“ANOINTING, SEAL, AND
WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT”
Br. Eugene Burns
Unknown to the world in
general, the Lord has been carrying on a grand and glorious work. The mighty power of God that raised Jesus
from the dead is working in the hearts of those to whom God has given the
Spirit or sonship. This mighty power
has and is working in the hearts of those whom the world esteems not, for they
are the weak and insignificant as compared to the world's dignitaries. Despite their insignificance in worldly
circles it is recorded, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the
weakness of God is stronger than men."
(1 Cor. 1:25) This text implies
that the Lord's people are the weakest and least wise of his representatives,
but they are still wiser and stronger than the forces pitted against them. Why is this possible?--because of God's
Spirit that works in them.
When we understand that
God's Holy Spirit is his holy influence or power which is invisible, yet a
force and a power as it operates in the hearts and lives of his people, it
makes for a simpler understanding of so important a subject. Such an understanding relieves us of the
difficulty of endeavoring to associate a personality with the work of anointing
and sealing of God's Holy Spirit. It
prevents any from expecting a whisper from the Spirit as a witness, or a nudge
as an evidence of sonship. This subject
must be understood in terms of operation and effect and must be divorced from
personality, sentimentality and
emotionalism. New versions of the Bible
are creating trouble for Trinitarians-- their ideas are falling to pieces.
Anointing of the Spirit
In the typical services of
the tabernacle inaugurated under Moses, the first usage is made of the term
anointing. The High Priest was anointed
with Holy anointing oil when inaugurated into office (which occurred only once
in each High Priest's lifetime). Later
on the Kings of Israel were anointed when accepted of the Lord to occupy this
stately office. It is significant to
note that the anointing with specially prepared oil was always used in
conjunction with an inauguration to office.
From this it may be seen that the Holy Spirit, compared to the Holy
anointing oil, is used to inaugurate the consecrated into the office which they
shall occupy if faithful--kings and priests of the Millennial Age. Such an anointing is suggestive of the
dignity of office awaiting these, and also that service and ministry are the
purpose of this office.
There is a distinction
between the anointing and sealing which may be readily seen when viewed
carefully. If the Lord did not intend
to establish faithful Christians in the office of kings and priests in the age
to come, it would not be necessary that they be anointed. This is not true with respect to the seal
and begettal of the Holy Spirit.
Irrespective of their future work and office, the mere fact that they
are called to the high calling, involves the necessity that they ultimately be
born on the spirit plane in the divine nature and so they must first be
begotten with the Holy Spirit to that nature.
Likewise they must receive the seal of assurance of the Spirit to
qualify for the spirit birth on the divine plane. The seal of assurance is very important to establish faith.
The question may arise, Is
the anointing instantaneous or is it a gradual process? In Jesus’ case, the account tells us,
"And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened,
and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him." (Mark 1:10) John records
concerning Jesus, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure
unto him.” (John 3:34) In that it is the Holy Spirit that anoints
us, it must follow that Jesus’ anointing was instantaneous, for
"straightway" as he rose out of the water the Spirit descended upon
him, and not in any small measure, but rather without measure was it given
him. For that point and forward there
could be no question as what position and work was to be his.
While the Lord's followers
do not receive the Holy Spirit in such a marked and manifested manner, still
they do receive it, and its effect upon their lives is just as potent. It may not be possible for them to point to
the hour or day or month when they were anointed with the Spirit, but still it
may be a matter of knowledge and fact to them that at some time from
consecration they have been anointed.
The Apostle John declares,
"And you have an Anointing from the Holy One; and you all know it.” (1 John 2:20, Diag.) "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. (1 John 2:27) Those anointed may "know it" by
reason that they have felt drawn to Christ and to the Heavenly Father; they
have responded to this drawing and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior
and Redeemer, acknowledging their own unworthiness and sinfulness and trust in
the blood of Christ to atone for their sins; they further consecrate their
entire lives to God and take up their cross and follow their Master. When they have done this, they have done all
required to receive the anointing of the Spirit, and may know they are now sons
of God. Beyond this there is the
witness of the Spirit to add to their assurance that they have been accepted of
the Father.
The expression
"anointing of the Spirit" is slightly different from the expression
"begetting of the Spirit."
The thought of 'begetting" is that of a work complete upon
occurrence, while the thought of "anointing" suggests an immediate
beginning accompanied with a gradual work of progression. We are under the
process of anointing from the time we enter the Lord's family, and receive a
place in the glorious company of Royal Priests. We know that some fail to get their full anointing. Some of those who have been properly
received, and begotten of the Holy Spirit, will fail to be fully anointed, and
therefore, will fail to be of the Royal Priesthood class. They will be of the Great Company class
instead. Therefore, it seems that the
expression, "anointing of the Spirit,” must include that mollifying and
mellowing development which comes as we grow in grace and in knowledge, and not
merely the time when we were anointed at the outset of our Christian
experience.
The question often presents
itself, Are we anointed individually?
The answer is No. In the type
the high priest, Aaron, was anointed with the Holy Anointing oil upon
inauguration into office. The
underpriests did not receive of this anointing, so that would preclude any
possibility of their having an individual anointing. In Psalms 133:2 we read, "It is like the precious ointment
upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his
garments." The word for
"skirt", literally translated is "mouth"--the opening at
the neck of the robe. The thought is
that the Anointing Oil poured on the head reached the mouth of the garment and
hence the body shared in the anointing.
The thought is the same as we have always believed, but that the oil did
not necessarily deluge the whole body--the oil did reach the body, and the
lesson is complete, for we are a part of the "body of Christ."
The anointing oil used in
typical arrangements of the tabernacle was a special preparation. In Exodus 30:23, 24 we read, "Take thou
also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of
sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet
calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, and of cassia five hundred shekels,
after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin." The spices used do not seem in themselves to
be significant, but by associating other Bible verses we may see their
significance. In the typical anointing
of Bezaleel, the chief workman of the tabernacle, we read, "And I have
filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in
knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.”
(Exodus 31:4) We know the
antitype of Bezaleel is Christ. In the
antitypical anointing of Christ recorded in Isa. 11:2 it is recorded, "And
the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord." The only
difference in the two verses is in respect to the terms “counsel and mighty”
and “workmanship,” but both embody the same idea, i. e. deputy-ship and ability
to accomplish the same.
These three verses parallel
as follows: (shekel
about ½ oz. or ¼ oz.)
EXODUS 30:23 EXODUS 31:3 ISAIAH 11:2
Holy Anointing Oil Bezaleel Christ
Olive oil, an hin Filled with the Spirit of the Lord
rest
5 quarts spirit
of God upon him
Myrrh, 500 - 18 lbs. Wisdom Wisdom
10 oz.
Cinnamon, 250, 9 lbs. Understanding Understanding
5 oz.
Calamus, 250, 9 lbs. Knowledge Knowledge
5 oz.
Cassia, 500, 18 lbs. Workmanship Counsel and Might
10 oz.
(There was close to 47 lbs.
of spices--if this was literally mixed with 5 quarts of olive oil it would be a
paste. We believe it was the essence of
the spices that were mixed with the oil.)
In the foregoing parallel we
find knowledge parallel with Calamus and understanding with cinnamon, and of
each a like quantity of 250 shekels. We would expect in our anointing to find
knowledge and understanding equal. Those coming in under this antitypical
anointing have the understanding of all the knowledge that gradually unfolds to
them, for they possess hearing ears and seeing eyes.
Myrrh, representing wisdom,
is equivalent in amount (500 shekels) to the total of both Cinnamon and Calamus
(250 shekels each). We find in the
anointing we receive that wisdom proportionate to understanding and knowledge. Cassia, representing workmanship in the
sense of deputy-ship or counsel or ability, is equivalent also in amount (500
shekels) to the total of both Cinnamon and Calamus. This would indicate that understanding and knowledge will
correspondingly relate to our workmanship--workers that need not to be ashamed. Likewise, Cassia is equal in amount to
Myrrh (500 shekels each) and this means
our workmanship or deputy-ship is accompanied with the Heavenly wisdom which
"is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." James 3:17
As we come in under such an
anointing of the Spirit, with all its wonderful qualities, we are most
blessed. The fragrance of the typical
anointing oil must have been sweet smelling and of lasting effect. So with the antitypical anointing, for those
having received it have diffused into their lives its fragrance, and their
sacrifices in turn are a sweet-smelling savor to God. And as the mollifying and mellowing effect of this anointing
progresses, it may be certain that the sweeter and richer becomes the fragrance
emanating from such lives. "To one
we are a savor of death unto death"--funeral flowers; “and to the other a
savor of life unto life" --marriage flowers. (2 Cor. 2:16) The same
sweet aroma to one class speaks of death, and they, withdraw from it; but to
the Christian it speaks of the marriage to come.
The Seal of the Spirit
The basic meaning goes back
to olden day customs of using a signet to seal, notarize, or place a stamp of
recognition on a letter, article, or record.
Sometimes it is emphasized that this custom was practiced simply to
insure against intrusion. Actually
however, it was one more often to establish legality and authenticity than to
insure secrecy. No doubt, secrecy was
one of the purposes, but it was not the sole purpose. In Esther 8:8 we read, "Seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the
king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."
Usage does more to establish
the meaning of a word than does any one given explanation of it. This holds true with the word
"seal." Because it appeared
last, the final act in dealing with a record or letter, and because it was used
to make the enclosure the seal has come to have the meaning of effectively
closing, such as sealing a letter or a jar.
When a figure is employed in a text, its usage there will often
determine its meaning and sometimes we may gather several meanings, for a
figure may be intended to teach more than one lesson. The seal, we believe is used to illustrate three truths: (1) authenticity, (2) impression of seal
(Christ's character), (3) finality.
(1) Authenticity: In Eph. 1:13 we read, "In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that. ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of the
promise." Note: "ye have
need of patience that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the
promise."--Heb. 10:36. As the word
is used here it means a mark of attestation or acknowledgment that guarantees
to us a future inheritance if we follow on in the way we have started out. It is the Holy Spirit which constitutes this
mark of attestation, and therefore it may be said of all those who have
received the begettal of the Spirit that they are the sons of God and in line
for the glorious future inheritance with their Lord. In this text though, there is nothing of finality about this seal
to lead one to conclude that thenceforth glory and honor must follow
unconditionally. The possession of the
Holy Spirit is only an assurance that we are properly entered into the race
that leads to joint-heirship with our Master; the race entered is not the race
won, and only such that finish triumphantly
shall be given abundant entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
(2) Impression of the Seal: Former methods used in sealing documents
also help us to catch the force of this illustration. They would have a stamp or die engraved with some special design
which they would impress into heated wax on the document. The die was held in position until the wax
solidified. If we were to use this to
illustrate the sealing of the church, the seal would compare to Christ's character
likeness which is being impressed into the heart of each member. The heat is produced by the fiery trials and
the character-likeness of our Lord is daily being impressed into the heart of
each disciple. The impression of such a
seal would riot be complete until the fourth quarter mark of perfect love even
for our enemies is reached. And even
then, there must follow the hardening or crystallization of this impression in
the heart, until finally the impression is permanently fixed to endure for
eternity. It would be then that the
Holy Spirit could be said to have accomplished its work. From this standpoint the seal of the Spirit
would be an advanced witness of our acceptance with God, and when the sealing work
is accomplished in our hearts it would be the cream of Christian
experience. Certainly none who have not
reached the perfect mark of love may be said to have really enjoyed the richest
experience in the Christian life.
If we think of the sealing
work as being Christ's character-likeness being impressed into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit it would admittedly follow that such an impression could not be
made in our hearts instantaneously.
There would even be the possibility of it never being impressed into our
hearts. In Paul's letter to the
Galatian brethren it appears that some to whom he wrote were not being properly
developed. He writes, "I marvel
that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel: . . O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye
should not obey the truth, . . . Are ye
so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
(Gal. 1:6; 3:1, 3) And in his endeavor to rectify their position, Paul wrote,
"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you." (Gal. 4:19) These
had begun in the "Spirit," but were deceived into false conceptions
of their relationship to the Law. They,
therefore, had not developed properly as Christians and hence Paul did
"travail in birth again until Christ" or the character-likeness of
Christ was formed in them. One writer
said of these Galatians, “Although they had been begotten by the word of truth,
the new germ of spiritual being had not yet progressed even to the definite
formation of Christian character which manifests its existence and life in
activity; they had not reached the quickening stage, although it was high time
that such indication of life should appear in them."
When one receives
Spirit-begettal there comes a measure of assurance respecting the future
inheritance, but unless there follows growth and development as evidence of the
new life this assurance becomes dimmer.
In the natural realm begettal is followed by quickening. This must also follow Spirit-begettal. In Rom. 8:11 we are told, "But if the
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his
Spirit that dwelleth in you. This
quickening or energizing of our mortal bodies results from the Holy Spirit dwelling
with us, implying something different from the begettal. Indeed, when the Spirit of God dwells in our
hearts richly it will inevitably lead us to activity in the service of the
Lord. “For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:10) Mere belief is not sufficient for the true Christian. He must make confession of such belief if
ultimate "salvation” is to result.
(3) Finality of the Seal: The figure of a seal is also made use of by
the Revelator. Four angels are seen in
a vision holding back the four winds of heaven while another angel,
"having the seal of the living God," cries, "Hurt not the earth
neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in
their foreheads.” (Rev. 7:1-3) Such a seal has been properly understood to
mean that these are given an intellectual appreciation of the plan of God, with
its many beautiful phases, as a mark of attestation of their sonship and favor
with God.
It seems that this sealing
here has also a finality associated with it, for John records, "And I
heard the number of them which were sealed:
and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the
tribes of the children of Israel."
(Rev. 7:4) In that there are
only a specified number so sealed it must be that this constitutes those marked
as belonging to the "very elect”; those who are "called, and chosen,
and faithful." (Rev. 17:14; Matt.
24:24)
Additionally, this work was
to be accomplished before the "four winds" could be loosed. The loosing of these "winds" will
climax the time of trouble with its greatest fury and therefore conditions
would be all but favorable for new ones to enter the race for the heavenly
phase of the kingdom. Rather the
faithful will all have been selected by that time, for they by scriptural
implication are "accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall
come to pass."--Luke 21:36.
By use of such a figure many
lessons may be inculcated, and all of them forceful illustrations of great
truths. (1) Authenticity--the Holy Spirit which is the seal when first
received does bring assurance of son-ship and also hope with regard to a future
inheritance. (2) Impression --as
the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart, moulding it and fashioning it into the
divine likeness, then it may be said that it is prepared and fitted for so
glorious a nature. (3) Finality--and then, when the Spirit has
accomplished its work in the heart, the crown of life is assured, and be
granted when this earthly life is completed. By clarifying the way we make use
of the seal figure, it avoids any misunderstanding that might arise when one
uses this figure in a limited way and another uses it in a broader sense.
The Witness of the Spirit
"The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Rom. 8:16)
This doctrine is very important to God's people because on it depends to
a considerable extent their possession of peace and assurance of faith. If they lack this testimony of the Spirit,
doubts and fears will assail them, and they will find themselves among those
who sing the well-known hymn: "'Tis
a point I long to know--Oft it causes anxious thought: Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not?"
The misconceptions
concerning the witness of the Spirit have led to much confusion and despair on
the part of some. They imagined that
feelings and emotions of joy possessed
in the beginning when they first knew the Lord, were evidences of their
sonship, and when, as it were, the "woes" of life overtook them and
the first impulses of joy were lost in sorrow and disappointment, then
uncertainties assailed the convictions of their sonship and acceptance with the
Father. Alas! they cry, "Where is
the blessedness I knew, when first I found the Lord?" Anyone who allows his feelings to affect his
course in life, even from a worldly standpoint, can never gain stability enough
to live a life of accomplishments. One
must persevere in what he has committed to do irrespective of feelings.
Can we imagine a Christian,
with the great warfare before him, with the lofty heights to attain, and the
path of self-sacrifice and death before him, allowing feelings to dampen his
zeal or weaken his convictions? No,
there must be a more firm foundation than this. The Christian must be guided by knowledge, that comes from a
proper understanding of the Word of God; otherwise he will be an "on
again, off again Finnegin." All
those who recognize that they have been drawn to the Lord, and who have faith
in the atoning merit of Christ and who consecrated their all to God. may have
the witness of the Word of God that they are accepted as sons, as probationary
members of the church. The anointing
and seal of the Spirit which they have received is a witness to them of their
sonship. There are many other scriptural factors which augment this witness.
It is written, "For
whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not?" (Heb. 12:6, 7) Every
evidence of our Heavenly Father's disciplining hand upon us is a testimony that
we are his sons, and while "no chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” (Heb. 12:11) We may not be able to rejoice in the chastening experience
itself, but we may rejoice in the witness that it brings as a fresh evidence of
our relationship to God. When we
remember God's statement, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten",
we may take fresh confidence that we are still in the special love of the
Father as long as we are being disciplined.
(Rev. 3:19) Every experience, it
properly received, has a little note attached with it--if you look for it you
will find it--it reads--"with love from the Father."
Employing the figure of a
vine and its branches, the Master said, "I am the vine, and ye are the
branches” and "every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh
away: and every branch that beareth
fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." (John 15:5, 2) As "branches in the
"vine" we are subjected to such experiences that tend to cut off all
tendencies to "wood-making", that is, all inclinations toward earthly
attachments. If we find such
'purgings" being made in ourselves it becomes another evidence that we are
his children. It is true that even the
worldly people have hardships and difficulties which may resemble those of the
Lord’s people, but they cannot be considered marks of sonship, be-cause only
those who have made a covenant with the Lord in consecration, are being dealt
with. Others may be profited by their adversities, to be sure, but may not view
them as a “witness" of their relationship as sons in the divine family.
But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance." (Gal. 5:23, 24) To the extent that we find these graces in
our hearts and as they increase in intensity and maturity we may know from this
that the "Spirit" is strongly testifying that we are the "sons
of God." While we may never
possess perfection in these graces so far as our actions are concerned, yet we
should realize a richer and fuller possession of them as we progress in the
way. And one day there should come a ripeness and maturity to this "fruit
of the Spirit” in our lives which will make meet for the inheritance promised
all the faithful. And such completion
in these graces should be sought as early in the Christian life as possible;
there should be no procrastinating on our part and no time or effort spared
from so grand a work. This life is too short, eternity is too long, to be
otherwise minded.
Another vital
"witness" is found when we are rejected and persecuted by our
fellowmen for our insistence on preaching the message of truth. "Blessed
are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake, Rejoice, and be exceeding glad;
for great is your reward in heaven.”
Those in whom the Word dwells richly must find expression of it by
telling the glad tidings to others.
Whether men hear or forbear, they shall still feel impelled to preach
and make known the divine plan far and wide.
Naturally the darkness hates the light and oppositions and persecutions
will arise as they persevere in their ministry. But all such suffering and
opposition brought about by a faithful proclamation of the truth is a “witness
of the Spirit" reassuring such of son-ship and acceptance with God. In that the very terms of discipleship
entail suffering, it must follow that all those who "suffer" with him
are his brethren and shall consequently "reign" with him. (2 Tim. 2:12) Every sorrow and pain that
results from a close following of the Master becomes a "witness" of
sonship, and an incentive to greater faithfulness.
"If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the
right hand of God. Set your affection
on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col. 3:1, 2) To the
extent that we find ourselves spiritually minded, seeking those things which
are above, we may know that the "Spirit" is witnessing, confirming
not only our sonship, but our growth and progression as sons. If we find an increasing desire for
spiritual wisdom and understanding and a deeper knowledge of the truth, this is
also an encouraging evidence to us. The
apostle says, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace. (Born. 8:6) Hence, to be so minded should give us great confidence with respect to the
"great recompense of reward."--Heb. 10:35
There are many other
witnesses of the Spirit, but greatest of these may be summed up in the word,
love. "Herein is our love made
perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment (krisis, the church's trial time associated with the Lord's
return) because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out
fear." (1 John 4:17, 18) If our love has been perfected and we are
free from fear, allowing only the sweet influence of love to guide and control
in life's affairs, then we have one of the grandest testimonies which can be
had, and should rejoice in our blessed position.
When once we divorce our
relationship with the Lord from ephemeral emotions and place it on a surer
foundation of understanding and knowledge, we are then better prepared for a
more effectual walk in this narrow way that leads to life. "Let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised.)" Heb. 10:23
“. . . for I know whom I
have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him against that day."--l Tim. 1:12