Why Read the Bible?

Is our relationship with God dependent on reading the Bible? Hip-Hop artist Odd Thomas discusses the pivotal role the Bible plays in actually knowing God.

Questions for Discussion and Personal Reflection

  1. What kind of part does reading the Bible play in your spiritual life—if any?
  2. Do you agree that the Bible is explicitly clear on how we can know God?

For some people, their experience with God is existential, or their concept of God is made up, and I think that the Bible is really the only way that we can know God. The Bible explicitly points to Jesus. The Bible explicitly teaches us how to live, how to know God rightly, how to obey, how to become dependent on him. The Bible is a huge, it's a huge part of it. And that's really the, that's the starting point of experiencing God, because if you leave it up to yourself, then who knows what you'll conjure up in your own mind? And I think as you begin to read the Bible, and the Holy Spirit opens up your heart and your mind, it's crazy but this Bible changes you. It changes everything. You begin to see God for who he is. You begin to see how affectionate he is towards you. You begin to see how much he loves his people. You can't know that without the Bible. I used to hear people all the time tell me, "Well, Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you." Well, how, how, how do we know that? How, how do we know that? "Well, I just know. I just feel it." And that's cool. I mean, it's true but for someone like me I needed to know, "How do you know that?" and I think the Bible is explicitly clear. It tells you. The whole Bible— Old Testament all the way to the New Testament— points to Jesus. My purpose in life is to love God, love people, and bring Him glory. And I know that purpose because he tells me that in the scriptures.