Even before he was saved the Ethiopian eunuch realized something that we, as believers, often forget. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate interpreter of Scripture. He told Phillip that he needed someone to explain the Word to Him. Although Phillip did explain the text from Isaiah to Him. Ultimately, it was the Holy Spirit that guided Him into truth.
God uses great Bible teachers to help us understand truth. I have no doubt about that. But I don’t believe, as believers, we need a Bible teacher to explain the Bible to us. (Remember, the eunuch wasn’t a believer when Phillip explained the text to Him.) The Holy Spirit is our greatest resource when we study Scripture. One of the things that has opened up East Asia to great church planting movements right now is in the house church movement there is less of a dependent on Bible experts and more dependent on the Holy Spirit to lead believers in the discovery of truth. You see most of the pastors in the region haven’t had theological training. They just use simple Bible study rules. Scripture is read and then everyone is challenged to apply the truth to their lives. You don’t need a doctorate to do that. Then when it’s time to start a new church, these house congregations don’t have to wait until someone goes to seminary to start the church. It’s made the church grow much faster.
Never underestimate the interpretive power of the Holy Spirit.
