Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIVUK)
There are certain smells in life that remind us of specific times, seasons and family. One such is the comforting aroma of cinnamon. It is synonymous with Christmas, candles, cakes, pot pourri (cinnamon sticks) and hot drinks. Cinnamon has been used for centuries. The Lord said to Moses:
Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane, and 500 of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. Exodus 30:23-25 (ESV)
This highly perfumed oil was used to consecrate (set apart) the articles used in Temple worship, including the ark of the testimony, the holy tabernacle, and all its furnishings, which made them “holy” unto the Lord.
The anointing oil included cinnamon as one of its five ingredients. To be “anointed” is to be made sacred (consecrated); to be set apart and dedicated to serve God; to be endowed with enabling gifts and grace; to be divinely designated, inaugurated or chosen for a special purpose. The Greek word for ‘anoint’ is chrio from which the the title ‘Christ’ derives. Christ means ‘the Anointed One’. Therefore Christmas means ‘celebration (mass) of the Anointed One’. Martha said to Jesus:
I believe thou art the Christ, the Son of God. John 11:27 (KJV)
On another occasion Peter declared:
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Matthew 16:16 (ESV)
At Jesus’ interrogation by the Jews before His crucifixion, the high priest demanded:
…tell us if You are the Christ, the son of God. Matthew 26:63 (ESV)
At the beginning of His ministry on earth, Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath and read the Scripture for the day. Luke says:
And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:17-21 (NKJV)
He is the Anointed One but the Bible tells us further:
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIVUK)
John said that Christians…
…have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 1 John 2:20 (NIVUK)
It’s the divine enablement to fulfil a divine purpose. All believers are anointed by God. The question is not, “Are we anointed?” but, “Will we use the anointing the Lord has given us to fully live out our faith and give the highest honour and glory to God?”