Windows into the Bible: Cultural and Historical Insights from the Bible for Modern Readers

While many endeavor to help people read and study the Bible, few take seriously the four-dimensional approach necessary to understand God’s revelation in time and space.These four aspects must be synthesized to answer the question, “What did the Bible mean?” They function like four lenses of a camera that, when pointed and focused on an object, are adjusted until the picture comes into focus. By looking through the spatial, historical, cultural, and spiritual lenses, people can step back into the world of the Bible, as best as they are able, and hear the message as its authors intended. They find themselves at the feet of Jesus, hearing Him as His original audience did. And once people enter into the world of the Bible, they can reenter their own world and answer the question, “What does this mean today?”