Conservative Friends Bible Study of 1 John #06 Chapter 2 Verses 26-28

Before going on to this passage in 1 John:26-28, Henry goes back to the previous session, #5 (1 John 2:25) to further discuss the Greek word “epangelia” which is Greek for “promise”. It is related to the Greek words “angelia”: message; “angelos”: messenger/angel; “euangelion”: good news/gospel.

Next follows about a twenty-minute discussion from verse 25 of the concept of eternal life. 

Verses 27, 28 

“chrisma”: anointing. This Greek word means to rub/apply something onto a person. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit because He had a special mission, i.e., that of messiah. 

“But you have been anointed by the Holy One . . . .” You too have Christ within you, so you too have His anointing within you. Early Quakers understood the truth that John was teaching: You have Christ within you and His anointing abides/remains/stays/continues within you. One doesn’t need anyone to teach you, the Inward Light of Christ is within you to teach and transform you, if you will let it.   

“Christos” is the Greek word meaning anointed, (the) Anointed One, (the) messiah in English. English “messiah" derives from the Greek “messias” which was borrowed from the  Hebrew: māšīah. 

Verse 28

Henry suggests what would be perhaps a more accurate translation of verse 28: 

“And now, dear children, remain in Him that if ever He is manifested/shows/appears Himself, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him and at His presence (Gk: Parousia). 

This word “parousia” is frequently mistranslated as “coming”, when it is much more accurately translated as “presence”. Thus, “presence” lends a much different sense to the sentence, (understood by early Christians, and again by the earliest Quakers) that the “parousia” of Christ is a spiritual presence in the present with the believer, not a coming at some time in the future. Live in His presence and light, and do not shrink from his presence in your life. There is a sweetness in His presence of which we need not be ashamed. 

At the first intimation of His presence in our lives, He will bring illumination to the things in our lives that need to be changed. However, as we abide in His continuing presence, the initial judgement (if we follow it and let Him work in our lives, and listen to and obey it),  will increasingly become more of a comfort to the follower of Jesus as he proceeds on the path to God the Father.  

The quote in our introduction is from Chapter One of George Fox's Journal.