What does "you all have knowledge" mean for understanding God's truth? Setting the Scene 1 John 2:20: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.” John is addressing ordinary believers, reassuring them that they already possess what they need to discern and embrace God’s truth. What “you all have knowledge” Communicates • “All of you” (plural) underscores that this blessing covers every genuine believer, not a select clergy class. • “Have” describes a present, settled possession, not a future hope. • “Knowledge” (Greek: gnōsis) points to real, experiential understanding of the gospel rather than mere facts. Source of the Knowledge — The Anointing • The “anointing” is the indwelling Holy Spirit given at conversion. • John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things.” • 1 Corinthians 2:12: “We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” Scope and Depth of the Knowledge • Comprehensive: able to test every teaching against revealed truth (1 John 2:27). • Sufficient: equips believers to recognize core doctrines, especially about Christ’s person and work. • Growing: while the foundation is laid, the Spirit continually deepens insight (Colossians 1:9–10). Safeguard Against Deception • Immediate context: antichrist teachers were denying Jesus as the Christ (1 John 2:18–19). • Because believers already “have knowledge,” they can spot counterfeit doctrines. • 2 Timothy 3:16: Scripture, breathed out by God, partners with the Spirit to expose error. Living Out the Knowledge • Abide in what you heard from the beginning (1 John 2:24). • Test every spirit by confessing Christ come in the flesh (1 John 4:2). • Let the Word dwell richly—daily reading fixes truth in the heart (Colossians 3:16). Related Old and New Covenant Echoes • Jeremiah 31:33–34 promised an internal knowledge of God under the new covenant. • John 16:13 shows the Spirit guiding into “all the truth,” fulfilling that promise. • Hebrews 8:11 repeats Jeremiah, confirming its realization in the church. Key Takeaways • Every believer, by the Spirit’s anointing, already possesses the essential knowledge of God’s truth. • This knowledge is living and relational, not abstract. • Scripture and the Spirit operate together to guard, instruct, and mature God’s people. |
    |