A close examination of the New Testament in the NIV reveals that there are only two anointings given to believers.
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The first instance of anointing for believers
1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things…
Here the Lord’s anointing teaches us about all things so that we all know the truth. (Notice that it does not refer to any specific anointing upon believers to minister to others supernaturally, for example to prophesy, to heal the sick or to cast out demons.)
The Lord confirms this in John Chapters 14-16.
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 said to you. NIV
The role of the Holy Spirit is to teach us ALL things, that is, to remind us of EVERYTHING Jesus said to his disciples in the gospels and Acts 1 before ascending to heaven.
John 15:26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. NIV
The role of the Holy Spirit is to testify about Jesus: meaning, to be a witness, to bear record (Strong’s G3120). The Spirit is a witness and bears record of what Jesus taught while on earth.
John 16:13-15 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into ALL the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” NIV
The role of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into ALL the truth, reminding us of EVERYTHING Jesus said while on earth—as Jesus clearly explained in John 14:26 above. He will not speak on his own. In heaven Jesus will certainly not have him say anything which will conflict with or negate what he said or what he taught or what he did on earth before he ascended to heaven. And he will tell us what is yet to come.
That is the purpose of the anointing we received from the Lord—in order to be taught and to know the truth.
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The second instance of anointing for believers
The use of the word “anointed” in the New Testament almost always refers to Christ Himself as will be shown later down below. The second instance where it does not refer to Christ but instead to believers is found in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22.
2 Corinthians 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Here believers in Christ are anointed by God as a seal of His ownership on us to guarantee our heavenly inheritance. Again, this use of “anointed” does not refer to believers who prophesy, cast out demons, perform miracles such as healing the sick, or minister to others in some supernatural way.
Rather, according to both 1 John 2 and 1 Corinthians 1, God’s anointing actually ministers to us. It teaches us all things and sets us apart as God’s holy possession.
Therefore the New Testament does NOT teach that certain believers have a “special anointing” to minister to others in the body of Christ. Rather ALL believers are anointed as God’s children who know the truth.
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Instances of the words “anointing,” “anointed,” and “anoint” in the New Testament
The following are the instances of the words “anointing,” “anointed,” and “anoint” as found in the New International Version of the New Testament. Instances of anointed priests, prophets, and kings in the Old Testament were types or shadows which were all fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ.
Anointing:
Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
The word anointing here clearly refers to the anointing on the Messiah Jesus Christ, and not to an anointing upon believers to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.
1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
Here the word anointing on believers refers to an anointing for them to know the truth, and not to an anointing on them to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.
1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit…
Here the word anointing on believers refers to an anointing which teaches them about all things, and not to an anointing upon them to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles. Rather, it is an anointing instead by which God ministers to us, teaching us about all things.
Anointed:
Mark 6:13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Here the disciples were physically anointing sick people with oil. The verse does not refer to them being anointed to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
This reference is directly to the Messiah who would be anointed to preach good news to the poor. It is not a reference to believers who prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.
Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.
Here the reference is directly to Christ, the Anointed One, and not to a believer who can prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles. Note that the Greek can be rendered either “Christ” or “Anointed One.” Many versions of the Bible use the word “Christ” instead of “Anointed One.” This observation will be highly significant later.
Acts 4:27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
The reference here is directly to Jesus Christ whom God anointed. It does not refer to believers who prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Here the reference has the Messiah Jesus Christ anointed with the spirit and power to do good and to heal those under the power of the devil. It clearly does not refer to believers who prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.
2 Corinthians 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Here believers in Christ are anointed by God as a seal of His ownership on us to guarantee our heavenly inheritance. Through this anointing God actually ministers to us, guaranteeing our heavenly inheritance. It is not a reference to an anointing upon us to prophesy, drive out demons and perform miracles.
Anoint:
Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
This reference is to the women physically anointing Jesus’ body with spices.
James 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
This refers to the physical anointing of the sick believer with oil, not to an anointing on believers to prophecy, cast out demons and perform miracles.
These instances exhaust the use of the words anointing, anointed, and anoint in the New International Version of the New Testament.
What Scripture does clearly teach is that believers have been given supernatural authority, power, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to minister to others. These are separate and distinct from “anointing” and are not to be confused with it.
“The Anointing”: Studies from Scripture