Q&A with Pastor Chris - What is the Anointing of the Holy Spirit?
Q&A with Pastor Chris - What is the Anointing of the Holy Spirit?
Question: Dear man of God, I would appreciate if you could teach us what the anointing of the Holy Spirit is and how to understand it.
Answer: Well, first of all, the very word ‘anoint’ means ‘to rub’. Okay? Like you rub oil. That’s why sometimes in the Old Testament, when somebody used the oil over himself, the term [the expression] was “and he anointed himself.” Now, that did not mean that he anointed himself in the same way that you talk about the priest being anointed or the prophet anointing the king and so on and so forth. It’s just because the word means ‘to rub’. But, in its expression for spiritual symbolism, it does mean something more. And, I will like to take you straight to the New Testament and explain to you so that you see it in today’s light. St. Luke’s gospel chapter 5, from verse 17 “And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. [Luke 5:17]” It says the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Where was this power? What was it like? What in the world is being described? What do you mean the power of the Lord was present to heal? That’s talking about the anointing of the Holy Spirit. That means the presence of God that heals. So, this is the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s what we refer to when we talk about the anointing. It means when a man is clothed with the presence of God.
Back in the Old Testament, the prophet anointed a man to become king with the oil that was separated for the use of that religious ceremony, and there were the others who were watching as the prophets poured the oil on the man who would become king. And, when he did it, the man was said to have been anointed. The oil symbolized to the people the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, in the Old Testament, the teaching of the Old Testament shows us that the oil of the anointing symbolized the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, several times in the bible, that was used. The priest used it, the prophets used it and this helped us to understand the meaning of the anointing. When that oil was poured on a man, he was consecrated. And, if anything was to be anointed [or rather consecrated unto God], such a thing was anointed with the oil and that meant the presence of God was on it, and it was consecrated [separated] unto God. That’s what happened to several different men in the bible. Now, in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit himself has come. And that’s why there is no need to use the oil, because the oil symbolized the Holy Spirit. And, now that the Holy Spirit himself is here, you don’t need the oil. So, that’s the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It’s the power of God, the consecrating power of God. Praise the Lord!
