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I. THIS IS A COMMON CHRISTIAN ENDOWMENT. It is to a body of Christian disciples that John is writing; not to the highly gifted among them, not even to the elder Christians who have acquired a long experience and grown prudent through a life's discipline, but to all. Simple conscientiousness is of more practical value than the readiest ability. A plain unlettered man will often see the falsity which ensnares men in their long-drawn reasonings. A child's discernment of character is proverbial; the simple soul is repelled from a hidden impurity or ungraciousness that escapes the subtle observation. "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." A mind like Christ is given to you in the very consecration of yourselves to Him; and that mind "abideth in you," and "teacheth you all things." You have an inward and unfailing standard, which tests all sayings, all traditions and maxims, all the suggestions that may come to you, all the ways of the world.

II. WHAT THIS SPIRIT IS WHICH IS GIVES US IN OUR CONSECRATION, AND BY WHICH WE ARE ENABLED TO DISCERN THE TRUTH OF THINGS.

1. It is the spirit of the consecration itself. This involves God's revelation to us of a Divine service, and His call to us to serve Him; God's endowment of us for the service into which He bids us enter. It involves our recognition of His purpose, our acceptance of His will, and all the influence upon our character of the acceptance of it. Decision of purpose is the secret of directness of judgment. When you resolved that you would follow Christ, and obey Him in all your future, did you not feel at once a new power to discern the evil and good of all things? You looked on old confusing motives, and pronounced them base. Doubt cleared itself from your vision; the scales of selfishness fell from your eyes; you felt that you had attained a new power of judgment. A truer spirit, a spirit clearer and more confident, was yours in your consecration. "You had an unction from the Holy One, and you knew all things."

2. It is the spirit of Christ. "Ye have an unction from the Holy One"; a chrism from Christ. Here, then, is the virtue of our consecration; this our defence against all antichrists, this our power to discern all things: the spirit in sympathy with Jesus, that feels with and for Him. A personal life is a surer standard than all reasonings; sympathy is at once responsive, or is at once repelled. The habit of fellowship with Christ; the culture of our sympathies, the formation of all our judgments by His; the bringing of every maxim and of all conduct to the standard of the life of Jesus, will have its result in clear directness of thought and feeling. It will give thoroughness and practicalness to our character; will demand not only truth upon the whole, but truth in everything, truth in even minor matters, truth throughout.

3. The spirit of consecration is the spirit of devotedness to our fellows. Whatever destroys our reverence for men, whatever denies their redemption and restrains our sympathies with them; whatever leads us to distrust the power of the gospel to elevate and save from folly, and from selfishness, and from sin, any class of men, or race of men, or any individual of all mankind, must be condemned by us as owning the spirit of antichrist. Our fellowship is with Christ's love and hopefulness; a spirit devoted like His to men is given us, and by this spirit we discern all things.

(A. Mackennal, D. D.)

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KJV: But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

WEB: You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.