Knowing Jesus Without Your Bible

In my previous post I asked the question: "What if no one had a Bible?"

The point of asking that question was to get us to consider what our faith would be like without depending upon what others wrote 2,000 years ago about their experiences of Jesus.

Instead, I hoped to inspire us to consider that our faith is based on our own experiences of Jesus - today.

Some people misunderstood that. Maybe it was my fault? If so, I apologize.

But let me make it crystal clear: The Bible leads us to Jesus. But what we do with Jesus after that is the most important thing of all.

People often tell me that we couldn't know anything about Jesus or God without the Bible.

But the Bible contradicts that. Over and over again.

What the Bible tells us is that we can know Jesus, and the Father, directly, personally and immediately at this very moment. [So, if you really believe the Bible, then do what the Bible says; connect with God yourself. Don't just read about Him - know Him and listen to Him and follow Him and learn to love Him more every day].

I've already written about this fact several times.

So, if someone took your Bibles away, you would still have Jesus. 

If every Bible on earth was suddenly destroyed, you and I would still hear His voice.

If no one ever read the Bible again, God would still be alive and moving and speaking and revealing Himself through His Spirit, and through His people, and through nature, and art, and music, and circumstances.

However, if your faith would be hopelessly empty without the Bible, then you just might have a much bigger problem. Maybe you don't actually have a relationship with God? Maybe you've only focused on reading a book and learning information about God, but you've not exactly come to know that God in any real way yet?

If so, then I most certainly recommend setting your Bible aside. Get to know Jesus. Spend time alone with Him. Talk to Him. Listen to His voice. Practice an awareness of His presence. Reading more Bible verses will not help you encounter Him. In fact, it just might postpone any deeper experiences with Jesus you might have.

You've read about God. You know information about Jesus. That's great. But now it's time to meet Him and to know Him in a deeper way.

God is not the Bible. The Bible is not God.

Yes, the Bible is a wonderful blessing to us all. We should be very grateful for it. But Jesus transcends and eclipses the Bible in every possible way. He is not bound by a book. He is not constricted into syllables and sentences. He is not captured on a page.

By asking the question: "What if no one had a Bible?" I am inviting you to consider moving on to phase 2 of your life in Christ.

Look up from the page long enough to listen for His still small voice.

Close the book long enough to walk with Him today.

Put the Bible back on the shelf long enough to put what you've read about into practice.

You can always come back to it later. But sometimes you need to take off the training wheels and learn to balance yourself if you really hope to enter the race.

I'll meet you at the top of the hill.

-kg

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FOR FURTHER READING:

The Problem With Saying The Bible Is The Word of God

Why I Love the Word of God

The Word of God and the Bible

Five Times Jesus Contradicted The Old Testament