They went out from us, but they didn't belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.

 (i) It may be that the anointing means the coming of the Spirit upon the Christian in baptism. In the early Church that happened in the most visible way ( Acts 8:17). If in this passage we were to substitute the Holy Spirit for anointing we would get excellent sense. 