1 John 2:20 Meaning and Explanation
“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →When persuasive religious claims create confusion, confidence does not come from following every new voice. John directs his readers back to the gift they have received from the Holy One, a divine anointing that keeps them grounded in the truth about Jesus Christ.
John assures his readers that they have received an anointing from the Holy One, enabling them to recognize the truth relevant to the false teaching confronting them.
The Context of 1 John 2:20
After warning that it is the last time, John says that many antichrists have appeared. He explains that some had gone out from the community, making plain that they did not truly continue with it. Verse 20 begins with but, setting the readers apart from those who departed. John immediately clarifies in verse 21 that he writes because his readers know the truth and know that no lie belongs to it. Verses 22-23 identify the decisive lie as denying that Jesus is the Christ and denying the Father and the Son. Verse 27 returns to the abiding anointing and its teaching.
What Does 1 John 2:20 Mean?
An unction is an anointing. John says it comes from the Holy One, so its source is God rather than a human teacher or a private spiritual achievement. In this immediate setting, the phrase ye know all things should be read with the next verse, where John says that his readers know the truth. He is not claiming that every believer possesses complete knowledge of every subject. He is assuring them that they have been equipped to recognize the truth at issue, especially the truth about the Father, the Son, and Jesus as the Christ. This gift gives them reason to remain steady when deceivers speak confidently.
The contrast with verse 19 is important. Some left the fellowship and denied the central confession John protects. The readers are not asked to trust merely in their own intelligence or in the force of a majority. They have received an anointing from the Holy One, and John still writes to instruct, warn, and call them to abide in what they heard from the beginning. Verse 27 also speaks of the anointing's teaching, yet the chapter itself shows that this divine help works alongside faithful apostolic testimony. The anointing guards the community from lies by fastening them to the truth God has given about his Son.
The chapter's confession is explicitly Christ-centered. John identifies the lie as denying that Jesus is the Christ, and he says that acknowledging the Son is inseparable from having the Father. The anointing therefore does not invite vague spirituality or independence from Jesus. It leads believers to remain in him and in the Father. The New Testament also connects anointing with God's giving of the Spirit, who bears witness to Christ and guides God's people in truth. Here the immediate fruit is discernment: a settled recognition that the true message of the Son cannot be exchanged for a teaching that denies him.
1 John 2:20 in the Original Language
chrisma (χρίσμα), 'unction' -- an anointing. In this passage, it is a gift received from the Holy One that teaches believers the truth and helps them remain in it.
Bible Verses Related to 1 John 2:20
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
- John 14:26
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
- John 16:13-15
“Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
- 1 John 2:27
Where 1 John 2:20 Echoes in Scripture
1 John 2:27 is the strongest echo because it returns directly to the anointing received from God. There John says that the anointing abides in the readers, teaches concerning all things, is true, and calls them to abide in Christ. Verse 20 is therefore an assurance within a larger pastoral warning. The anointing's teaching is tied to the truth John has been defending, rather than to limitless private knowledge or freedom from every form of instruction.
How to Apply 1 John 2:20 Today
When we encounter a compelling teacher, message, or spiritual claim, this verse encourages patient discernment. We can return to the central confession preserved in the chapter: Jesus is the Christ, the Son, and the one through whom we know the Father. We can test teaching by whether it remains faithful to that confession and whether it accords with the word received from the beginning. Humility belongs in this work. We need God's help, the scriptural witness, prayer, and the wisdom of faithful believers. Confidence in God's anointing can free us from panic without making us careless.
Reflection & Prayer
Where might confusion or a confident voice be pressing us to loosen our hold on the truth about Jesus? Ask God for clear sight, a teachable heart, and endurance in what is true. Pray: Holy One, keep us near your Son, help us discern falsehood, and establish us in the truth you have given.