Gospel doctrine is vital. It must be preached and taught with clarity and distinctiveness. Many boast of their dislike of doctrine and appear to be utterly ignorant of it. God's people rejoice in the truth. Those who are ignorant of gospel doctrine are ignorant of Christ. They have no saving faith in him. An unknown God cannot be trusted. And the only way anyone can know and trust Christ is if they are taught his doctrine (Rom. 10:13-17).

As gospel doctrine is essential to the saving of sinners, so too it is essential for the edification and comfort of God's saints (Eph. 4:11-16). It is by faithful instruction in the doctrine of Christ that God's elect are built up and established in the faith.

Every true gospel preacher is a doctrinal preacher. The man who does not preach the doctrine of Christ does not preach Christ. Christ and his doctrine cannot be separated. The man who does not preach the doctrine of the gospel does not preach the gospel. The two cannot be separated. Any preacher who does not expound the doctrine of Christ to his hearers is like a lamp without a light bulb - He may be nice to look at, but he is utterly useless!

Yet, doctrine must have a personal application. Dead, dry, impersonal, unapplied doctrine is as useless as the words of those who preach nothing but the morals of vain philosophy. In the passage before us, Luke gives us five glorious, gospel doctrines by illustration. After the revival at Samaria broke out, the angel of the Lord directed Philip to go "toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza." There he met an Ethiopian eunuch returning from Jerusalem. After preaching the gospel to him the eunuch declared his faith in Christ and Philip baptized him.

The first thing illustrated in this passage is THE WISDOM, GOODNESS, AND PERFECTION OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE (vv. 26-28). Providence is God's sovereign rule of the world, his gracious accomplishment of his eternal purpose of grace for the good of his elect and the glory of his name (Rom. 8:28). God's providence is always mysterious, undiscernible and unexplainable by man's wisdom. But it is always wise and good. All things are perfectly arranged by God, according to his schedule. By God's arrangement, everything in the universe is connected and all the connections are on time. With God, nothing is late and nothing is early. This is beautifully illustrated here.

There were two roads going down to Gaza from Jerusalem. One was commonly travelled. The other was seldom travelled, because it was a lonely, deserted road, going through the desert mountains. The angel of the Lord told Philip to take that road. "And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia," a man chosen of God came riding by! He had been in Jerusalem worshipping God. He was a Jewish proselyte, walking in the light God had given him, but lost. He came away from Jerusalem as empty as he had gone there. While at Jerusalem, no doubt, he had heard much about Jesus of Nazareth and the great stir caused by his followers. He may have been warned by the sanhedrin to stay away from the apostles. But the time of love and grace had come for him (Ezek. 16:8). He must now be saved. So God sent Philip to meet him. At the time appointed by God, he brought Philip and the eunuch together.

Secondly, this passage demonstrates the fact thatGOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSE OF GRACE IN SOVEREIGN ELECTION MUST AND SHALL BE FULFILLED. Before the world began God chose a people for himself, whom he determined to save. Everyone of those elect sinners will, in God's time and by God's power, be brought to Christ in saving faith (Psa. 65:4; 110:3; Eph. 1:4; II Thess. 2:13). God passed by the scribes and pharisees, the natural descendants of Abraham, and called a despised black man, an Ethiopian eunuch (Psa. 68:31; Isa. 56:4-5). Grace always works the same way (I Cor. 1:26-31).

Thirdly, the Spirit of God sets before us a picture of TRUE EVANGELISM IN PRACTICE (vv. 29-35). True evangelism arises from a firm faith in the efficacy of God's election, Christ's atonement, and the Spirit's call (Acts 18:9-11). It is a work performed by the direction of God the Holy Spirit. Three things always characterize true evangelism:

1. A GOD SENT PREACHER - Philip was the man chosen of God to be the messenger of grace to the Ethiopian eunuch. He was sent of God on an errand of mercy (Rom. 10:15). The man God chose to use was a man full of the Holy Spirit, of blameless character, and committed to the gospel of Christ (Acts 6:3, 5; I Tim. 3:1-7). He was a man willing to serve God and his church in any capacity. Philip was willing to serve as a deacon. He was willing to go to Samaria and preach there. And he was wiling to walk for miles to preach the gospel to one Ethiopian. He wanted only to serve the cause of Christ. It mattered not to him where or how God used him. He just wanted to be used of God.

2. A GOD ORDAINED MESSAGE - Every man sent of God to preach to anyone is sent with the message Philip carried to the eunuch. Philip preached Christ to him (v. 35). God's servants have nothing else to preach (I Cor. 2:2). Christ crucified is "all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27; Luke 24:27, 44-46). If God sends a man to preach, he sends him to preach Christ in all the Scriptures.

3. A SINNER CHOSEN OF GO - This Ethiopian eunuch was saved because God had chosen him (Acts 13:48; John 15:16). He is a picture of the kind of people to whom God is always gracious. He sought the Lord earnestly (Jer. 29:12-14). He walked in the light God gave him. He searched the Scriptures (John 5:39). And he was willing to be taught. Grace chose him. Grace prepared him for grace. And grace brought him to Christ in faith.

Fourthly, this eunuch is set before us as an example of THE SAVING FAITH OF GOD'S ELECT (vv. 36-37). True, saving faith is more than a notion received in the head. It is heart knowledge, heart persuasion, and heart commitment to Christ (Rom. 10:9-13; II Tim. 1:12). This eunuch declared that he believed with all his heart "that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." That means he is the One of whom the prophets speak, the Savior typified in the law and promised by God, and that he is God in human flesh who died for sinners and rose again (I John 5:1).

Fifthly, this passage of Scripture illustrates THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BELIEVER'S BAPTISM (vv. 36-39). Clearly, baptism is for believers only. It is a test of submission and obedience to Christ as Lord. It is the believer's symbolic confession of faith in Christ (Rom. 6:4-6). And baptism is by immersion only. Immersion is not a mode of baptism. Immersion is baptism! Commenting on this passage John Calvin wrote, "Hence we see what was the manner of baptizing with the ancients, for they plunged the whole body into water."

When the day was over the eunuch "went on his way rejoicing." He continued to follow his ordinary course of life; but now he lived by faith and lived for the glory of God. Philip went on his way too, preaching the gospel as he was led of the Spirit, until he finally settled in Caesarea (Acts 21:8).