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The above depicts the thinking and attitude of some who purport to know what the Scriptures teach on Bible subjects, but who nevertheless have no idea and refuse to listen to anyone. When we hear such remarks, we are essentially being told "I'm inspired and you're not so you should be listening to me." This tells me this person is not teachable.
The Bible is the one and only revelation from God to man. In writing to Jude Paul wrote to "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3). He also wrote that those who would preach any other gospel would be accursed (Gal. 1:8, 9). The message we get from such passages is that we need not look to any other source for revelation or authority.
Is it true that the Bible is all one needs when seeking truth from God? While answering "yes" to that question sounds sensible that response is not supported by Scripture, and those who assert such not only demonstrate a bad attitude but display their ignorance on the matter. Consider this example: An Ethiopian eunuch was studying Isaiah. The evangelist Philip approached him and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" to which the eunuch replied, "How can I except some man should guide me?" (Acts 8). Philip then explained to the eunuch the passage he was studying.
Let's compare this to someone trying to understand a difficult passage today. Are there not men available to help, whether in the form of commentaries, tracts, books, audios, videos or actual in-person conversation? And do not men of God have the duty both to teach the lost and to edify the brethren? Paul commanded Timothy to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2). And does this not imply that Christians - people who have been baptized and received the "gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38) - are to listen when the preacher does his job? The Hebrews writer speaks of brethren who, for whatever reason, did not listen and learn. He wrote, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat" (Heb. 5:12). Now, if receiving the Holy Spirit when baptized assures that each will be inspired to know the Scriptures, why the need for the above teaching?
Paul wrote to Timothy: "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). So, we have Paul teaching Timothy and Timothy being told to teach others - "faithful men." Evidently, God does not expect faithful men to somehow be inspired and not need the help of a teacher who uses various means and methods to teach.
Some Misunderstood Passages:
John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
Albert Barnes:
Shall teach you all things - All things which it was needful for them to understand in the apostolic office, and particularly those things which they were not prepared then to hear or could not then understand. (See John 16:12.) Compare the notes at Matt. 10:19-20. This was a full promise that they would be inspired, and that in organizing the church, and in recording the truths necessary for its edification, they would be under the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Adam Clark:
And bring all things to your remembrance - Here Christ promises them that inspiration of the Holy Spirit which enabled them not only to give a true history of his life and death, but also gave them the most perfect recollection of all the words which he had spoken to them, so that they have been able to transmit to posterity the identical words which Jesus uttered in his sermons, and in his different discourses with them, the Jews, and others.
1 John 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
John GIL:
and ye need not that any man teach you; - not that they were perfect in knowledge, for no man is absolutely, only comparatively so, in this life; or that they needed not, and were above and exempt from the instructions of Christ's faithful servants; for John himself taught them, and to teach and instruct them was the end of his writing this epistle to them; but the sense is either that they needed not the teachings of these men before mentioned, the antichrists, liars, and seducers, being better taught, and having an unction by which they knew all things; or they needed not to be taught as if they were babes in Christ, as unskillful in the word of righteousness, but so as to increase in spiritual knowledge, and go on to perfection, and be established in the present truths, at least so as to be put in remembrance of them; or rather they needed not, nor were they to regard any mere human revelation and doctrine, for the whole Gospel was come by Jesus Christ, and no other is to be expected or received by men, nor any doctrine but what is according to the revelation of Christ; wherefore saints under the Gospel dispensation are taught of God by his Spirit, according to the word of truth, and by the ministry of it, and have no need of learning every man from his neighbour, or from his brother, any separate revelation; so that this passage does not militate against the external ministry of the Gospel, or human teachings according to that perfect rule and declaration of the whole mind and will of God by Christ under the Gospel dispensation:
1 Cor. 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Indeed, the Holy Spirit teaches us today, but He teaches us as we read, understand, and learn. We learn by example from the command to Timothy to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Before we can "rightly divide" the Scriptures we must have some concept of how to go about ascertaining the meaning of passages to be able to grasp the gist of doctrinal issues. This involves what is called hermeneutics. The following link is a study on hermeneutics:
https://www.totalhealth.bz/marriage-divorce-remarriage-hermeneutics.htm
Conclusion:
To the church at Thessalonica Paul wrote, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle" (2 Thes. 2:15). This passage not only informs us that receiving teaching from others is required but also that there are various means by which one can learn. Therefore, the idea that all one needs is the Bible is seen to be in conflict with what the Bible teaches. We need one another. The idea that there are people today who are inspired or who are mysteriously instilled with truth resulting in no need for help from the writing or vocal teaching of others is simply not a scriptural concept.
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