Oh yes I do. and you are obviously fully capable of teaching so I am really looking forward to this. Theres so much confusion over how to read in context.
I'm surprised you don't understand context and it's importance in interpretations.
The first level of context is the surrounding verses.
Then we ask questions such as:
What is the issue the text is addressing?
Who is the text addressed to?
What else has the writer said on this issue?
Let's take those in reverse order regarding this issue - which is the Holy Spirit guiding us into truth.
What has John told us previously?
Back in his gospel John records Jesus addressing the apostles, the leaders of his Church at the Last Supper.
He has been teaching them for three years and he is soon to leave them. He makes them two promises.
Firstly about the
past – all he has taught them.
But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (Jn 14:26).
Secondly about the
future – to guide them in new situations
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (Jn 16:13)
And we can see how this guiding happened in Acts 1 (the choosing of Matthias as a successor to Judas), and in Acts 15 (the Council of Jerusalem)
Now we move to John’s letter, chapter 2.
Who is he addressing?
He is writing to Christians who he personally has catechised, taught them everything, taught them the truth. He addresses them as “my children” (vs 1) and “beloved” (vs 7). We can reasonably assume that like Jesus teaching the apostles, he has imparted to them all they need to know.
What issue is he addressing?
It seems they are in danger of being led astray by false teachers (vs 18&26)
Now with that in mind we need to start at verse 20
20.
But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all know.
Footnotes say some manuscripts say “you know everything” instead of
you all know.
They
know because John has
taught them.
21
I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it… [
because John has taught them].
24
Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you[
what they have already been taught].
If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father.
26
I write this to you about those who would deceive you [
John is concerned that they are being taught falsely].
Now vs 27 in this context:
27
but the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you [
because they have already been taught by John];
as his anointing teaches you about everything [
that they have been taught],
and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.
This is equivalent to the
first promise Jesus made to the apostles. The Holy Spirit would bring to mind all the true teaching they had
already received. That presupposes that they had already received true teaching.
But you have to get that true teaching first. You cannot generate it from your own resources. You cannot reach the truth by starting from scratch, but only by receiving it from those who have already been taught it and can pass it on. Then when you are presented with false teaching, the Holy Spirit will bring to mind the truth that
you have already been taught.
John makes no promises about the future as Jesus did to the apostles.
This where Martin Luther and the other reformers went wrong. They thought they could reject the teaching authority of the Church and start from scratch with just the Bible. And that is why Protestantism has fractured into thousands of denominations with many opposing doctrines.