1 John 2:27
in 1 John 2And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him.
KJV
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
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This verse in 1 John 2
Commentary
23 notes on this verseHaving finished the speech conducted above, the apostle adds concerning those who deceive them with heresies that have appeared in great number. Then, in order to remove grief from them, he again repeats: "and the anointing which you received from Him." By anointing, as already …
This site's exposition
those who are trying to deceive you
on 1 John 2:26-27
The warning names its target, those who are trying to deceive you. The anointing remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you, yet John teaches them in this very letter. The Spirit makes the church able to discern false teaching and novel doctrine.
This site's exposition
the anointing you received from Him
The anointing is the Holy Spirit, given to every believer as at 2:20. John is teaching them even as he writes this letter. His point is that they need no new teacher to add to what the Spirit has already taught them.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Ye remember, brethren, that yesterday's lesson was brought to a close at this point, that "ye have no need that any man teach you, but the unction itself teacheth you concerning all things." Now this, as I am sure ye remember, we so expounded to you, that we who from without speak to your ears, are as workmen applying culture from without to a tree, but we cannot give the increase nor form the fruits: but only He that created and redeemed and called you, He, dwelling in you by faith and the Spirit, must speak to you within, else vain is all our noise of words. Whence does this appear? From this: that while many hear, not all are persuaded of that which is said, but only they to whom God speaks within. Now they to whom He speaks within, are those who give place to Him: and those give place to God, who "give not place to the devil." For the devil wishes to inhabit the hearts of men, and speak there the things which are able to seduce. But what saith the Lord Jesus? "The prince of this world is cast out." Whence cast out of heaven and earth, out of the fabric of the world? Nay, but out of the hearts of the believing. The invader being cast out, let the Redeemer dwell within: because the same redeemed, who created. And the devil now assaults from without, not conquers Him that hath possession within. And he assaults from without, by casting in various temptations: but that person consents not thereto, to whom God speaks within, and the unction of which ye have heard. "And it is true," namely, this same unction; i.e. the very Spirit of the Lord which teacheth men, cannot lie: "and is not false."
"And ye have no need that any man teach you, because His unction teacheth you concerning all things." Then to what purpose is it that "we," my brethren, teach you? If "His unction teacheth you concerning all things," it seems we labor without a cause. And what mean we, to cry out as we do? Let us leave you to His unction, and let His unction teach you. But this is putting the question only to myself: I put it also to that same apostle: let him deign to hear a babe that asks of him: to John himself I say, Had those the unction to whom thou wast speaking? Thou hast said, "His unction teacheth you concerning all things." To what purpose hast thou written an Epistle like this? what teaching didst "thou" give them? what instruction? what edification? See here now, brethren, see a mighty mystery. The sound of our words strikes the ears, the Master is within. Do not suppose that any man learns ought from man. We can admonish by the sound of our voice; if there be not One within that shall teach, vain is the noise we make. Aye, brethren, have ye a mind to know it? Have ye not all heard this present discourse? and yet how many will go from this place untaught! I, for my part, have spoken to all; but they to whom that Unction within speaketh not, they whom the Holy Ghost within teacheth not, those go back untaught. The teachings of the master from without are a sort of aids and admonitions. He that teacheth the hearts, hath His chair in heaven. Therefore saith He also Himself in the Gospel: "Call no man your master upon earth; One is your Master, even Christ." Let Him therefore Himself speak to you within, when not one of mankind is there: for though there be some one at thy side, there is none in thine heart. […]
There is then, I say, a Master within that teacheth: Christ teacheth; His inspiration teacheth. Where His inspiration and His unction is not, in vain do words make a noise from without. So are the words, brethren, which we speak from without, as is the husbandman to the tree: from without he worketh, applieth water and diligence of culture; let him from without apply what he will, does he form the apples? does he clothe the nakedness of the wood with a shady covering of leaves? does he do any thing like this from within? But whose doing is this? Hear the husbandman, the apostle: both see what we are, and hear the Master within: "I have planted, Apollos hath watered; but God gave the increase: neither he that planteth is any thing, neither he that watereth, but He that giveth the increase, even God." This then we say to you: whether we plant, or whether we water, by speaking we are not any thing; but He that giveth the increase, even God: that is, "His unction which teacheth you concerning all things."
"These things have I written unto you concerning them which seduce you; that ye may know that ye have an unction, and the unction which we have received from Him may abide in you." In the unction we have the sacramental sign of a thing unseen, the virtue itself is invisible; the invisible unction is the Holy Ghost; the invisible unction is that charity, which, in whomsoever it be, shall be as a root to him: however burning the sun, he cannot wither. All that is rooted is nourished by the sun's warmth, not withered.
I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. And as for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you. And you do not need anyone to teach you, but as his anointing teaches you about …
15 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers1 voice
But, moreover, the very interrogation which is put in baptism is a witness of the truth. For when we say, "Dost thou believe in eternal life and remission of sins through the holy Church? "we mean that remission of sins is not granted except in the Church, and that among heretics, where there is no Church, sins cannot be put away. Therefore they who assert that heretics can baptize, must either change the interrogation or maintain the truth; unless indeed they attribute a church also to those who, they contend, have baptism.
The Medieval Church7 voices
Concerning this anointing of the Spirit, it is again said through John: As his anointing teaches you concerning all things. Therefore one is not instructed by voice when the mind is not anointed by the Spirit. But why do we speak these things about human teaching, when even the Creator himself does not speak for the instruction of man, if he does not speak to that same man through the anointing of the Spirit?
Do not mix anything earthly with the oil of anointing with which you have been anointed, and the devil will not get hold of you.
And the anointing which you received from Him, etc. This, he says, with the Lord's help, strive to ensure that the grace of the Holy Spirit, which you received in baptism, remains whole in your heart and body, according to what the Apostle Paul says: …
But as His anointing teaches you about all things. Deservedly, he added 'about all things,' just as in the Gospel the Lord, speaking of the same Spirit to the disciples, says: He will teach you all things (John 14). Because unless the same Spirit is …
And it is true, and it is not a lie. By frequent repetition, he keenly emphasizes that what he preaches is true and free from all stain of falsehood, in order to restrain those who presume to preach otherwise, and diligently remind us that eternal …
And as he taught you, abide in him. Do not be carried away by various and strange doctrines. In the faith and the tradition which he himself taught, abide in him. For whoever perseveres to the end, he shall be saved (Matt. XXIV).
The order is as follows: as the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, there is no need for anyone to teach you; but you must abide in that which it has taught you.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
But the anointing which ye have received of him,.... The Spirit, and the grace of the Spirit, which they had received out of the fulness of grace which is in Christ; and is compared to oil or ointment; See Gill on 1Jn 2:20; for Christ, the anointed, is the fountain of it all, and it is had from him in a way of giving and receiving.
It is meet that the Lord Jesus should have a constant witness in the hearts of his disciples. The unction, the pouring out of the gifts of grace upon sincere disciples, is a seal to the truth and doctrine of Christ, since none giveth that seal but God. Now he who establisheth us with you (and you with us) in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, 2 Cor. i.
Temptations, snares, and seductions, arise. The anointing must abide. (2.) It is better than human instruction: " And you need not that any man teach you,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
The Spirit of truth will not lie; and he teacheth all things, that is, all things in the present dispensation, all things necessary to our knowledge of God in Christ, and their glory in the gospel. And, (4.) It is of a conservative influence; it will preserve those in whom it abides against seducers and their seduction: " And even as it hath taught you you shall abide in him,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
But the anointing which ye have received of him - See the notes at 1Jn 2:20. Abideth in you - The meaning is, that the influence on your heart and life, which results from the fact that you are anointed of God, permanently abides with you, and will keep you from dangerous error. The apostle evidently meant to say that he felt assured that they would not be seduced from the truth, and that his confidence in regard to this was placed in the fact that they had been truly anointed unto God as kings and priests.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
16:13]; it teaches us the truth; in that teaching we will abide" [BENGEL]. and--and therefore. God is sufficient for them who are taught of Him; they are independent of all others, though, of course, not declining the Christian counsel of faithful ministers.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-brackets+odd-straight-quotes
But the anointing which ye have received - That ointment, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, mentioned 1Jn 2:20 (note). Ye need not that any man teach you - The Gnostics, who pretended to the highest illumination, could bring no proof that they were divinely taught, nor had they any thing in their teaching worthy the acceptance of the meanest Christian; therefore they had no need of that, nor of any other teaching but that which the same anointing teacheth, the same Spirit from whom they had already received the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. Whatever that taught, they needed; and whatever those taught whose teaching was according to this Spirit, they needed. St. John does not say that those who had once received the teaching of the Divine Spirit had no farther need of the ministry of the Gospel; no, but he says they had no need of such teaching as their false teachers proposed to them; nor of any other teaching that was different from that anointing, i.e. the teaching of the Spirit of God. No man, howsoever holy, wise, or pure, can ever be in such a state as to have no need of the Gospel ministry: they who think so give the highest proof that they have never yet learned of Christ or his Spirit. And is truth - Because it is the Spirit of truth Joh 16:13. And is no lie - It has nothing like the fables of the Gnostics. It can neither deceive, nor be deceived.
The words behind it
42 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὑμεῖς, | humeis | you yourselves, | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| χρῖσμα | chrisma | anointing | G5545 → | 3 times |
| ὃ | ho | that | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| ἐλάβετε | elabete | you received | G2983 → | 257 times |
| ἀπ᾽ | ap᾽ | from | G575 → | 640 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| μένει | menei | abides | G3306 → | 118 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ὑμῖν, | humin | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὐ | ou | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| χρείαν | chreian | need | G5532 → | |
| ἔχετε | echete | you have | G2192 → | 707 times |
| ἵνα | ina | that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| τις | tis | anyone | G5100 → | 528 times |
| διδάσκῃ | didaske | may teach | G1321 → | 96 times |
| ὑμᾶς· | humas | you; | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | But | G235 → | 635 times |
| ὡς | hos | just as | G5613 → | |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | same | G846 → | 5565 times |
| χρῖσμα | chrisma | anointing | G5545 → | 3 times |
| διδάσκει | didaskei | teaches | G1321 → | 96 times |
| ὑμᾶς | humas | you | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| περὶ | peri | concerning | G4012 → | 332 times |
| πάντων | panton | all things | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἀληθές | alethes | true | G227 → | |
| ἐστιν | estin | is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὐκ | ouk | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| ἔστιν | estin | is | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| ψεῦδος | pseudos | a lie | G5579 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| καθὼς | kathos | even as | G2531 → | 182 times |
| ἐδίδαξεν | edidaxen | it has taught | G1321 → | 96 times |
| ὑμᾶς, | humas | you, | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| μένετε | menete | you abide | G3306 → | 118 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| αὐτῷ. | auto | Him. | G846 → | 5565 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὑμεῖς,you yourselves,
humeisG4771 →2973 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
χρῖσμαanointing
chrismaG5545 →3 times
ὃthat
hoG3739 →1405 times
ἐλάβετεyou received
elabeteG2983 →257 times
ἀπ᾽from
ap᾽G575 →640 times
αὐτοῦHim
autouG846 →5565 times
μένειabides
meneiG3306 →118 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ὑμῖν,you
huminG4771 →2973 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὐnot
ouG3756 →1664 times
χρείανneed
chreianG5532 →
ἔχετεyou have
echeteG2192 →707 times
ἵναthat
inaG2443 →668 times
τιςanyone
tisG5100 →528 times
διδάσκῃmay teach
didaskeG1321 →96 times
ὑμᾶς·you;
humasG4771 →2973 times
ἀλλ᾽But
all᾽G235 →635 times
ὡςjust as
hosG5613 →
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
αὐτοῦsame
autouG846 →5565 times
χρῖσμαanointing
chrismaG5545 →3 times
διδάσκειteaches
didaskeiG1321 →96 times
ὑμᾶςyou
humasG4771 →2973 times
περὶconcerning
periG4012 →332 times
πάντωνall things
pantonG3956 →1235 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἀληθέςtrue
alethesG227 →
ἐστινis
estinG1510 →2333 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὐκnot
oukG3756 →1664 times
ἔστινis
estinG1510 →2333 times
ψεῦδοςa lie
pseudosG5579 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
καθὼςeven as
kathosG2531 →182 times
ἐδίδαξενit has taught
edidaxenG1321 →96 times
ὑμᾶς,you,
humasG4771 →2973 times
μένετεyou abide
meneteG3306 →118 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
αὐτῷ.Him.
autoG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
7 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 16:13However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to…
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 2:10–13
But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.
- John 14:17
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
- 1 Corinthians 2:10–13
Through
John 14:26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you.
it leads to
- John 15:26
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 John 2:20
You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—
- John 16:7
But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send…
- John 15:26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 John
This page draws on 16 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Andreas of Caesarea, CATENA; Augustine of Hippo, Ten Homilies on 1 John 4; Augustine of Hippo, Ten Homilies on 1 John 3; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles; Cyprian, Epistle LXIX; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 30; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on 1 John; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on 1 John and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on 1 John.