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1 John 2:20 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
²⁰But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One. The apostle in this verse evidently intends to say that he had no apprehension in regard to those to whom he wrote that they would thus apostatize and bring dishonor on their religion. They had been so anointed by the Holy Spirit that they understood the true nature of religion, and it might be confidently expected that they would persevere. The word unction or anointing (χρῖσμα chrisma) refers to the act of applying oil to the head of someone to dedicate them to a particular service or function. The allusion is to the anointing of kings and priests or their inauguration or coronation (1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13; Exod. 28:41; 40:15; comp. Notes on Matt. 1:1;) and the idea seems to have been that the oil thus used was emblematic of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit as qualifying them for the discharge of the duties of their office. Christians, in the New Testament, are described as ‘kings and priests’ (Rev. 1:6; 5:10,) and as a ‘royal priesthood,’ (See 1 Pet. 2:5, 9;) and hence they are represented as anointed or as endowed with those graces of the Spirit, of which anointing was the emblem. The phrase ‘the Holy One’ refers here, doubtless, to the Holy Spirit, that Spirit whose influences are imparted to the people of God, to enlighten, to sanctify, and to comfort them in their trials. The particular reference here is to the influences of that Spirit as giving them clear and just views of the nature of the Christian religion, and thus securing them from error and apostasy as long as they are obedient to the Word of God.

Of course, anointed Christians must be taught through God’s Word. However, they do not need the church or anyone else to confirm (validate) that they are anointed. God has used the Holy Spirit to make it absolutely clear to person that they are anointed! A person can be influenced by charismatic forces (church or religious leaders) into a false conformation that they are anointed.

And you all have knowledge. That is, “knowledge,” which is essential that you should know on the subject of Christ and Christianity. The meaning cannot be that they have knowledge pertaining to history, to science, to literature, and to the arts; but that, under the influences of the Holy Spirit by way of studying God’s Word, they had been made so thoroughly acquainted with the truths and duties of the Christian religion, that they might be regarded as safe from the danger or fatal error. The same may be said of all true Christians now, that the Spirit of God so teaches them as they study the Word of God that was given to them as the Bible authors were moved along by the Holy Spirit, that they have a practical acquaintance with what the Christian religion is, and with what it requires, and are secure from falling into a fatal error.

Supplementary Note on 1 Corinthians 2:14

1 Corinthians 2:14 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
¹⁴ But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand* them, because they are examined spiritually.

“The Greek word ginosko (“to understand”) does not mean comprehend intellectually; it means know by experience. The unsaved obviously do not experience God’s Word because they do not welcome it. Only the regenerate have the capacity to welcome and experience the Scriptures, by means of the Holy Spirit.”― (Zuck 1991, 23)

Hundreds of millions of Christians use this verse as support that without the “Holy Spirit,” we can fully understand God’s Word. They would argue that without the “Spirit” the Bible is nothing more than foolish nonsense to the reader. What we need to do before, arriving at the correct meaning of what Paul meant, is grasp what he meant by his use of the word “understand,” as to what is ‘foolish.’ In short, “the things of the Spirit of God” are the “Spirit” inspired Word of God. The natural man sees the inspired Word of God as foolish, and “he is not able to understand them.”

Paul wrote, “But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.” What did Paul mean by this statement? Did he mean that if the Bible reader did not have the “Spirit” helping him, he would not be able to grasp the correct meaning of the text? Are we to understand Paul as saying that without the “Spirit,” the Bible and its teachings are beyond our understanding?

We can gain a measure of understanding as to what Paul meant by observing how he uses the term “foolishness” elsewhere in the very same letter. At 1 Corinthians 3:19, it is used in the following way, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” This verse helps us to arrive at the use in two stages: (1) the verse states that human wisdom is foolishness with God, (2) and we know that the use of foolishness here does not mean that God cannot understand (or grasp) human wisdom. The use is that He sees human wisdom as ‘foolish’ and rejects it as such.

Therefore, the term “foolishness” of 1 Corinthians 3:19 is not in reference to not “understanding,” but as to one’s view of the text, its significance, or better yet, lack of significance, or lack of value. We certainly know that God can understand the wisdom of the world but condemns it as being ‘foolish.’ The same holds true of 1 Corinthians 1:20, where the verbal form of foolishness is used, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” Thus, the term “foolishness” is used before and after 1 Corinthians 2:14 (1:20; 3:19). In all three cases, we are dealing with the significance, the value being attributed to something.

Thus, it seems obvious that we should attribute the same meaning to our text in question, 1 Corinthians 2:14. In other words, the Apostle Paul, by his use of the term “foolishness,” is not saying that the unbeliever is unable to understand, to grasp the Word of God. If this were the case, why would we ever share the Word of God, the gospel message with an unbeliever? Unbelievers can understand the Word of God; however, unbelievers see it as foolish, having no value or significance. The resultant meaning of chapters 1-3 of 1 Corinthians is that the unbelieving world of mankind can understand the Word of God. However, they view it as foolish (missing value or significance). God, on the other hand, understands the wisdom of the world of mankind but views it foolish (missing value or significance). Therefore, in both cases, the information is understood or grasped; however, it is rejected because of the party considering it, believes it lacks value or significance.

We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and our spirit, or mental disposition, needs to be attuned to God and His Spirit through study and application. Now, if our mental disposition is not in tune with the Spirit, we will not come away with the right answer.

By Edward D. Andrews and Albert Barnes