Know God: A Simple, Honest Guide to What the Bible Says
Let me start with a confession: for a long time I thought that to know God meant knowing about God. I assumed that if I read enough, learned enough, and could answer enough questions, I would know him.
But think about someone you love. You could memorize their birthday, their job title, and their favorite food, and still not really know them. Knowing a person happens in time spent together, in trust built slowly, in being known in return. The Bible says that to know God is much more like that than like passing an exam.
If you’re just beginning your faith, or coming back to it after a long time away, this article is for you. Take it slowly, and please look up the passages for yourself.
Table of Contents
To know God begins with a relationship, not a résumé
Near the end of his life, Jesus prayed a surprising thing. He said that eternal life is this: that people would know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he sent [Verify: John 17:3]. Notice that he didn’t describe eternal life as understanding a set of ideas. He described it as knowing someone.
The Old Testament speaks this way too. Moses is described as speaking with God face to face, the way a person speaks with a friend [Verify: Exodus 33:11]. Jesus says that he knows his sheep and they know him, in the same way he and the Father know each other [Verify: John 10:14]. That is intimate language.
And here is something worth pausing on. Paul writes that to be known by God is even more wonderful than to know him [Verify: Galatians 4:9]. Before you ever reached for God, you were already seen and known. To know God begins with being known.
To know God is to learn to trust him
In the Bible, to know someone’s name is to know their character. So the psalmist says that those who know God’s name put their trust in him, because he has not abandoned those who seek him [Verify: Psalm 9:10].
That means trust is a fruit of knowing. We trust people more as we see them keep their word over time. In the same way, as we come to know God, we learn that he is patient, faithful, and good. For many of us, that trust grows in small steps, one ordinary day at a time, often looking back on hard seasons and noticing he was there.
You don’t need to arrive with perfect trust. A weak, trembling trust that keeps coming back is still trust.
When we know God, worship follows
Knowing God isn’t only quiet thinking. It tends to turn into wonder and praise. The prophet Jeremiah says that if anyone is going to boast, they should boast not in their wisdom, strength, or riches, but in understanding and knowing God, who delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness [Verify: Jeremiah 9:23–24].
Worship, in other words, is what it sounds like when we know God. As we begin to see who he is, we can’t help but respond. It might be a song, a whispered thank-you on a walk, or a moment of simply being still. One psalm invites us to be still and know that he is God [Verify: Psalm 46:10]. In a noisy world, even a few quiet minutes can be a way of getting to know him.
To know God is to walk in love and obedience
This is the part that can feel uncomfortable, so let me be gentle about it. The Bible connects knowing God with how we live. John writes that we can be sure we know God if we keep his commands [Verify: 1 John 2:3–4]. Jesus says something similar: if you love me, you will keep my commands [Verify: John 14:15].
This isn’t about earning God’s approval or being perfect. Think of it more like this: if you truly know and trust someone wise and loving, you want to walk in step with them. Obedience is not the price of the relationship but one of the ways it shows.
And love sits at the center of it. John says that whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love [Verify: 1 John 4:7–8]. As we know God more, we will, over time, become more patient, more generous, and more attentive to the people around us.
There is a sobering side as well. Jesus warns that some people can do impressive religious things and still not truly know him [Verify: Matthew 7:21–23]. I don’t share that to frighten anyone, but to remind us that what God is after is not performance but a real relationship. If that passage stirs questions in you, please talk them over with a pastor or a mature believer who can listen to you personally.
You can keep growing to know God more
No one finishes getting to know God. Paul, after decades of following Christ, still wrote that he wanted to know him more deeply [Verify: Philippians 3:8–10]. Peter ends his second letter by urging believers to keep growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus [Verify: 2 Peter 3:18]. Paul prays that people would have the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know God better [Verify: Ephesians 1:17].
That should be a relief. You don’t have to have it all figured out. A new believer and a believer of sixty years are both still learning, and God is endlessly worth knowing.
A few gentle ways to begin to know God
- Read a Gospel slowly. Pick Mark or John and read a few verses a day, simply noticing what Jesus is like.
- Talk to God honestly. Prayer doesn’t need fancy words. Tell him what’s on your heart, even if it’s doubt.
- Be among others. Faith is not meant to be lived alone, so find a local church or a trusted friend to walk with. Bibilium can point you to the Bible, but it can’t replace a community or a pastor who knows you.
- Look for him in ordinary life. Notice kindness, beauty, and answered prayers, however small.
Questions to sit with
Take these slowly. You might write your answers in a notebook, or simply think about them on a walk. There are no wrong answers.
- When you hear the phrase “know God,” what comes to mind first? Is it more like facts, a feeling, or a relationship?
- Is it easier for you to think of God as someone who knows you, or someone you are trying to know? What might change if you thought about it the other way around?
- What has helped you trust someone in the past? What might that tell you about learning to trust God?
- Where in your daily life could you set aside five quiet minutes to simply be with him?
- If you could ask God to help you know him better in one way this week, what would it be?
A closing thought
God is not hiding from you. Jeremiah records God saying that those who seek him with all their heart will find him [Verify: Jeremiah 29:13]. You don’t have to be an expert to know God. You only have to come, again and again, with an honest heart.
Whether you’re taking your first steps or returning after a long time away, I hope you’ll keep going. Open your Bible, talk with God, and let him make himself known to you.
Verification checklist: John 17:3; Exodus 33:11; John 10:14; Galatians 4:9; Psalm 9:10; Jeremiah 9:23–24; Psalm 46:10; 1 John 2:3–4; John 14:15; 1 John 4:7–8; Matthew 7:21–23; Philippians 3:8–10; 2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 1:17; Jeremiah 29:13.