Obeying the teaching of the anointing is intimately related to obeying the sense of life covered in the previous lesson. Obeying the sense of life is related to Christ as life within us, whereas obeying the teaching of the anointing is related to the moving of the Holy Spirit within us. The former is a matter of life and the latter is a matter of the Spirit. These two together are just one thing, that is, to live in the Spirit of life, to live and walk by following the operation of the law of life, and to live a spiritual and victorious life which manifests the Triune God in Christ.
I. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ANOINTING
1) “And you have an anointing from the Holy One”(1 John 2:20); “The anointing which you received from Him abides in you” (1 John 2:27).
In biblical typology, the ointment signifies the Holy Spirit, with whom God anoints those whom He would use (Luke 4:18). The anointing of the holy ointment is the moving of this Holy Spirit as ointment within us. This is not merely the ointment but the anointing. It signifies not only the Holy Spirit but also the moving of the Holy Spirit. This is the continuous anointing and moving, which we receive from the Holy One, the Father and the Son, and which abides in us.
II. THE TEACHING OF THE ANOINTING
1) “The anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things... ” (1 John 2:27); “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know” (1 John 2:20).
The teaching of the anointing is the sense and the knowledge that come from the anointing, the moving, of the Holy Spirit as the ointment within us. This teaching does not cause us to understand or to know by the written word or by speaking; rather, it causes us to sense and to realize by its moving and gentle rubbing, which often are comprehensible but unutterable. The sense derived from the anointing and the sense of life from the Lord’s life within us are actually one. The moving and gentle rubbing of the Holy Spirit become feelings which we can sense through the sense of life from the Lord, causing us to understand God’s mind and the things pertaining to God.
III. THE ELEMENTS OF THE ANOINTING
The anointing carries with it certain elements, just like the paint which can be applied to furniture. The elements which the anointing carries with it are just God Himself, God’s substance. The more this anointing gently rubs us within, the more the elements of God and the substance of God are rubbed into us. Thus, this anointing brings us not only its teaching but also God’s elements. It causes us not only to know God and the things pertaining to God but also to obtain God’s rich elements. It causes us not only to do the things of God but also to gain the increase of God within, resulting in our growth and our increase in stature in the elements of God.