---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don’t read the Bible, the Bible reads…"
description: "\"“We don’t read the Bible, the Bible reads us.”\" — David Paul Kikrpatrick"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/david-paul-kikrpatrick-87908_bible_we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads_458770.jpg"
---

#  We don’t read the Bible, the Bible reads us.

![“We don’t read the Bible, the Bible reads us.” quote by David Paul Kikrpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/david-paul-kikrpatrick-87908_bible_we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads_458770.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/david-paul-kikrpatrick-87908_bible_we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads_458770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/david-paul-kikrpatrick-87908_bible_we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads_458770.jpg)

> ““We don’t read the Bible, the Bible reads us.””

[David Paul Kikrpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kikrpatrick/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Bible influences readers more than they realize, shaping beliefs and actions.

**In simple terms:** The Bible shapes us more than we think.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the Bible’s influence on you.

Themes

faith interpretation influence

Mood

thoughtful contemplative

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal study
- sermons
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

theology cultural studies

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways does the Bible shape your worldview?
- How can you critically engage with its messages?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations can be biased, limiting true understanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-bible-288659/) [Bible Reads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-reads-338546/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Read Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-bible/) [Reads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reads/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [When you read the Bible, it's as though it reads you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-you-read-the-bible-it-s-as-though-it-reads-you/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [I have read many books, but the Bible reads me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barth/i-have-read-many-books-but-the-bible-reads-me/)

[Karl Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barth/)

> [Have you read your Bible or has the Bible read you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-chandler/have-you-read-your-bible-or-has-the-bible-read-you/)

[Matt Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-chandler/)

> [“I taught myself that a South African woman does not carry her baby with a kitenge. That I stay in a township, that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsholofelo-lehaha/i-taught-myself-that-a-south-african-woman-does-not-carry-her-baby/)

[Tsholofelo Lehaha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsholofelo-lehaha/)

> [The Bible is a statement, not of theories, but of actual facts... things are not true because they are in the Bible, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-whitall-smith/the-bible-is-a-statement-not-of-theories-but-of-actual-facts-things/)

[Hannah Whitall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-whitall-smith/)

> [There's no better book with which to defend the Bible than the Bible itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/there-s-no-better-book-with-which-to-defend-the-bible-than-the-bible/)

[Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/)

> [Do not heed the jar of man's warring opinions. Let God be true and every man a liar. The Bible is the Bible still.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatius-bonar/do-not-heed-the-jar-of-man-s-warring-opinions-let-god-be-true-and/)

[Horatius Bonar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatius-bonar/)

> [“We do not read the Bible aright until we learn to read it as the Story of Israel that comes to completion — fulfillment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tremper-longman-iii/we-do-not-read-the-bible-aright-until-we-learn-to-read-it-as-the/)

[Tremper Longman III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tremper-longman-iii/)

> [This is the Book. I have read the Bible through many times, and now make it a practice to read it through once every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/this-is-the-book-i-have-read-the-bible-through-many-times-and-now/)

[Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/)

> [Read the Bible for the salvation of your soul, not the solution to your problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/read-the-bible-for-the-salvation-of-your-soul-not-the-solution-to/)

[T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/)

> [“If you read the bible from cover to cover you will want to start it all over again. You find something new each time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-penland/if-you-read-the-bible-from-cover-to-cover-you-will-want-to-start-it/)

[Amanda Penland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-penland/)

> [Let us read the Bible without the ill-fitting colored spectacles of theology, just as we read other books, using our judgment and reason. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-burbank/let-us-read-the-bible-without-the-ill-fitting-colored-spectacles-of/)

[Luther Burbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-burbank/)

> [I read novels but I also read the Bible. And study it, you know? And the more I learn, the more excited I get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/i-read-novels-but-i-also-read-the-bible-and-study-it-you-know-and-the/)

[Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/)

> [“Go ahead—read your Bible through in a year from a sense of duty. Pray for hours each day. Go to church every time the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/go-ahead-read-your-bible-through-in-a-year-from-a-sense-of-duty-pray/)

[David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/)

## More by David Paul Kikrpatrick

> [“Practicing the Presence of God is bringing our “heart” – body, soul, and mind – to God, to be in His Presence – to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kikrpatrick/practicing-the-presence-of-god-is-bringing-our-heart-body-soul-and/)

[David Paul Kikrpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kikrpatrick/)

> [“Jesus walked to a solitary place to pray. He went somewhere and found a physical place. We must do the same, so the “going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kikrpatrick/jesus-walked-to-a-solitary-place-to-pray-he-went-somewhere-and-found/)

[David Paul Kikrpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kikrpatrick/)

[Explore all 3 David Paul Kikrpatrick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kikrpatrick/)

## More Bible quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

[Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/)

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/)

[Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/)

> [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/)

[Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/)

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

[Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/)

> [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/)

[Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We don’t read the Bible, the Bible reads us.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Paul Kikrpatrick"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kikrpatrick/we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads-us/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kikrpatrick/we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads-us/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/david-paul-kikrpatrick-87908_bible_we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads_458770.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/david-paul-kikrpatrick-87908_bible_we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads_458770.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/david-paul-kikrpatrick-87908_bible_we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads_458770.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We don’t read the Bible, the Bible reads us.” — David Paul Kikrpatrick",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "David Paul Kikrpatrick",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kikrpatrick/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We don’t read the Bible, the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kikrpatrick/we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads-us/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kikrpatrick/we-don-t-read-the-bible-the-bible-reads-us/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
