Chrisma

1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

As I defined yesterday unction in the Greek is chrisma. You will not find worldly dictionaries that want to define or talk about its meaning or use. The closest that they will come is in the word charisma which they describe as compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others. A secondary definition used is a divinely conferred power or talent.

I do not have a problem with the first definition and use. Magnetic personalities exist as a worldly trait. It is in the second definition that I advise extreme caution in trying to understand properly. Conferred carries with it the notion of being awarded the power or talent, or a transfer of authority. This is a very dangerous attitude when we are speaking of the divinity of Christ.

All power and authority resides in Christ and Christ alone. It does not belong to us. The inherent nature of desire is to have or take that which is not ours. There are those within a community of believers that have “desired the better gifts”. The danger in allowing the flesh to determine what is better is a recipe for failure. It will cause divisions within the ranks as to which gifts hold more power and who possesses them.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

The danger in developing this attitude is in failing to understand the differences between putting on and putting in Christ.

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Putting on Christ should be equated to putting on the mantle of responsibility to carry on the work of the gospel, declaring the good news.

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *