of sin (1John 1:9) . The holy anointing oil (Ex 30:22-23) was composed of four spices added to oil as a base. These spices represent peculiar virtues found in Christ. This compound thus symbolizes the Spirit taking up the very life and character of Christ and applying it to the believer. This oil could in no case be applied to human flesh (John 3:6; Gal 5:17). It could not be imitated, which indicates that God cannot accept anything but the manifestation of the life which is Christ (Ph 1:21). Every article of furnishing in the tabernacle must be anointed and thus set apart unto God, which suggests that the believer’s dedication is to be complete (Rom 12:1, 2). (see writings of Lewis Sperry Chafer)
B: Contemporary Emphases
1. Description
a. the concept of “the anointing” has become a major topic in charismatic and Pentecostal circles
b. speakers, ministries, messages and meetings are said to be “anointed”
c. it is claimed that there are specific anointings associated with various ministry gifts, such as healing, and the five –fold ministry of Ephesians 4
d. charismatic teachers have moved beyond functional descriptions of the anointing in an attempt to understand its nature
e. “The anointing in itself is of a heavenly materiality. It is a spiritual substance which inherently contains God’s power.” (Peter Tan)
f. there are biblical texts that seem to support this position e.g. Elijah’s bones seemed to contain resurrection power (2 Ki 13:21), ministerial authority is imparted by the laying on of hands (Deut 34:9; 2 Tim 1:6)
g. if the anointing is a form of substance it can be measured e.g. Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2 Ki 2:9) and so performed twice as many miracles as his predecessor (1 Ki 17:1 -2 Ki 2:8 = 8 miracles, 2 Ki 2:13 – 13:21 = 16 miracles)
h. this means that the anointing can grow in our lives
i. increase in the anointing depends upon factors such as obedience (Luke 16:10; 19:17), humility (James 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5), growth in faith (Rom 12:6) and devotion to the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4, 7)
j. some make a distinction between the anointing upon an individual, which is for ministry (Luke 4:18; Eph 4:8, 11), and the anointing within the believer (1 John 2:27; Heb 5:14) k. the ministerial anointing imparts power for doing the works of God, whilst the inner anointing guides in the will of God; the former needs to be subject to the latter
l. Paul, for example, moved powerfully in the apostolic anointing of signs and wonders (Rom 15:18 – 19; 2 Cor 12:12), but was constantly sensitive to the anointing abiding in his spirit (Rom 1:9)
2. Comments
a. functionally, there is little that is objectionable with the above observations; Christians do grow in their ability to serve Jesus in the power of the Spirit and there are distinct abilities manifested in certain gifts
b. the major danger lies in the attempted analysis of the nature of “the anointing” as some sort of spiritual substance, this effectively treats the anointing as a “thing”
c. under certain conditions “the anointing” becomes treated almost as a property of a person, something like a commodity, this understanding is open to various forms of spiritual abuse (cf. Acts 8: 18- 21)
d. it is safer and more biblical to limit the use of the expression “anointing” to the clear biblical contexts already discussed, and to treat much of what is claimed for “the anointing” in terms of the regular work and power of the Spirit e.g. Acts 4:27- 31
e. this minimises the prospect of depersonalising the work of God and makes it more difficult to rank Christians into some form of hierarchy on the basis of degrees of the presence of “the anointing”
f. all believers are anointed as priests (Rev 1:6; 5:10) through Christ their anointed High Priest. (Heb 4:14-16)
g. paradoxically, the exaggerated teaching on the anointing in some circles leads to the very opposite result than that suggested by scripture, instead of discerning spiritual truth for themselves (1 John 2:20,27), believers become subjected to a new form of spiritual priesthood based on claims by charismatic personalities to possess a higher degree of anointing than the ordinary Christian