26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.
John doesn’t want them to be snared by these false teachings. John says trust in Jesus, and the Power of the Holy Spirit to guide you into all Truth, not in these false teachers. In warning them about false teachers, John always bases it in a believer’s true understanding of Jesus. John is concerned far more that Christians understand who Jesus is, and their relationship to God, our relationship with Christ in Truth, and one another. John is concerned about how we treat one another as Christians, and the vitality of our relationship with God. Their deception is more obvious to those with a close relationship to the God of Truth, the Word of Truth and the Spirit of Truth! The danger for Christians is real, but we can tell a counterfeit gospel by being so intimately familiar with Jesus that we can tell the difference. We are not immune to deception, but our close relationship with the Truth inoculates us against this deceit, making lies stand out more clearly by contrast with the Truth.
27 As for you
He might as well have said, “as for you, my beloved Children”. He is going to describe the benefits of their true, abiding relationship with Christ in terms of the great advantage that they have in the teaching and power of the Holy Spirit.
the anointing which you received from Him remains in you,
John is exhorting us as Christians to abide in Christ, so that the anointing from the Holy Spirit will protect us, and give us insight, so that we’re not deceived by these false teachers. The teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit allows us to discern true from false, and tell which teachers are anointed by the Holy Spirit, teaching true doctrine, and those who are powered instead by the spirit of antichrist, preaching another Gospel.
and you have no need for anyone to teach you
We can be taught directly by the Holy Spirit as we read the Word of God with an open heart toward learning what God wants to teach us. As 2 Timothy 3:16 says All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness The power is already there, in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit John 6:45 Jesus said It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. In both the Old Testament and the New, we see people asking God to teach them. In Psalm 25:5 the psalmist says Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Indeed, we are repeatedly encouraged to go directly to God. James 1: 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. That is not to say that good bible teachers aren’t useful. We know that John is not denying the importance and place of human teachers, because we know that he taught people throughout his life, and had many students. Good teachers can save us from many errors in doctrine, and have a wealth of experience that we can draw on. But, the Holy Spirit is the only perfect teacher, and the only one who does not make mistakes, and the Bible is the only book that is guaranteed by God to be inspired, cover to cover, inerrant, and perfect. Remember the lesson of the Bereans in Acts 17:11-12 11 Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so They went to the Hoy Scriptures, the Bible, to check on what Paul and Silas were teaching them, to see if it lined up with scripture. They didn’t go to their Rabbi, and ask what he thought. They didn’t ask their friends. They didn’t decide to take a vote. They searched the scriptures and got God’s opinion on whether the teaching was true or false.
as His anointing teaches you about all things,
The Holy Spirit’s anointing is the one that teaches us all things. Jesus said in John 14:26 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you The Holy Spirit can teach directly to our spirit, that enters our mind from within, enabling us to understand things that we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to understand. In Acts 4, when Peter and John were filled with the Holy Spirit, and were called before the High Priest Annas and Caiaphas, and others of their family to explain the power behind the miracles that God was doing through them, Peter explained in Acts 4:10-12 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. Peter, the unlearned fisherman from a small town in Galilee was teaching the High Priest and the other Sadducees about the gospel. And look at their reaction in 4:13 13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
and is true and is not a lie
We can trust every Word of God. Numbers 23:19 says God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Proverbs 30:5-6 says that Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. That means that we trust in the Word of God that He will protect us, but also that we must understand what the Word of God actually says for ourselves, so that we don’t over-extrapolate or add to the Word of God by our traditions or considering and relying on what man thinks, instead of what God has said. This is what led the Jewish people so far from the Truth of God, and what leads people astray today. Psalm 33:4-For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth. John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
and just as it has taught you
The Holy Spirit teaches us so that we can understand the Truth about God, and so that we can do the work that He has for us to do for the Kingdom. We are also purified and sanctified by abiding in the Word of God. It is the truth of God’s Word as revealed by the Holy Spirit that leads us into life eternal. John John 6:63–It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
you remain in Him.
We can trust God to work for our Good, but we also must abide in obedience to His Word, so that He can bless us without it going to our heads, and without us taking God’s blessings in the wrong direction and being arrogant, or presumptive. Jesus said in John 8:31-32 John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” God’s truth sets us free, but not free to do whatever we want! 1 Peter 2:16 says Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. And Galatians 5:13-14 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” God’s word sets us free from our bondage to sin, and our oppression by the enemy, to do His Will. We are free to obey, not the law that condemns us, but obey out of love in response to the grace that we have received, since we have eternal life in Christ.