Why Its Helpful to Remember That We All Have Interpretive Lenses 22 min

When Paul wrote his letters or Peter wrote his two epistles, neither of them were influenced by Calvin or Luther. Neither Calvin nor Luther would be born for 1.5 millennia. Peter and Paul weren’t influenced by Spurgeon, Graham, White, Augustine, Cyprian, Ignatius of Antioch, etc. The writers of Scripture were inspired. That makes their writings entirely different than anyone else’s, but they too were also men like us. We all study the Bible, if we’re wise, as from their direct light, but we’re all influenced by the others who, if they were sound disciples, did the same. We all have lenses. They might help our study, they might hurt our study, but we all have them. And it’s not just the theologians. It’s the other sources that influence us also. The poets, philosophers, kings and songwriters also influence us. Some on larger scales than others of course. Since the advent of modern cinema it’s the movies too that touch us and shape our thinking. We all have influences. It’s just not avoidable. But what does recognizing any of this help us with as Christians? That’s what I want to talk about briefly today on my way to a modern Areopagus.

God bless!!!

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