Before There Was a Bible

When I was about twelve years old, my father took me to a small Baptist church in Pontiac, Michigan.

A woman named Corrie ten Boom was speaking that evening.

Her Dutch accent was thick, and I didn’t understand everything she said. But something happened that night that I didn’t fully understand at the time… and yet it has stayed with me for more than fifty years.

She spoke about Jesus differently than anyone I had ever heard.

She wasn’t simply explaining Bible verses.

She wasn’t presenting theology.

She spoke about Jesus the way someone talks about a trusted friend — someone she had walked with through very difficult years, someone she knew personally.

Until that night, most of what I had heard about Jesus came through sermons explaining what the Bible says about Him.

But that evening I heard something different.

She didn’t just know about Him.

She knew Him.

That moment stirred a quiet question that has followed me ever since:

Not simply to know what the Bible says about Him…

but to actually walk with Him?

Before There Was a Bible

Later, I began noticing something surprising in Scripture itself.

Adam had no Bible.

Enoch had no Bible.

Noah had no Bible.

Abraham had no Bible.

Yet Scripture describes these people very simply:

They walked with God.

They listened.

They followed.

All of this happened long before anyone held a printed Bible in their hands.

The story came first.

The book came later.

The Scriptures we treasure today are the preserved testimony of people who encountered the living God and told the story.

The Voice of the Shepherd

When Jesus came, He described this relationship in deeply personal language:

Notice the words Jesus chose:

Voice
Knowing
Following

This is the language of relationship.

Sheep recognize a shepherd’s voice because they have spent time with him.

They know what he sounds like.

Jesus also said:

Scripture is precious because it points us to Him.

But the invitation has always been to come to the One the Scriptures reveal.

Not simply to learn about Him…

but to know Him.

Something We May Have Missed

Over the years I have often noticed what happens when someone begins turning toward God.

We hand them a Bible.

We encourage them to attend church.

We tell them to pray.

And those things certainly have value.

But sometimes I wonder if we unintentionally leave them feeling alone.

We offer information…

but often very little help learning how to walk with Him.

Very little conversation about recognizing His voice.

Very little reassurance that relationship with God grows over time.

Yet Jesus promised that His followers would not be left alone.

Paul wrote:

Led.

Guided.

Walking.

These are relational words.

Not the language of distant religion…

but of living relationship.

The Story Continues

The Bible is a beautiful witness to how people encountered God across generations.

Abraham trusted Him.

Moses spoke with Him.

David cried out to Him.

The disciples walked with Him.

Their stories were preserved so we could recognize what it looks like to live in relationship with the living God.

And in a very real sense, the story continues.

Not as new Scripture…

but as new lives being shaped by the same God who has always drawn near to His people.

Every time someone learns to trust Him…

every time someone senses His leading…

every time someone discovers His faithfulness in a difficult season…

the story continues.

Just as I sensed something in Corrie ten Boom so many years ago — not merely knowledge about God, but a life lived with Him.

The Invitation Still Stands

Jesus did not invite people into mere religious knowledge.

He invited them into relationship.

He invited them to follow Him.

To walk with Him.

To learn the sound of His voice.

Perhaps the invitation is simpler than we have made it.

Slow down.

Draw near.

Speak honestly.

Listen.

A Question to Consider

He is not distant.

He is not silent.

He is near.

And He still invites us to know Him.

Prayer

📢 Pass This Along

Many people quietly wonder if there is more to knowing God than simply learning information about Him. What if He is inviting us into something more personal… more real… more alive?

If this article resonated with you, consider sharing it with someone who may also be longing for a deeper relationship with God.

https://www.gentlemanoutlaw.com/before-there-was-a-bible/