If Scripture is so easily interpreted, why did the Lord make Phillip?

Question

hurry to catch up to the Ethiopian Eunuch that was trying to read it? Couldn't he have figured out what it said just like everybody thinks they can?

Well, why didn't Jesus just interpret it for him why did Jesus need Phillip huh? Sometimes Jesus uses other people to accomplish his work. This is what the CHURCH is all about. (For Whitehorse)

If God gaurantees you will be given Wisdom when you pray for it why do we have so many interpretations? They prayed?

Answer 1

That is a great example of why the Church holds the Apostolic Succession in such high regard. As a matter of fact...that is testimony to the essential nature of the doctrine.

Scripture, without the light of Holy Tradition and Holy Reason, interpreted by itself (sola) is the height of folly.

The Church gave us Holy Scripture, not the other way around.

Answer 2

Without the Holy Spirit, Scripture is not always easily interpreted. 1Corintians 2:11 says "no one knows the thoughts of God except the spirit of God." Now, the last thing I want to do is going around quoting out of context, so please read at least 1 Corintians 2:6-16 to get the whole picture (if you dont have a Bible handy, just google the reference, there are a lot of online Bible resoureces).

That passage isn't as much about understanding Scripture as it is about the testimony of God (verse 1), which is the death and resurrection of Jesus. But think about it, what is Scripture other than the testimony of God? If you ask me, it fits perfectly.

What it comes down to in my mind, is that God reaches people in different ways. Some people are blessed with intuitive understanding of Scripture - it's a spiritual gift to them (as long as other Christians don't blindly follow a person and are careful to check what they say). Other times, God uses Christians directly to reach other people - that's what being a witness is all about, and that's what Philip was doing for the Ethiopian.

ok, im not taking back what i said, but i want to add that i love oldguy63's answer. that makes a lot of sense . . .

Answer 3

The Eunuch is a man who supposedly had no choice as to his sexuality and surgically stopped being a man. They were shuned by every religous person because nobody could imagine God could be involved in such an extreme action, until Jesus influenced his deciples minds. After Jesus died the first recorded event of a deciple talking to a eunuch was Peter and its reported that the man embraced what Peter told him, and was blessed with the holy spirit, to the amazement of everyone. I believe that not everyone has the same capacity to understand anything. Like not everyone can teach about any subject, no matter how well they know it, and it doesn't matter if they have love in their heart or not. Yet we as a society refuse to accept this simple truth, not counting the complex truth your refering to? If its any consolation, I know the people whom we call gay, don't choose to be gay.

Answer 4

You are dealing with a different issue with Phillip. The Eunuch was reading from the Old Testament, in Isaiah, and the New Gospel had just come through Jesus Christ. The new teaching of the church was not revealed in the Old Testament, so Phillip was called by God to go and expain it to this man. What he needed to know could not be seen in the Old Testament. That is why the New was written.
Scripture is only easily understood if you follow three Bible principles in you study of it.
1.Ask God for wisdom - He guarantess to give it to you.
James 1:5 "But if any of you (N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and (O)it will be given to him.
2. Be willing to do what God shows you.
John 7: 17 "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.
3. Stay in the Bible - when you seek truth from human sorces you get deceived. John 8:31 "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "(AT)If you abide in My word, then you are truly (AU)disciples of Mine; 32and (AV)you will know the truth, and (AW)the truth will make you free."

Answer 5

First the Aramaic language was almost a 'Dead' language by that time. Second the Eunech had just prayed for a 'translator' . Third, since the man was devoutly seeking a right relationship with the Creator it was not a hard thing to do. Four, Philip had remained open to GOD's Will as he travelled along. Co- incidnce? Not!

Answer 6

It is Jesus who enables us to interpret Scripture.

44He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. (Lk 24)

Answer 7

Who says that it is easy to interpret? It is a loving provision from God that we have God fearing people with knowledge to share. In fact the bible invites us to search for the knowledge of God as if for a hidden treasure, as for silver. Proverbs 2:4,
4 if you keep seeking for it as for silver, and as for hid treasures you keep searching for it, 5 in that case you will understand the fear of Jehovah, and you will find the very knowledge of God.
As indicated above it takes effort to understand, it doesn't just fly into your brain automatically. It takes effort, research and much personal study. There is a lot of information which is written over a time period and understanding what was going on in that time period and why, is vital to our understanding. Who was being referred to in that particular topic is important, as well as what it was going to accomplish. Understanding prophecy including when the prophecy was given, when it actually took place, how long after it was given did it occur and so forth, add to our understanding and builds our faith that this is in fact the word of God. What God's requirements are, how HE feels about things is vital to our understanding and our ability to act in a way that is pleasing to him as a true christian. How he dealt with the early christians gives us this detail. Example; In Babylon false worship was prevalent, idolatry, other Gods, things that were not pleasing to him. Its end was destruction. Sodom and Ghommorh had the same fate, Jude 7:5-7,
5 I desire to remind YOU, despite YOUR knowing all things once for all time, that Jehovah, although he saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those not showing faith. 6 And the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place he has reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgment of the great day. 7 So too Sod′om and Go·mor′rah and the cities about them, after they in the same manner as the foregoing ones had committed fornication excessively and gone out after flesh for unnatural use, are placed before [us] as a [warning] example by undergoing the judicial punishment of everlasting fire.
So the inportance of this imformation that we truly have to dig for can not be overstated, it means our very life. What worth having does not take some effort?
“Jehovah is guarding all those loving him, but all the wicked ones he will annihilate.”
(Ps. 145:20) That is not fancy. That is a fact. Those who say such is cruelty ignore the fact of untold cruelty and misery that wicked people bring upon humankind. They also ignore God’s cleaning away of wickedness in the Flood and in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Ignored too is the guarantee that he will bring a similar destruction at the battle of Armageddon. At that time those who choose to ignore the facts will not survive—no more so than those who ignored the facts survived at the time of the Flood and at the time of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction.—Jude 7; 2 Pet. 3:5-7; Rev. 16:14-16.

Here is an addition to explain the Eunuch better:

4 Since the Ethiopian “had gone to Jerusalem to worship,” he was a circumcised Jewish proselyte. He was a “eunuch” but not in a fleshly sense, for sexually mutilated men were excluded from the Israelite congregation. (Deuteronomy 23:1) In his case, “eunuch” denoted an officer, for he was ‘a man in power under Queen Candace of the Ethiopians and was over all her treasure.’—Acts 8:27.

5 The Ethiopian was a man of the nations. Since he had been converted to the Jewish religion, however, he could be baptized as a disciple of Christ before the Kingdom message went to uncircumcised Gentiles like Cornelius in 36 C.E. As a Jewish proselyte, the Ethiopian knew about God and His Word, though he needed spiritual help. So Philip was directed to preach to this man and could baptize him before the good news went to Gentiles.
True Teachings That Please God
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2005/7/15/article_02.htm
Why Care About Spiritual Things?
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040201/article_01.htm

Answer 8

No reason to consider Phillip.Stick with the scripture.