In Acts 8:26-40 we read of an Ethiopian eunuch, who on his way back to Ethiopia was found reading from the scriptures, the prophet Isaiah, but who apparently did not understand what he was reading, so the Lord sent Philip to him saying, “Do you understand what you are reading?” the eunuchs reply was,
“How can I, except some man should guide me (teach me to understand)?” Acts 8:31
The prophet Isaiah states clearly “all thy children shall be taught of the LORD.” The Apostle John elaborates on this concept of Jehovah as teacher in 1 John 2:27: “But the anointing which ye have received of him abides in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: But as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye should abide in him.”
The method of God’s teaching is further brought out by the same Apostle John in his Gospel, Chapter 16, Verse 13: “Howbeit when he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.”
If God is to be the Christian’s teacher, and the Holy Spirit the medium by which he teaches, what need is there of man in the teaching process? Does God directly teach the Christian, but not the Ethiopian? Why does the Ethiopian eunuch in our text claim that he cannot understand the Scriptures, “except some man shall guide me?”
The Apostle Paul complicates the matter further in the Tenth Chapter of Romans: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call upon him on whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!”
The seeming conflict between these two sets of Scriptures is simple. Either God teaches directly or he teaches through men. Both views can seemingly be supported by Scripture. One solution, which presents itself, is that God taught Israel through the medium of chosen men but teaches the Church directly through the Holy Spirit. However, the Apostle Paul does not permit this easy explanation.
“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore, he saith When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men… and he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:8, 11-16
If God taught the Christian directly why did he give us Apostles? Why prophets? Why evangelists? Why pastors and teachers?
The answer is easy, because we needed them.
Why? “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”
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