The Anointing of Humanity
+ Through the work of Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, every believer operates as a prophet, priest, and king in the advancing kingdom of God.
Understanding the concept of the anointing is foundational for living an empowered, victorious kingdom lifestyle as a believer in Christ. The anointing is an essential element of our spiritual inheritance accomplished through the victory of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The anointing bestows on every believer the spiritual office of prophet, priest, and king in the current rule and reign of Jesus Christ. As we live in these offices, we progressively experience God’s heavenly kingdom in the here and now. God’s intention is that every believer experience this reality in their daily walk.
An essential for grasping our New Testament spiritual inheritance is to examine the appropriate Old Testament antecedent. The Old Testament is full of thematic patterns, archetypes, and shadows that prepared Israel’s heart for the greatest revelation of God: His Word come in the flesh as Jesus. An Old Testament antecedent will use physical or natural principals to foreshadow a spiritual reality inaugurated through the life and work of Jesus Christ. There are too many examples of this to count in the Old Testament, but one familiar example is the induction of the Levitical sacrificial system that would prepare the hearts and minds of Jews to understand Christ’s future sacrifice on the Cross. The concept of spiritual anointing is not without Old Testament precedent.
In the Old Testament [ here on referred to as “OT”], we can see that anointed individuals included prophets, priests, and kings. This smearing with sacred oil symbolically inaugurated an individual to a special office among the people.
Saul’s call to be the first king of Israel included an anointing from the prophet Samuel.
1 Samuel 10:1 (LXX): “And Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said to him, Has not the Lord anointed thee for a ruler over his people, over Israel? and thou shalt rule among the people of the Lord, and thou shalt save them out of the hand of their enemies; and this shall be the sign to thee that the Lord has anointed thee for a ruler over his inheritance.”
Notice the emphasis in this passage on inheritance, kingdom reign, and deliverance. Interestingly, Saul’s anointing as king was soon followed by a powerful and transformative prophecy session initiated by the Spirit :
1 Samuel 10: 6, 9-10 (NKJV): “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person… As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled in that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.”
This episode of Saul and the travelling prophets allowed the Spirit to confirm Saul’s anointing from Samuel to others with a visible demonstration of God’s power.
During Moses’ encounter with Yahweh on Mount Sinai, he received instructions for the construction of the tabernacle and the inception of the Aaronic priesthood. Included in Yahweh’s instructions to Moses is an instruction to anoint those who would be priests in the tabernacle, performing ritual service before the Lord.
Exodus 28:41 (NKJV) “So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests.”
The anointing in this passage in Exodus has both a consecrating and sanctifying function. This anointing prepared Aaron and his sons to perform priestly service in the Tabernacle, the place where God had chosen to tangibly manifest His presence amongst His people (Ex 44:44-45). Also important for our understanding is that Yahweh tells Moses that the priesthood of Aaron will be “perpetual” (Ex 29:9). Today, we offer these Aaronic sacrifices to the Lord in a spiritual manner. We will explore the details of the spiritual priestly office in a different teaching.
Prophetic anointing also occurs in the OT. After Elijah’s flight from Jezebel into the wilderness, Yahweh consoles and exhorts him on Mount Horeb. In addition to the anointing of two new kings, Yahweh’s instructions to Elijah include an anointing of Elisha, who would soon become his prophetic successor.
1 Kings 19:15-16 (NKJV) “Then the Lord said to him: ‘Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.”
From these passages, we can glean the symbolic purpose of God’s instruction to anoint individuals as a prerequisite for taking office. The anointing was God’s symbolic way of commissioning individuals for the role of Israel’s king, priest, or prophet. An anointing also indicated God’s approval of individuals for these roles. The men in these offices were considered to have no earthly superior and answered directly to God.
When the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, God revealed to mankind a new understanding of the anointing. The word Christ itself in the Greek is christos, which means “anointed”. Although anointed individuals (“christs” = anointed ones) had preceded him in Israel’s theocratic structure, Jesus was the Christ. He was the fulfillment of the prophetic promises God had been making to humanity since the time of Abraham. While the Jews, bound by oppression for centuries, were eagerly expecting a natural overthrow of the Roman government and the installation of a Messianic kingdom, Jesus instead revealed the inauguration of a spiritual kingdom on earth.
The apostles and early church were able to grasp that the significance of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection lay not in a natural, but in a spiritual understanding. Jesus Christ, as the god-man and the Word incarnate represented all of humanity in his life, death, and resurrection. In his resurrection as a representative of mankind, Christ inaugurated a new humanity; those brimming with resurrection life through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ as God and man is the Father’s model for all of mankind.
Both Paul and John tap into this understanding the spiritual anointing in their letters.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NKJV) “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
1 John 2:20 (NKJV) “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.”
1 John 2:27 (NKJV) “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.”
Examining the contextual reasons for John and Paul employing this language lies beyond the scope of this article. The point is that the apostles would have understood that the act of anointing in Israel’s theocratic history foreshadowed the unlimited anointing of God’s Spirit given to mankind on the day of Pentecost. This new anointing empowered the early church for service in Christ’s inaugurated kingdom reign. They would have understood themselves as prophets, priests, and kings in God’s spiritual kingdom. Their evangelistic concern was spreading the message of mankind’s restored inclusion in God’s kingdom. As they personally and corporately experienced restored relationship with the Father, they manifested His kingdom power in signs and wonders before believers and unbelievers alike. They were unveiling the limitless potential of a new humanity inaugurated through Christ.
A Christian is not someone who simply follows the teachings and maxims of Jesus or even the Christian religion. Before Christianity became a religion, enmeshed in doctrine and division, it was a lifestyle. A Christian is someone who shares in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, enabled by the person and work of Christ. As Jesus completely restored mankind’s connection to the Father on the cross, every man now has the ability to walk in and personally experience the anointing of the Holy Spirit and intimacy with God. We are answerable to God alone for our identity, thoughts, behaviors, and lifestyle. We can talk to God personally and expect a discernible heavenly response. The anointing is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity.
The responsibilities of these spiritual offices reflect God’s incredible love for his humanity. They are succinctly summarized below.
1. We are a prophetic people. We share the pathos and heart of our heavenly Father. We are able to hear from God directly and declare His truths. We are able to experience subjective revelation, enhancing our understanding of objective truth revealed in the Word. God communicates with us directly through our mind and purified imagination.
2. We are a priestly people. We host, reflect, and manifest the very presence of God. The temple of the human body is the new location of God’s revelatory presence on earth. As we abide in holiness and purity, God manifests Himself to us and through us. We offer priestly sacrifices to God through prayer, worship, fellowship, and Gospel witness.
3. We are a royal people. We share in the current rule and reign of Jesus Christ. Made in the image of God, we represent God’s divine likeness in the natural. We expand the territory of glory by manifesting and representing the glory of Christ Jesus. We usher in the kingdom of heaven on earth.
As we continue to explore these spiritual offices, let’s allow our Father to renew our hearts and minds to better understand our incredible spiritual inheritance.
