THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Ministry of John
Message Three
The Anointing
Scripture Reading: 1 John 2:20, 27; Phil. 1:19; Exo. 30:22-33; Eph. 4:4-6; Lev. 14:14-17; Psa. 133
I. The anointing is the moving and working of the indwelling compound Spirit to apply all the ingredients of the processed Triune God and His activities into our inner being so that we may be fully mingled with Him for His corporate expression—1 John 2:20, 27; cf. Eph. 4:4-6:
A. The Triune God, after passing through the processes of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, has become the all-inclusive, life-giving compound Spirit—John 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Phil. 1:19.
B. He is within our spirit to anoint us, to “paint” us, with the elements of the Triune God; the more this anointing, this “painting,” goes on, the more the Triune God with His person and processes is transfused into our being—1 John 2:20, 27.
C. We need to be “painted” persons, those who are saturated with the anointing; we should be those on whom the paint is “wet,” always having a fresh application of the all-inclusive Spirit as the divine paint so that we may paint others with the all-inclusive Spirit—Psa. 92:10; Zech. 4:14; 2 Cor. 3:6, 8.
D. By the anointing of the all-inclusive, compound Spirit, who is the composition of the Divine Trinity, we know and enjoy the Father, the Son, and the Spirit as our life and life supply—1 John 2:20, 27.
II. We need to see and experience the compounded ingredients of our abundantly rich processed and consummated Triune God, who is the anointing Spirit, typified by the holy anointing oil—Exo. 30:22- 33:
A. Olive oil signifies the Spirit of God with divinity; the olive oil as the base of the compound ointment, the holy anointing oil, is produced by the pressing of olives, signifying the Spirit of God flowing out through the pressure of Christ’s death— Isa. 61:1-2; Heb. 1:9; Matt. 26:36.
B. Flowing myrrh signifies the precious death of Christ— Mark 15:23; John 19:39; Matt. 2:11; John 19:39; Isa. 53:2-3:
1. Myrrh was used to reduce pain and heal the body when it gave off the wrong kind of secretion—Mark 15:23; John 19:39.
2. The Spirit was compounded through Christ’s sufferings in His living a crucified life, a life of myrrh from the manger to the cross, as the first Godman— Matt. 2:11; John 19:39; Isa. 53:2-3.
3. The Spirit leads us to the cross, the cross is applied by the Spirit, and the cross issues in more abundance of the Spirit—Heb. 9:14; Rom. 6:3, 6; 8:13- 14; Gal. 2:20; John 12:24.
C. Sweet cinnamon signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death—2 Cor. 4:10-11:
1. Cinnamon has a distinctive, sweet flavor and can be used to stimulate a weak heart—cf. Neh. 8:10; Isa. 42:4a.
2. We are conformed to the death of Christ by our outward, consuming environment in cooperation with the indwelling, crucifying Spirit—2 Cor. 4:10-11, 16; Rom. 8:13-14; Gal. 5:24; 6:17; Col. 3:5.
D. Sweet calamus signifies the precious resurrection of Christ—John 11:25; 20:22:
1. Calamus is a reed standing up (shooting into the air) and growing in a marsh or muddy place—cf. 1 Pet. 3:18.
2. We need to experience the Spirit as the reality of Christ’s resurrection—John 11:25; 20:22; Lam. 3:55-57.
E. Cassia signifies the repelling power of Christ’s resurrection—Phil. 3:10; 2 Cor. 12:9-10:
1. Cassia was used as a repellent to drive away insects and snakes—cf. Eph. 6:10-11, 17b-18.
2. We need to know the power of Christ’s resurrection in the life-giving Spirit as the all-sufficient grace of the processed and consummated Triune God—Phil. 3:10; 2 Cor. 12:9-10; 1 Cor. 15:10, 45b, 58; Phil. 4:23.
III. We need to see and experience the reality of the numbers used in the type of the holy anointing oil—Exo. 30:23-24:
A. The only God is signified by the one hin of olive oil—Exo. 30:24; 1 Tim. 1:17.
B. The Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—is signified by the three units of the measure of the four spices—Exo. 30:23-24.
C. Man, the creature of God, is signified by the four spices of the plant life—vv. 23- 24; John 19:5; 1 Tim. 2:5.
D. The mingling of divinity with humanity is typified by the blending of the olive oil with the four spices—Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 6:17.
E. The power for responsibility is signified by the number five—Matt. 25:2, 4, 8.
F. The building element is signified by the numbers three and five—Gen. 6:15-16; Exo. 26:3; 27:13-15.
IV. We need to see and be warned by the intrinsic significance of the prohibitions concerning the use of the holy anointing oil; this is to keep us from having a living that is in the principle of antichrist, the principle of being against Christ and replacing Christ, the principle of being “anti-anointing,” which is to be “anti” the moving, working, and saturating of the Triune God within us—1 John 2:20-27; cf. Lev. 14:14-17:
A. The compound ointment was not to be poured upon the flesh of man—signifying that whenever we live and walk according to the flesh, we are through with the compound Spirit—Exo. 30:32; cf. Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16.
B. The compound ointment was not to be put upon a stranger—signifying that when we act and behave according to our flesh, we are in the old creation and are regarded as strangers in the sight of God—Exo. 30:33; Gal. 5:24-25.
C. The children of Israel were not to make anything like it, according to its composition—signifying that we should not imitate anything of the compound Spirit, any spiritual virtue, by the effort of our natural life—Exo. 30:32; cf. Matt. 15:7-8; Gal. 5:22-23.
V. The holy anointing oil is solely for the purpose of anointing God’s dwelling place and the priesthood; hence, only those who are for God’s dwelling place and for the priesthood can have the enjoyment of the compound, all-inclusive Spirit as the anointing— Exo. 30:26-31; Phil. 1:19.
VI. The anointing of the compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit is the element of our oneness for the building up of the Body of Christ in the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity; the ground of oneness is simply the processed Triune God applied to our being— Psa. 133; Eph. 4:3-6.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE MOVING AND WORKING OF THE INDWELLING COMPOUND SPIRIT
We shall consider 1 John 2:20-27. Verse 20 says, “And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.” This verse speaks not of the ointment but of the anointing. The word “anointing” denotes something experiential that is taking place within us. The anointing is the moving and working of the indwelling compound Spirit. This all-inclusive life-giving Spirit from the Holy One entered into us at the time of our regeneration and abides in us forever (v. 27).
In verse 21 John says, “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.” In this verse the word “truth” is used twice. If we consider verses 20 and 21 together, we shall realize that the anointing surely must have something to do with the truth. Verse 20 says that we have an anointing, and verse 21 says that we know the truth. In this verse the truth is closely related to the anointing. Actually the anointing is the moving and working of the truth, which is the reality of the Divine Trinity, especially of the Person of Christ (vv. 22-25).
The knowing in verse 21 is the knowing by the anointing of the indwelling and life-giving Spirit. This is a knowledge in the divine life under the divine light, an inner knowledge initiated from our regenerated spirit indwelt by the compound Spirit, not mental knowledge exercised by stimulation from without. (Life-study of 1 John, msg. 22)
In verse 27 John says, “You have no need that anyone should teach you.” Concerning the indwelling of the Divine Trinity (John 14:17, 23), we do not need anyone to teach us. By the anointing of the all-inclusive compound Spirit, who is the composition of the Divine Trinity, we know and enjoy the Father, the Son, and the Spirit as our life and life supply.
Teaching Us Concerning All Things
According to verse 27, the anointing of the all-inclusive compound life-giving Spirit teaches us concerning all things. This is not an outward teaching by words, but an inward teaching by the anointing through our inner spiritual consciousness. This teaching by the anointing adds the divine elements of the Trinity, which are the elements of the anointing compound Spirit, into our inner being. It is like the repeated painting of some article: the paint not only gives color; its elements are also added to the thing painted, coat upon coat. It is in this way that the Triune God is transfused, infused, and added into all the inward parts of our being so that our inner man may grow in the divine life with the divine elements.
According to the context, “all things” refers to all things concerning the Person of Christ related to the Divine Trinity. The teaching of the anointing concerning these things keeps us that we may abide in Him (the Divine Trinity), that is, in the Son and in the Father (v. 24).
In this verse John also says that the anointing is true. The anointing within us of the compound Spirit as the composition of the Triune God who is true (5:20), is a reality, not a falsehood. This can be proved by our actual and practical experience in our Christian life.
John concludes verse 27 with an exhortation to abide in the Triune God. The Greek word translated “abide” is meno, a word that means to stay (in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy); hence, abide, remain, and dwell. To abide in Him is to abide in the Son and in the Father. This is to remain and dwell in the Lord (John 15:4-5). It is also to abide in the fellowship of the divine life and to walk in the divine light (1 John 1:2-3, 6-7), that is, to abide in the divine light (1 John 1:10). We should practice this abiding according to the teaching of the all-inclusive anointing so that our fellowship with God (1:3, 6) may be maintained. (Life-study of 1 John, msg. 23)
God’s intention is to work Himself into us as our life and our everything to make us His counterpart for the expression of Himself. In order to accomplish this, it was necessary for God to pass through the process of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. When He entered into resurrection, He became the compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit. This Spirit is actually Christos, the anointed One, becoming the life-giving One. When we believed in the Lord Jesus, we received Him into us. The One we received is the anointed One, who through death and resurrection has become the anointing One. Furthermore, this anointing One is the all-inclusive indwelling Spirit. As soon as we believed in Him, He as the Spirit entered our spirit. Now He is within our spirit to anoint us, to “paint” us, with the element of the Triune God. The more this “painting” goes on, the more the element of the Triune God is transfused into our being. This is the anointing, which is the reality of the entire New Testament.
The Anointing Spirit within Being the Consummation of the Triune God
The anointing Spirit within is the consummation of the Triune God, and in this Spirit there are the elements of divinity, humanity, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. He is the all-inclusive Spirit comprising all that God has accomplished, attained, and obtained. This Spirit is now the anointing One within us.
First, Christ was the anointed One. Then as the anointed One, He became the anointing One who dwells within us to anoint us. However, most Christians either neglect this or are ignorant of it, and some actually oppose this truth. We thank the Lord that, by His mercy, we are experiencing and enjoying the wonderful anointing of the all-inclusive Spirit within us.
Painting Others with the Life-giving Spirit
I am encouraged by the fact that many saints in the Lord’s recovery, especially the young people, are enjoying this anointing. I expect that in the years to come the saints will go forth to preach and teach the wonderful, divine mysteries that are unknown to so many believers today. Many of us will be able to anoint others with the compound Spirit, applying this divine “paint” to them. If we would do this, we need to be “painted” persons, those who are saturated with the anointing. We should be those on whom the paint is “wet,” always having a fresh application of the divine paint. Because this painting is taking place all the time, the paint on us should never dry. Then as such painted persons, we should go forth to paint others with the compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit. (Life-study of 1 John, msg. 24)
THE ANOINTING OIL SIGNIFYING THAT NOW THE TRIUNE GOD—THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE SPIRIT—CAN REACH HIS CHOSEN AND REGENERATED PEOPLE TO BE ONE WITH THEM
The compound ointment was used to anoint the tabernacle with all its furniture, the altar with all its utensils, the laver with its base, and the priests (30:26-30). This ointment signifies God, who is triune, after a long process becoming the all-inclusive compound Spirit to reach His chosen and redeemed people to be one with them.
It certainly was good for the children of Israel to enjoy the Passover, the manna from heaven, and the water from the rock. But none of these enjoyments can compare with the enjoyment of the anointing oil. The anointing oil signifies that now the Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — can reach His chosen and regenerated people to be one with them. This is much more than the Savior or the Redeemer typified by the lamb. It is also much more than the manna and the living water. This ointment typifies the Triune God — the very God in His divine Trinity — after a long process becoming the all-inclusive compound Spirit to reach us, to make us one with Him, and to make Himself one with us. How marvelous! (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 157)
The materials of the holy anointing oil are of two categories and are five in number. The first category includes the four spices: myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. The second category consists of one item—olive oil.
Flowing Myrrh
Flowing myrrh, smelling sweet but tasting bitter, signifies the precious death of Christ. In the Bible myrrh is used mostly for burial. Hence, myrrh is related to death. According to John 19, when Nicodemus and others were preparing to bury the body of the Lord Jesus, they used myrrh.
Myrrh comes from an aromatic tree. This tree drops its juice either as a result of being cut or through some kind of natural opening or incision. In ancient times, this juice was used to reduce the suffering of death. When the Lord Jesus was being crucified, He was offered wine mixed with myrrh to reduce His pain. However, He refused to take it. No doubt, the myrrh in Exodus 30 is a symbol of the Lord’s death.
The aromatic liquid of myrrh not only reduces pain, but also can be used for healing the body when it gives off the wrong kind of secretion. Myrrh can correct this condition in the human body. In our human life there are many wrong secretions, but the Lord’s death on the cross corrects this problem.
Fragrant Cinnamon
Fragrant cinnamon signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death. Cinnamon not only has a distinctive flavor, but it can also be used to stimulate the heart. Cinnamon may be prescribed to stimulate a weak heart.
Myrrh signifies the precious death of Christ, and cinnamon signifies the effectiveness of His death. If we apply the Lord’s death to our situation, it will reduce our pain, correct the wrong secretions, and eventually stimulate us and make us happy and joyful. I can testify of this from my experience. There are times that negative things in my environment would cause me to be low. But when I apply the Lord’s death, I am corrected, adjusted, stimulated, and stirred up.
Fragrant Calamus
The calamus in Exodus 30 is a reed. The Hebrew root of the word myrrh means flowing, and the root for calamus means standing up. Calamus grows in a marsh or muddy place. But even though it grows in a marsh, it is able to shoot up into the air. According to the sequence of the spices, this calamus signifies the rising up of the Lord Jesus from the place of death. The Lord was put into a marsh, into a death situation, but in resurrection He rose up and stood up. Calamus, therefore, signifies the precious resurrection of Christ.
Cassia
The fourth spice, cassia, signifies the power of Christ’s resurrection. Cassia and cinnamon belong to the same family. Cinnamon is from the inner part of the bark, and cassia, from the outer part of the bark. Both cinnamon and cassia are sweet and fragrant. Furthermore, the plants from which they are derived often live and grow in places where other plants cannot grow.
In ancient times cassia was used as a repellent to drive away insects and snakes. Cassia thus signifies the power, the effectiveness, of Christ’s resurrection. Christ’s resurrection can withstand any kind of environment, and His resurrection certainly is a repellent. It repels all evil “insects” and especially the old serpent, the Devil.
Myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia are all of one category of materials, the category of the spices. Now we come to the olive oil, the only item in the second category.
Olive Oil
In the Bible olive oil signifies the Spirit of God. Olive oil is produced by the pressing of olives. The olive oil signifies the Spirit of God, through the pressure of Christ’s death, flowing out.
The olive oil is the base of the ointment; it is the basic element compounded with the spices. The four spices are compounded into the olive oil to make the ointment. This indicates that the Spirit of God, signified by the olive oil, is no longer merely oil, but now it is oil compounded with certain ingredients. Regarding this, John 7:39 says, “But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” This means that before the Lord’s glorification, the compound Spirit was not yet. It was after Christ’s resurrection that the compounding, or the blending, of such a Spirit was completed.
The four spices signify humanity in God’s creation. In the Bible the number four signifies God’s creation. We have the four living creatures and the four corners of the earth. Furthermore, the four spices themselves are elements of God’s creation. These spices signify the humanity of the Lord Jesus. In His incarnation the Lord Jesus was both God and man. The four spices signify the humanity of the Lord Jesus in God’s creation. Of course, some Christians do not like to hear the word creation used in the case of the Lord Jesus. This is due to the heretical teaching of Arius who taught that Christ was merely a created being, and that He was not the eternal God.
The oil signifies divinity in the Godhead. We have seen that the number four signifies the creatures. The number one signifies God, the unique Creator.
In this compound ointment we have the numbers four and one, with the number four blended with the number one. This signifies humanity blended, mingled, with divinity. Concerning the compound ointment, we cannot avoid using the word “mingled.” The words “compounded” and “blended” actually mean mingled. The four spices were mingled with the oil. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 158)
INGREDIENTS OF THE COMPOUND SPIRIT
The Only God—One Hin of Olive Oil
What are the ingredients, the elements, that constitute the compound Spirit? The first element is the only God, the unique God, signified both by the olive oil itself and also by the quantity of olive oil, a hin. In Hebrew measurement, a hin is a complete unit. In this sense, a hin can be compared to a pound as a complete unit of sixteen ounces. A hin is, therefore, a Hebrew expression signifying a complete unit. The one hin of olive oil in Exodus 30 signifies the only God, the Creator (1 Tim. 1:17; Rom. 16:27; Exo. 30:24).
The Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—Three Units of the Measure of the Four Spices
In the compound Spirit we also have the Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Perhaps you are wondering how it is possible to see the Triune God typified by the compounded ointment. In this ointment the Triune God is typified by the three units of the measure of the four spices (Exo. 30:23-24). In the compounded ointment there were five hundred shekels of myrrh, two hundred fifty shekels each of cinnamon and calamus, and five hundred shekels of cassia. Although there were four spices, there was a total of three units of five hundred shekels in measure. But how can we apply this to the Triune God? The first unit is five hundred shekels of myrrh. However, the second unit of five hundred shekels is split in half: two hundred fifty shekels of cinnamon and two hundred fifty shekels of calamus. The third unit is five hundred shekels of cassia. Notice that it is the second unit, the middle one, that is split into two parts. Surely this points to the Second of the Triune God, the Son, and to His crucifixion.
Returning to the three units of five hundred shekels each in the compounded ointment, we see that it was the middle unit that was split in half. This signifies the putting to death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The cutting into two pieces of the second unit of five hundred shekels points to the death of Christ. The fact that it was the middle unit, signifying the Son, that was split is a strong indication that these three units of five hundred shekels signify the Trinity. The first unit signifies the Father; the second the Son, who was cut, was put to death, on the cross; and the third, the Spirit. Therefore, the three units of the measure of the spices signify the Triune God. To have this understanding of the three units is to decipher the heavenly language in Exodus 30.
Man—the Creature of God—Four Spices of the Plant Life
Next in the ingredients of the compound Spirit we have man, the creature of God. This, of course, refers to the humanity of Jesus, or to the Man Jesus. When some hear that man, the creature of God, is an ingredient of the compound Spirit as typified by the compounded ointment, they may say, “There is nothing said here about man. How can you say that man as the creature of God is an ingredient in the compounded ointment?” This answer is that man is typified by the four spices of the plant life (Exo. 30:23-24).
The number four in the Bible signifies God’s creation. A strong proof of this is the four living creatures in Ezekiel and Revelation. In Revelation 4 John explicitly mentions four living creatures. Which of these living creatures is the leading one? The leading one among the four living creatures has the face of a man. This indicates that man is the leading one of God’s creation, a fact that corresponds to Genesis 1. Although God created man last, God made him to be the head over creation. God gave man the dominion to rule all His creatures. In Exodus 30 man is signified by the four spices. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 163)
The Mingling of Divinity with Humanity Being Typified by the Blending
of the Olive Oil with the Four Spices
The mingling of divinity with humanity is typified by the blending of the olive oil with the four spices. We have seen that the olive oil signifies the unique God, and that the four spices signify man as the leading one in God’s creation. Therefore, the mingling of God and man is typified by the blending of the oil and spices.
Do not listen to those who say that there is not such a thing in the Bible as the mingling of divinity with humanity. There is a clear revelation of this matter in the Word. In Exodus 30 we have a type of the mingling, but in the New Testament we have the fulfillment. The fulfillment of the type is the mingling of the divine Spirit with our regenerated human spirit. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God.” Here we see the mingling of the Spirit with our spirit. Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” This proves that our spirit has been joined to, mingled with, the Spirit.
The Power for Responsibility
The power for responsibility is also an element in the compound Spirit. I can testify that when I walk in the all-inclusive Spirit, I have the power to bear responsibility. Recently it was necessary for me to spend twenty-one hours in fellowship with certain brothers. We had six long meetings. I could not merely sit in these meetings, but I had the responsibility to lead the fellowship and direct it. My wife was very concerned that I would be exhausted. Knowing that a large conference was scheduled very soon, she encouraged me not to tire myself out. Nevertheless, I can testify that in those days I experienced the all-inclusive Spirit with the element of power for bearing responsibility.
The fact that the compound Spirit typified by the compounded ointment contains the element of power for responsibility is indicated by the five elements of the compounded ointment and the three times five hundred shekels of the four spices. In the Bible five is the number of responsibility (Matt. 25:4, 8). The number five is seen in the five elements of the compounded ointment. As we pointed out in the previous message, we see the number three signifying the Triune God, with the three units of five hundred shekels of the four spices. The middle unit is split in half and signifies the cutting of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Furthermore, the number three signifies resurrection. After the cutting, we have the calamus signifying resurrection. Therefore, here the number three signifies the Triune God in resurrection. When we experience the compound Spirit, the Triune God in resurrection becomes our portion. This is the power, the capability, for bearing responsibility.
The Building Element
The numbers three and five indicate that the building element is also included in the compound Spirit. Here we have three complete units of five hundred shekels each. Therefore, we have the number three. The number five appears in the number five hundred. Furthermore, we have the five elements, the olive oil and the four spices.
According to the Old Testament, the numbers three and five are related to God’s building. The first building of God was the ark made by Noah, and the second was the tabernacle. Concerning the ark, Genesis 6:15 says, “And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.” Here with the dimensions of the ark we have multiples of the numbers three and five. Moreover, Genesis 6:16 says that the ark was to be made with “lower, second, and third stories.”
The tabernacle was of three sections: the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. According to Exodus 27:13, the width of the outer court on the east side was to be fifty cubits. Then verses 14 and 15 say that the hangings on either side of the gate were to be fifteen cubits with three pillars and three sockets. Furthermore, verse 18 says that the height of the linen curtains of the outer court was to be five cubits. Actually, each curtain of the enclosure in the outer court measured five cubits by five cubits.
If we believe that everything in the Bible has a significance, then we should believe that the numbers three and five signify something. A careful study of the Word shows that these numbers are related to God’s building. Therefore, in the compound Spirit we have the Triune God in resurrection mingled with His creature, man, for the power to bear responsibility, and we also have the element for God’s building.
All together we have ten ingredients, giving us a full portrait of the compound Spirit. In the compound Spirit we have the unique God, the Triune God, the man Jesus, the death of Christ, the effectiveness of the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the power of Christ’s resurrection, the mingling of divinity with humanity, the power for responsibility, and the element of God’s building. All these are ingredients of the compound Spirit. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 164)
LIVING ACCORDING TO THE ANOINTING INSTEAD OF
BEING ANTI THE ANOINTING
Being Against Christ and Replacing Christ
The Greek prefix anti has two main meanings. First, it means against; second, it means in place of, or instead of. This indicates that an antichrist is against Christ and also replaces Christ with something else. To be an antichrist is, on the one hand, to be against Christ; on the other hand, it is also to have something instead of Christ, something that replaces Christ. By this we see that the principle of antichrist involves denying what Christ is. This is to be anti-Christ, against Christ. Of course, whenever someone denies what Christ is, automatically that person will replace Christ with something else. Hence, an antichrist is both against Christ and is one who replaces Christ.
We must be careful never to deny anything of what Christ is. We should never deny any part, any aspect, or any item of Christ’s Person. To deny any aspect of Christ’s Person is to practice the principle of antichrist. Some who hear this may say, “I certainly am not an antichrist, for I am not against Christ.” One may not be against Christ or deny Christ consciously. But unconsciously we may deny some aspect of Christ’s Person and then replace this aspect with something else. (Life-study of 1 John, msg. 31)
We all need to apply this word to ourselves and be on the alert lest in any way we follow the principle of antichrist. If we deny an aspect of Christ’s Person, we are against Him, anti Him. If we have something in our daily living that replaces Christ, we also are against Christ, anti Christ. To be anti Christ is both to be against Christ and to replace Christ with something else. If we replace Christ with our own good character and behavior, we are practicing the principle of antichrist. In a practical way, we are against the anointing, anti the moving, working, and saturating of the Triune God within us. Instead of being anti the anointing, we must live according to the anointing. Otherwise, we shall be against Christ or we shall replace Christ with something else.
Do you realize that we may follow the principle of antichrist in our daily living? We may replace Christ with things of our culture and our natural life. The Chinese may replace Christ with their ethics; the Japanese, with their way of being mysterious; the Americans, with their kind of frankness; the northern Europeans, with their conservatism. Whatever our race or culture may be, we may replace Christ with our culture or with our way of having our daily life according to our culture. To replace Christ in this way is to practice the principle of antichrist. (Life-study of 1 John, msg. 33)
Not Being Poured upon the Flesh of Man
Verse 32 says that the holy anointing oil was “not to be poured upon the flesh of man.” In the Bible the flesh of man denotes fallen man in the old creation. As believers in Christ, we have all been regenerated, and in regeneration we have become a new creation. On the one hand, we have a regenerated spirit; on the other hand, we still have the old, fallen flesh. The command not to pour the anointing oil upon the flesh of man indicates that the anointing is not to be applied to men of the old creation. Whenever we live and walk according to the flesh, we are through with the Spirit of Christ. If we would partake of this Spirit and enjoy the all-inclusive Spirit, we must remain in our spirit.
The Spirit of Christ cannot be poured upon our old nature, our old man. Our flesh does not have the position to participate in this compound ointment. Whenever you lose your temper, you are in the flesh and cannot enjoy the Spirit of Christ. But whenever you turn to your spirit, immediately in your spirit you sense the anointing. You realize that you are being painted with the Spirit of Christ, for you are in the new creation, not in your old nature.
Exodus 30:33 indicates that the ointment was not to be put upon a stranger. The word “stranger” implies a comparison between those who are priests and those who are not. The priests serving in the presence of God do not act according to the old nature. Instead, they live according to their new nature and thereby enjoy the anointing. However, in the sight of God all other people are strangers. We may say that the flesh, the old man, is a stranger. We Christians today are not strangers; we are priests. But unbelievers are strangers. When we act and behave according to our flesh, we are in the old creation and are regarded as strangers in the sight of God. When we are such strangers, we cannot enjoy the Spirit of Christ. We must remain in our spirit, and we must live, act, speak, and contact others in the spirit. Then we shall be in the new creation as priests serving God and participating in the Spirit of Christ.
If we would enjoy the Spirit of Christ, we must be priests in the new creation. Do not be in the flesh, lest you be a stranger in the sight of God. If we are a stranger, then we shall not have any share in the all-inclusive Spirit.
Not Making Any Like It in Its Proportions
The middle part of verse 32 says, “Neither shall you make any like it in its proportions.” Furthermore, verse 33 goes on to say, “Whoever compounds any like it, or who puts any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people.” The command not to make anything like the anointing oil in its proportions means that we should not imitate it. However, among Christians today there is a great deal of imitation. Therefore, we need to discern what is truly of the Spirit and what is an imitation. For example, a person’s humility may not be of the Spirit. In China I saw some disciples of Confucius who were much more humble than many Christian teachers. But that humility had nothing to do with the Spirit of Christ. Because of the influence of certain teachings, many Christians try to act humble. This humility, however, is not of the Spirit of Christ. Rather, it is an imitation.
Do not imitate any spiritual virtue by your own effort. To do this is to make something like the ointment. In the sight of God this is an abomination.
Because Christianity has been in existence for centuries, a great many people, including unbelievers, have been influenced by Bible teachings. Under the influence of these teachings, many try to be honest, loving, and faithful. All this is an imitation of the Spirit. To try to behave in this way is to make an imitation of the genuine ointment. Our honesty must come out of the Spirit of Christ. Likewise, our love, humility, patience, and kindness — indeed, every virtue — must be a product of the indwelling Spirit. Otherwise, we are imitating the ointment; we are making something false in the same way. Therefore, we should not act in our old nature and we should not imitate anything that is of the Spirit of Christ. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 158)
THE OINTMENT BEING FOR GOD’S DWELLING PLACE
AND FOR THE PRIESTHOOD
Why have so many Christians failed to experience the compound ointment? The reason is that this Spirit is for the building up of a spiritual house and for the holy priesthood. In 1 Peter 2 we have the spiritual house and also the holy priesthood. Likewise, in the book of Exodus, we have the tabernacle and the priesthood. In chapters twenty-five through twenty-seven the tabernacle is revealed. This corresponds to the spiritual house in 1 Peter 2. Then in chapters twenty-eight and twenty-nine we have the priesthood. Therefore, at Mount Sinai two things were made ready — the tabernacle and the priesthood. After the revelation of the tabernacle and the priesthood, we have the description of the compound ointment. This indicates that the ointment is for God’s dwelling place and for the priesthood.
If we do not care for God’s building and His priesthood, we cannot experience the compound Spirit. Because of the lack of the building up of the spiritual house, Christians throughout the centuries have not been able to see the matter of the compound Spirit. Furthermore, there has been a lack of the priesthood. The ointment was not merely for the anointing of individual priests. According to Exodus, Aaron and his sons were to be anointed. This indicates that the anointing was for the priesthood, for a body of priests. In the New Testament two different Greek words are translated priesthood. One of these words means the priestly office; the other means a body or group of priests. In Exodus we have not only the office of a priest; we also have the corporate body of priests, the priesthood. If we would have the anointing of the compound Spirit, we must have God’s dwelling place and a corporate priesthood. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 159)
PRAISING THE LORD FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF THE TEACHING OF THE ANOINTING CONCERNING THE TRIUNE GOD
John’s intention in 2:18-27 is to warn the young children about the antichrists and their heretical teachings. In these verses John seems to be saying, “Do not listen to all these false teachings about the Person of Christ. You have a Teacher within you, and this Teacher is the anointing. Do not give heed to what the antichrists say, but listen to your experience of the Triune God’s moving as the anointing within you.” Praise the Lord for the experience of the teaching of the anointing concerning the Triune God! (Life-study of 1 John, msg. 21)