First contact Quote by Cornelius Van Til
![“[The intellect of fallen man] may be compared to a buzz-saw that is sharp and shining, ready to cut the boards that come to it. Let us say that a carpenter wishes to cut fifty boards for the purpose of laying the floor of a house. He has marked his boards. He has set his saw. He begins at one end…” quote by Cornelius Van Til](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a17/cornelius-van-til-30277_first-contact_the-intellect-of-fallen-man-may-be-compa_1082632.jpg)
““[The intellect of fallen man] may be compared to a buzz-saw that is sharp and shining, ready to cut the boards that come to it. Let us say that a carpenter wishes to cut fifty boards for the purpose of laying the floor of a house. He has marked his boards. He has set his saw. He begins at one end of the mark on the board. But he does not know that his seven-year-old son has tampered with the saw and changed its set. The result is that every board he saws is cut slantwise and thus unusable because too short except at the point where the saw made its first contact with the wood. As long as the set of the saw is not changed, the result will always be the same. So also whenever the teachings of Christianity are presented to the natural man, they will be cut according to the set of sinful human personality.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Christian Worldview, Cornelius Van Til, 1975
Human intellect, when distorted by sin, misinterprets truth, leading to consistently flawed conclusions.
In simple terms: Sin distorts understanding, causing errors.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and correct personal biases.
Themes
theology
human nature
interpretation
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
theological
philosophical
When to use this quote
- preaching
- teaching
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Sin
perception
bias
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your worldview affect your interpretation of truth?
- Can you identify a "saw set" in your thinking?
A Different Perspective
Sinful bias can be deeply entrenched, making change difficult.
![“He [Christ] came to bring peace, to be sure, but the peace that He came to bring must be built upon the complete destruction of the power of darkness.” quote by Cornelius Van Til](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e9a/cornelius-van-til-30277_built_he-christ-came-to-bring-peace-to-be-sure_557644.jpg)
