This study on anointing oil was originally published on September 17, 2005. I wrote these lines days after undergoing open-abdominal gastroplasty, at a time of extreme physical frailty. It was in this state of temporary disability that my concern for the permanently disabled and the manipulation of faith intensified.
While researching the Scriptures, I came across revelations about the modern custom of using anointing oil for everything: from healings to exorcisms.
Could it be that we, contemporary Christians, are creating a kind of "evangelical holy water"?
Would we be placing our faith in an object, instead of focusing it on the One who works miracles exclusively through His grace?
Before proceeding, it is essential to consult the study conducted by Walter Andrade Campelo with due propriety and biblical basis.
The Anointing of Sanctification under the Law
After reading many books on so-called "spiritual warfare," I was even beginning to believe in the oil, especially in light of texts such as Exodus 30:22–33 e Exodus 40:1–16, in which we can see the establishment of the tabernacle and the holy anointing oil intended to sanctify objects and priests.
Thus you shall sanctify these things,
so that they may be most holy;
Everything that touches it will be holy.
You shall also anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to minister to me as priests.
Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it;
and you shall consecrate it and all its possessions, and it shall be holy.
You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils;
and he shall consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy.
Then you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
You shall also bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting;
and wash them with water.
And you shall clothe Aaron with the holy garments, and anoint him, and consecrate him, that he may minister to me as priest.
You shall also bring his sons and clothe them with robes, and anoint them as you anointed their father.,
so that they may administer the priesthood to me,
And their anointing will be for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.
This methodology was correct… ACCORDING TO THE LAW!
The big problem is that WE CANNOT IGNORE THE BIBLE CHRONOLOGY, Because if we act in this way, we will be placing the rituals of sanctification through objects in direct conflict with the New Covenant!
Hebrews 10: The End of the Shadows and the Sufficiency of Christ
For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things,
never, through the same sacrifices that are continually offered each year,
It can perfect those who come to it.
Otherwise, they would have stopped offering themselves.,
For, once the ministers were purified, they would no longer have consciousness of sin.
In these sacrifices, however, each year there is a commemoration of sins.,
because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Therefore, upon entering the world, he says:
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;
Burnt offerings and sin offerings did not please you.
Then he said:
Behold, I have come (in the beginning of the book it is written of me), to do, O God, your will.
As stated above:
Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them.
(who offer themselves according to the law).
Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will, O God.”.
Remove the first one to establish the second.
By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ,
DONE ONCE.
And so every priest appears each day,
ministering and offering many times the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
He is seated at the right hand of God, from now on waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.
For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this; for after saying:
This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds;
adds:
And I will never remember their sins and their iniquities.
Now, where there is forgiveness of these sins, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering;
For he who promised is faithful.
The text above is a game-changer!
He teaches us that the Law was only a shadow of the good things to come, not the exact image of the things themselves: if the anointing oil could definitively sanctify, the sacrifice of Christ would simply be unnecessary!
According to the Scriptures, we can conclude that:
- The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was made only ONLY ONCE And it is fully effective.
- Jesus Christ is the High Priest who sanctifies us, thus perfecting the laws that were to be followed in the Old Testament.
To rely on anointing oil to sanctify something today is to deny the efficacy of Christ's finished work.
It is the Lord who sanctifies us, and this is linked to the "legacy" of the Holy Spirit, see:
And on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying:
If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.
And this he said concerning the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive;
Because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
The Holy Spirit: Indwelling vs. Temporary Anointing
In John 7:37–39, Jesus makes it clear that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, because He had not yet been glorified… and that simply CHANGES EVERYTHING!
Not even Moses, who knew the Lord face to face (Exodus 33:11; Numbers 12:7–8; Deuteronomy 34:10) had a permanent dwelling experience as described in Romans 8:26–27!
This discovery allows me to speculate that this is the best explanation for the use of blood on doorposts (in Exodus 12), because such a signal was necessary to recognize who would be saved and who would not… after all, NO ONE THERE HAD THE HOLY SPIRIT!
In the Old Testament, the experience with the Spirit was momentary or linked to a specific task, often mediated by anointing with oil. Here are a few examples among many:
- Bezalel (chosen by God) —Exodus 31:2–3; Exodus 35:31.
- Eldad and Medad (moment) —Numbers 11:26. The fact that most people do not have the Spirit of God is confirmed in Numbers 11:29.
- Joshua (anointed by the laying on of hands) —Deuteronomy 34:9.
- Otniel (moment) —Judges 3:9–11.
- Samson (various moments) —Judges 13:25; Judges 14:6; Judges 14:19 e Judges 15:14.
- Saul (anointed) —1º Samuel 10:1–7; 1º Samuel 11:6.Even though he was anointed, he did so many wrong things that the Spirit of the Lord finally departed from him.1º Samuel 16:14).
- David (anointed) —1º Samuel 16:13; II Samuel 2:4.
I could make an even longer list than this, with more Old Testament characters who may have had a "taste" of the presence of the Spirit of the Lord, but I suggest you read Walter Andrade Campelo's study to understand exactly who the anointed people were at that time, as well as the functions of the oil.
It is important to note that, even in these examples, the same Spirit was generating quite diverse abilities: if these men, simply by "encountering" the Spirit, caused incredible events to happen, imagine what those in whom the Spirit dwells can now do?
Yes! Don't be afraid or mistaken:
DWELLING IS SOMETHING PERMANENT… it's living with Him at every moment!
This information is confirmed through the texts of John 14:15–17 and 26 (“… dwells with you, and will be in you”); 1ˢᵗ Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:22 e 2ⁿᵈ Timothy 1:14.
I believe that most readers who have come this far know very well what they must do to receive the Holy Spirit, but it doesn't hurt to mention it again. John 20:22; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:15–17; 1ˢᵗ Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 3:14… after all, these are proven methods to “earn” this “gift” left to us by Jesus Christ himself.
There are many people out there who think they are filled with the Holy Spirit, when in fact they are simply acting against the text of Colossians 2:8; forgetting Romans 8:4–11; 1ˢᵗ Thessalonians 4:2–8; 1ˢᵗ Timothy 4:1–2 e James 4:4–5; expecting and accepting everything that is described in 2ⁿᵈ Thessalonians 2:3–12…
These people don't even bother to apply. 1ˢᵗ John 4:1–3 nor do they attempt to observe the type of results of this spirit's action within what is foreseen in Galatians 5:19–23 And they certainly won't be pleased with the articles I've been presenting.
The Warning Against Merchants of Faith
Unfortunately, we see leaders acting exactly as predicted. 1ˢᵗ Timothy 6:3–5; 2ⁿᵈ Timothy 4:3–4 and fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah 56:8–12 e Ezekiel 34:1–10Merchants of faith, who use "blessed" objects—flowers, handkerchiefs, water, and the ubiquitous anointing oil—to attract crowds and profits. They forget that the only anointing the New Testament validates as transformative is that which comes directly from God to the heart of man.
The conclusion of this section is clear: the Holy Spirit is the anointing of the Christian.
I also recommend extreme caution with the laying on of hands (1ˢᵗ Timothy 5:22), NEVER ALLOWING anyone to lay hands on your head, especially those who have turned faith into a counter for mystical business.
Spirit vs. Matter: The Semantics of Anointing in the New Testament
In the New Testament, the word “unção” appears as a noun only in 1ˢᵗ John 2:20 e 1ˢᵗ John 2:27, And in both cases, it comes directly from God, without physical intermediaries.
When we observe the use of verb “"To anoint," it is necessary to separate what is purely aesthetic or cosmetic.
- Mary's action of anointing the feet of Jesus Christ in Mark 14:8, It was a funeral preparation, with a purely cosmetic and aromatic purpose.
- Jesus' instruction, however, in Matthew 6:17–18, It aims at the servant's discretion: anointing the head so that the fast is not flaunted to men.
Matthew 6 It speaks extensively about the discretion of a true servant in performing the work, so much so that it includes instruction on how we should give with our right hand in such a way that the left hand does not know (Matthew 6:3When fasting, we should not show any possible or real tiredness related to the activity, but rather anoint our heads so that it does not appear to others that we are fasting.Matthew 6:17–18)!
Both passages dispel the "heroic" image that many seek today when "selling" holiness.
The True Anointing and Material Exceptions
Going to Luke 4:18; Acts 4:26–27; Acts 10:38; 2ⁿᵈ Corinthians 1:21–22 e Hebrews 1:9, We can clearly see that the anointing once again came directly from God: no man anoints anything, and there are no references to any kind of real oil… or perhaps they manufactured “oil of joy” back then, and the recipe was lost over time?
It is clear, then, that the anointing to which the verses above refer is the action of the Holy Spirit!
This action, just as in the Old Testament, causes distinct results (as we can see in 1ˢᵗ Corinthians 12:4–12).
Oil as an Ordinance or Contextual Practice?
Only two texts remain that mention material anointing oil: Mark 6:12–13 e James 5:14–15. This is a very weak basis upon which to establish an immutable doctrine, especially when we ignore the medical context of the time. Reading the texts before analyzing them would be beneficial.
And they went out and preached that people should repent.
And they cast out demons, and anointed many sick people with oil, and healed them.
Is anyone among you sick?
Call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
To these two texts I would like to add four more:
Having said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and put the mud on the blind man's eyes.
And he said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).
So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
And many signs and wonders were being done among the people by the hands of the apostles.
And they were all together in Solomon's porch.
Of the others, however, no one dared to join them; but the people held them in high esteem.
And the number of those who believed in the Lord, both men and women, grew more and more.
So they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least the shadow of Peter might fall on some of them as he passed by.
And even from the surrounding towns, crowds came to Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits; and they were all healed.
And God performed extraordinary miracles through Paul.
So much so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Unlike baptism and communion…
Oil Was Not Left as Ordinance!
Therefore, it should not be treated as such!
In the book of Mark we have a sequence of actions that are independent of each other: preaching, casting out demons, anointing the sick with oil, and healing!
This leads us, at first glance, to rule out the expulsion of demons with the aid of oil… otherwise they would necessarily have to preach with oil, which wouldn't make any sense at all!
Logo:
Oil does not expel demons anywhere in the Bible!
Continuing, we are left with the final passage, where they "anointed the sick" and "healed them," a key passage from the book of James, where we cannot ignore what is being stated so as not to leave any doubt: A prayer of faith will save the sick person.!
The Medicinal Context: From Paul's Wine to Fig Paste
This prompts us to reflect on the applications that were given to oil at that time, knowing that this liquid was widely used for various purposes.
Currently we have compounding pharmacies, but every active chemical product (medicine) needs a neutral "medium". The current level of scientific development makes available several neutral substances: creams, gels, water... the active ingredients are infused into these materials.
It is remarkable how most medicines have improved: there is no longer any need to make fig paste (Isaiah 38:21...much less is wine taken for stomach problems, as Paul recommended in 1ˢᵗ Timothy 5:23!
Who would be crazy enough to rub oil and wine on a wound, as described in Isaiah 1:6 or Luke 10:34?
And to think Lucas was a doctor…
Throughout history, humankind has learned to extract and separate the essential chemical substances from each product, discarding the unnecessary parts and using only the so-called "active ingredients," thus producing more effective medicines specifically targeted to the ailment being combated.
The Sovereignty of God in Healing and Suffering
Let's return now to the remaining particle —Mark 6:13— and let's look at each of the terms separately:
First, the phrase "they healed them": did God ever rely on any specific method to heal someone?
Does the creator of heaven and earth need us to signal with oil before he acts?
I firmly believe not… and I cite the other examples above to prove that God's sovereign grace works through the most unexpected and improbable means!
Just imagine: spit mixed with dirt curing blindness? Shadows and cloths healing and expelling demons?!
Note that the objects mentioned above were never, let's say, "spiritually prepared": I can't imagine Peter stretching out his hands toward his shadow and praying that it would heal those it passed over, much less Paul blessing his personal belongings!
Only the marvelous grace of God could accomplish such impossibilities!
So Jesus acted in one swift motion: he bent down, made the mud, put it on the blind man's eye and... that was it!!!
After all, He is God and, except for some restrictions that He Himself imposed…
God does what He wants, when He wants, and how He wants!!!
That being said, let's turn our attention to the "oil worshippers," people who see it as a sacred object capable of, by itself, performing miracles and expelling demons…
How many people have been "anointed" without ever seeing any results?
The cowardly part is that, afterwards, either the blame for the failure falls on the sick person's "lack of faith" or, even worse, the person discovers they were deceived and loses faith in God because of these superstitious amulet worshippers…
I believe that the cures, both the one mentioned in Mark 6:13 as for James 5:14, they are completely independent of anointing with oil, but direct result of divine action!
The oil would merely be the medicinal part to be administered.
Even today we can find people who take the medications that are proven to be correct for their illnesses and still... they are not curedI have personal testimony that regulated and prescription medications They caused me deafness.!!
Therefore, we can conclude from all of this that:
- Often, the right medicine doesn't cure the problem.
- Many times prayer does not heal.
And these occurrences are perfectly consistent with what Paul wrote in 2ⁿᵈ Corinthians 12:7–10, For no one knows God's intentions and motives, just as no man is fit to judge Him!
Not everything that seems bad to us is outside of God's will, as evidenced by the example of Job!
We should learn from Romans 8:28 And I'm not saying this is easy... but that's what the true and only word of God tells us.
The Power of God is not a Magic Formula.
Finally we can state that:
Oil can be used to heal just as much as spit, mud, scraps of cloth, a shadow… or none of that! The Lord uses what He wants, at the time that suits Him and in the way that suits Him: the power of God cannot be manipulated or activated through the many models of witchcraft or “magic formulas” presented — usually for a fee — by many contemporary ecclesiastical enterprises!!
God doesn't usually repeat himself:
- He did not turn Moses' staff into a snake twice.,
- He did not part the Red Sea twice.,
- He didn't bring down the walls of Jericho twice…
He can do all this again whenever he wants, but he doesn't precisely so that man doesn't believe there's a specific method beyond faith and knowledge of the word... especially when the subject is the manifold grace of God.
It is up to us to be sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit.
Beware of the Signs and Wonders of the End Times
My final appeal is for you to remain attentive to the prophecies about the end times described in Matthew 24:23–24; 2ⁿᵈ Thessalonians 2:9–10; 2ⁿᵈ Corinthians 11:14–15 e Revelation 13:3–4, 12–14.
These passages clearly show that those who will be performing signs and wonders in the end times are not exactly the servants of the Lord…
Beware of modern miracles!
Or do you think we're not already living in the last days?
Be very careful with "Christian Literature".“
My quest for sanctification began in a rather ordinary way: I read books on "spiritual warfare" in early 2004.
I do not deny that such works led me to consider the spiritual world more seriously, but God used this momentum to lead me to a much deeper level of study of the Bible itself.
Through this I have learned the truth of God, which is far more shocking than any work whose MAIN OBJECTIVE is to profit from alarms about satanic actions in our day.
In addition to giving demons "superpowers," these authors also teach doctrines that are completely contrary to the biblical text!
Let's look, for example, at what Rebecca Brown We recommend it under the title:
REMAINING UNWAVERING AGAINST DEMONIC OPPRESSION
Here are some things you can do to remain steadfast in the midst of the storm. We, as Christians, must remember that it is our responsibility to help these people bear their burdens!
1. Anoint your house
The Lord taught me this principle early in our ministry. Elaine and I endured, for months, endless oppression from both demons and human spirits in astral projection. At night, as soon as we fell asleep, we were dragged from our beds and thrown to the floor by invisible spirits. Objects appeared and disappeared from my house. Furniture and other objects were hurled into the air by invisible forces, and so on. Exhausted, one night I cried out to the Lord in despair. “Father, please, what can we do? It seems like my house is wide open to any evil spirit that wants to enter. You know how these spirits are bothering us. I can't take it anymore!”
At this point the Holy Spirit filled my mind with the narrative of the Passover lamb in Exodus, chapter 12. Then he said, “Since the death of Jesus, there are no more blood sacrifices. So, what would you say is the equivalent of blood today?”
“"The oil?" I asked.
“"That's correct.".
Then the Lord also reminded me of the passage in Exodus chapter 40, where he had instructed Moses to use the anointing oil:
“"Then you shall take the anointing oil and consume the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it shall be holy."”
(Exodus 40:9)
While I was meditating on these words, the Lord showed me that I should take oil and anoint my house, and sanctify it to Him. So I took the oil I had on hand (cooking oil) and put some on the frames of all the doors, on the doors themselves, and on each window, on the fireplace, and on all the other openings that gave access to the house. Having done this, I asked the Lord to make my home holy to Him, and to seal it with a shield of His precious blood.
So, leaving the doors open, I went back inside the house, stood in the middle, and asked the Lord to cleanse it and drive out all human spirits. Then I commanded all demonic spirits, in the name of Jesus Christ, to leave my house forever. The change was immediate and dramatic. My house was sealed, and no human or demonic spirit could enter from that moment on. (Note: I asked the Lord to drive the human spirits out of my house because we do not have the same authority over human spirits as we do over demonic spirits).
Rebecca Brown – “Prepare for War”, p. 68 (Danprewan Publishing)
It is only Jesus Christ who sanctifies things through his anointing: the true Holy Spirit, ...that dwells in those who truly believe... never that charlatan who induced Rebecca to reinstate abolished Old Testament practices.
This doctrine only serves to enslave people under an Old Law custom... and create obsessive disorders!
It's really difficult to recognize and break free from oppressive modern Re-Judaizing influence: I myself, after reading that passage, remained believing in that nonsense until shortly before the operation in 2005!
Looking back at these words today, I see that this author never trusted in Christ's sacrifice on the cross and in the power we inherit from Him when we accept Him as Lord and Savior of our lives.
Analyzing his attitudes, his ignorance about [the subject] becomes evident. Hebrews 10:1–23No symbols, no amulets… only the sanctification obtained through Christ!
Both this author and the many others who blatantly copy her style make use of many "rituals" that, in reality, end up being equivalent to some occult actions!
A genuine Christian should reject manipulative emotionalism and subject all the lessons learned in these books to a complete reevaluation.
Daniel Mastral and the "Spiritual Insulator" Joke“
Daniel MastralAnother author who fascinated me and to whom I made a brief positive reference, also encourages the use of anointing oil.
He states in his books that Satanists fear the oil (if made exactly as Deuteronomy 30:22–25) because it acts as a kind of "insulator" for the power that flows through its "portals"...
Today I recognize that this thesis seems like a "joke" orchestrated by Satanists so that he would believe it and spread it in evangelical circles: they must laugh their heads off seeing believers applying "anointing oil" to everything.
In fact, I've long suspected that Mastral, after making a lot of money from his books, continued to laugh along with them.
Jesus Christ, besides the Lord's Supper and Baptism, commanded nothing else but faith, praise, and the study of the Scriptures!
The Bible does not encourage amulets, as they divert faith from its only focus: God.
The Spectacle of the Absurd: Helicopters and Planes of Anointing
There is no shortage of absurd stories within the evangelical community:
- People who rented a helicopter to anoint their city;
- Others rented a plane to anoint the entire country;
- Others still who were anoint the sambadrome (so that there would be a transformation in that place and it would become a place of worship to the Lord) in 2005: it's now 2026 and so far NOTHING has changed… in fact, It got worse.!!
Those who committed (and still commit) this kind of stupidity are not just any "little brother": they are bishops, "apostles" and "apostles": if the Bible itself says that under no circumstances will it fail to be fulfilled, how can these... authorities and famous people To act in total disagreement with the word of God?
How can so many leaders act in total discordance with the Word, seeking fame and profit through profane fables?
Another Gospel and Paul's Warning
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we have already told you, so now I say it again.
If anyone is preaching to you a gospel other than the one you received, let them be under God’s curse!.
Beloved, the purpose of this study is the edification, not the destruction, of those who seek the truth through the one and perfect word of God.
The power of God cannot be manipulated by "magic formulas" sold by ecclesiastical businesses.
Thank you for reading this far, and I truly need any help you can offer: comments, shares, and reactions help spread this content, which was produced with the intention of contributing to the edification of the Body of Christ in the world.
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There was a time when I had the patience and willingness to try to talk about everything written above, and I'll leave you with a video on the subject, for anyone curious to know what I was like.
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