2 Corinthians 1:21 Commentary and Bible Study

There are four aspects of conversion – we are established, anointed, sealed, and given the earnest of the Spirit. Believers are established. They have been made firm, they have been rooted and grounded and they have been made stable. One moment we are seeking, one moment we are blowing hot and cold, we are not very reliable, we want to repent, we want to believe but the next we have got our feet back in the world. So you regard people, they begin to come to church, where exactly do they stand? This is a promising conversation I’ve had with somebody, but then it seems to fade away and we are disappointed. Then comes the moment when that person has a new tenacity, a certain belief and assurance, a solid conviction. Of course, we still slip and slide in our lives and we fail the Lord but there is a huge difference when we come to that moment when our belief is sure. We have a new nature and now we are much more reliable and we have this tenacity for the faith and we become conscientious and when we sin we are grieved and our consciences are moved and we long to do better and please the Lord. We are sure and steadfast and loyal. We come to the services and to the meetings, we want to take up our Bibles; there is a tremendous difference. God has anointed us, as well as them. The anointing is not just for preachers. Keep the anointing alive in your hearts always. It is about the power of conversion and the glory of Jesus Christ through the mighty power of his converting work. So, if we are deluded about our salvation, these verses will challenge us; if we are believers in Christ, they will make us glorify him for the wonderful work, which he has done in our lives. Then he adds this second term, anointing. That is a great Bible word. Why, kings were anointed, prophets also, and priests. It is a setting aside to office. We have this great consciousness that we have been appointed by Christ. We have been made his representatives and we get a sense of duty, a sense of our task. We want to count for him and serve him. We have an obligation to him, and we want to represent him and serve him, and we feel bad if we don’t do this as if there is something missing in our Christian lives. It is a sense of privilege – God has anointed me, a worthless individual, almost as he would have done an Old Testament king, and set me aside for a purpose – to be his, to make him known.