1 John 2:26-27 26I write these things to you about the ones who are deceiving you. 27But the anointing that you yourselves received from him remains in you, and you have no need so that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is no lie, just as it has also taught you, remain in him.
The false teachers had been bothering John’s readers and attempting to deceive them. We need reminders once in a while to keep our eyes open for deceit. The darkness always encroaches when the light is dimmed. The ways of the fallen world around us constantly brings temptations. These temptations often appeal to our physical needs or instincts. Other temptations will appeal to our pride, self-protection, and self-preservation.
John gives us the way to ward off this deceitful darkness. We have been anointed by God’s presence, the Holy Spirit, who abides in us. The Spirit provides the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13) if we heed the Spirit’s guidance and conviction and say No to sin and Yes to the ways of Christ. If the readers of this letter had access to John’s Gospel, they could recall what Jesus said in John 15-16 about the coming of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who would show them the truth and remind them of the things Jesus taught. The needed human response is to remain in him. The keyword remain (menete) captures the deep relationship of faith and dependence in the journey of discipleship. This life is marked by submission and commitment, which open our eyes to the way of light. When the light fills our lives, the darkness cannot come in.