I’m really not much of a cream guy. Cream, not like “in my coffee”, but cream like “on my skin”. Sure I’ll SPF 40 out of necessity, ’cause I’m not much of a sunburn guy either. And sometimes, when the skin gets really dry, I’ll slap on some moisturizing cream, or, when the feet take a bit of beating and start cracking up (literally), I’ll rub cream into them. But, on a daily basis, I’m not creaming myself. And even when I do cream me, I wanna use creams that don’t feel or smell like creams. Nothing oily. Nothing flowery. Like I said, I’m not much of a cream guy.

So, why am I thinking about being creamed this morning? Because, according to John, I am!

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. . . . But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything–and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you–abide in Him.

(1John 2:20, 27 ESV)

Here’s the context: John is talking to believers about the many antichrists which have come. And they’ve come out from their midst. Though they were once associated with the body of Christ, John says they were never really part of it, for if they were, they would have continued with the body of Christ. But they are antichrists. They are anti-Christ. They deny the Son, and thus, they deny the Father. They are liars. They don’t know the truth (1John 2:18-19, 22-23).

But such is not the case with true believers, says John. They know the truth. Because they’ve been creamed.

In my circles, we don’t use the word “anointed” very much when talking about ourselves. And in those circles where I think the word is used more, it’s usually in the context of some special endowment. As in, “His preaching is anointed”, . . . or, “How powerful is her ministry–she has an anointing on her.” But, if I’m reading John correctly, all believers can confidently state, “I am anointed.”

Interesting word, “anoint.” It literally means “to smear something on.” So, we believers have been smeared. Or, as I’m thinking, we’ve been creamed. Creamed by the Holy One, the ascended Christ, who said He would send “another Helper”, to be abide with His followers, “even the Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:16,17). Creamed with the active Agent of truth, so that we might know the truth. Creamed with the third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit is our anointing. This anointing abides in us. This anointing rests on us. And this anointing makes known to us the truth.

And it’s not that only special believers have an anointing, but that all believers have a special anointing. We’ve all been creamed.

The Holy Spirit has been poured out into our lives. His mission, to make Christ known to us. To enable us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior and, by that knowledge, conform us to the image of God’s blessed Son. Transforming us, through the renewal of minds creamed with truth, to be more and more like Jesus.

Too often, I think we simply think of the Spirit as some “force” within us. What’s more, too often we settle for it being a dormant force. But that is so far from how the Holy Spirit wants to operate.

First, He’s not an “it” . . . He’s a “He”. Second, this “He” is God Himself. And third, He has come that we might interact with Him on a continual basis. Not as some sort of force-field we walk in the midst of, but as the “person” of “personal relationship” with God; as the “in you” of “Christ in you.” He is what empowers this Christian walk as He leads us into all truth.

Oh, that we might become more adept at recognizing His presence and hearing His voice. That we might know the power of this anointing we have.

So, let’s acknowledge that we’ve been creamed. Let’s celebrate that we’ve been creamed.

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

(2Corinthians 2:21-22 ESV)

By His grace. For His glory.