Want to know God? Know the Bible.
No, the Bible is not God, but it is God’s words. That is, the words God inspired for you to know him.
How do you know God by reading and studying a book? Shouldn’t it be through some more emotional, experiential, or meditative method? No! That is a good way to get confused by other spirits including your own.
First, the Bible records direct quotes from God. What better way to get to know someone than to hear them speak? You can read what God said to different people in different circumstances at different times. Even if God is not speaking to you, you can learn what God would say. You can know the expressed thoughts of God! You wouldn’t try to know someone by meditation if they wrote you a letter. You would open it and read their words.
Second, you can see how God acts in the Bible. You don’t know someone completely just by what they say, you must know what they do. The Bible is full of actions, reactions, judgments, and interventions from God. When does he act? How does he respond in situations? Is he faithful? You wouldn’t get to know someone by closing your eyes and feeling their presence, especially if they were doing something next to you. You would open your eyes and watch what they do.
Third, although not every word of the Bible is a direct quote from God, it is all inspired by God. This means every word, event, history, story, lesson, proverb, and psalm was placed in the book to fulfill the purpose of God.
You can learn about God by what stories he tells, how he records history, and what he chose to be in his book. You can learn a lot about someone by their library collection. You wouldn’t try to know someone by creating your own experience, especially if they had already made something for you. You would study and experience what they made. God made a book for you.
Fourth, you can learn about God by the people he worked through to write the Bible. Since most of the Bible is written not as God speaking at men, but men writing to other men, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, you can learn about God from the people he moved to write. There are things all writers of the Bible have in common (e.g., God, faith).
You wouldn’t get to know someone by looking inside yourself. A better way would be to meet their friends and listen. When you read the Bible, you are reading what God wanted you to know through the writings of his (Holy Ghost inspired) friends.
After becoming familiar learning about God from the Bible, you begin to understand how God thinks, what God might say, how God might respond, and what God does in the world.
In other words, you start to know God. Like getting to know anyone, this takes time. It is worth it. The more you know him, the more you can trust him.
Knowing God is to know love, truth, wisdom, beauty, patience, and life. Know God, know your Bible.
For your growth,
Justin “open Bible” Johnson