Some people are against education. Millions of children every day ask, “Why do I have to learn this?” They would remain in bed! Most of us at one point in our lives wish the classes and assignments would end. And one of the keys to a sharp mind in old age is to become a lifelong learner. Mental sharpness can be directly linked to learning new things.
Learning is necessary for life. We need people studying medicine and the arts. I don’t want a person who just thinks they can operate cutting into me. I want someone with years of study and mentorship. I also don’t want to pay to go to a theater and hear someone who can’t memorize their lines performing.
The reason learning is important is because it is the way God designed us. The moment we are born we don’t automatically download a software update that will last our lifetime, perfectly tailored to contain every bit of information we will need to fulfill God’s design for our lives. Instead, we begin learning some of the most important lessons in the first hours and days of our lives. And that learning can continue throughout life. We can earn a PhD in our 80’s!
In our text, John highlights one aspect of the false teacher’s tactics. They have said that we don’t need teachers to understand God’s workings in the world. They say this despite the fact that they themselves are trying to teach. The contradiction is hilarious. Teachers teaching that teaching isn’t important. This sounds just like the current trend in teaching on most university campuses. There is no objective truth except the truth I am teaching that there is no objective truth.
Well, back to the text. John tells his readers, and us, that the anointing they received, Jesus in them, would teach them. Since for John this living connection between the eternal God and we as believers is the hallmark of the Christian life, it is no wonder he says they don’t need teachers. To put it another way, the presence of the Holy Spirit in us will keep us connected to the LORD. We will be able to tell when someone is feeding us a lie. The Spirit will let us know. We will feel a check in our spirit.
Without this confirmation, we would need official teachers. But with the Spirit’s witnessing with our spirits, an official spokesperson is not needed. In essence, these false teachers were taking away the heavenly confirmation and replacing it with their own authority. They were putting themselves in the place of the Holy Spirit. What they said was truth was truth.
This is where so many false teachings start. They start when one person veers of course. That change in course could be due to many reasons, but primarily a disconnection from the Head, Jesus. When they no longer are connected, they must find an alternate source of direction, and Satan is all too willing to step into the gap. He will build up the individual’s ego to the point where they begin to see themselves as the source of all wisdom. They go from bad to worse.
The anointing spoken of here is connected to remaining in Jesus. The anointing teaches truth about who Jesus is, that He is deity and coequal with the Father and the Spirit. When that connection is broken, there are no bounds to the distance they will travel from the truth.
So beware of those who disconnect from and become their own authority. If it is new, it isn’t true. If it is true, it isn’t new.
The Arnold Journey 