The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are referred to as the Gospels because the word “gospel” means “good news.”
And the good news is Jesus, which is who these four books focus on.
Now, if we’re talking about God’s character, why am I recommending reading about Jesus as a hack?

Here’s the thing… Jesus is a direct and accurate reflection of our Heavenly Father.

Have you ever met someone, or knew someone growing up, who closely resembled one of their parents? To the point where you questioned how different their DNA could truly be?
He or she had the same physical traits; same mannerisms; and even interacted with people in a very similar way.
The same is true when it comes to Jesus and God the Heavenly Father.
In fact, in John 14:9 (NLT), Jesus said, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?”

This is a hard concept for our brains to wrap around, and we don’t have time to go in-depth in this episode, but the main takeaways are:

This is why Jesus is saying, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”
Jesus is not a different being than God; He’s a distinct persona of God just like God the Father is.
This means that who Jesus is–meaning His character–is aligned with God’s character.

And because Jesus was born into human history and walked on earth as a man, it can be easier to zero in on Jesus and His character.

This can be especially true if you haven’t been taught much about Jesus because, as you read the Gospels and learn about Jesus, you have a clean slate to work with.
Whereas you may have been taught so many things about God that it’s just super confusing at this point. And there are things that you need to unlearn in order to learn about God’s true character.
In fact, during my own journey when I was struggling to give my heart and life to God, He had me read the book of John. And by reading that book, and by God opening my eyes as I read it, it became a major part of my decision to finally let down my walls and give Him my life.

The books are named after the disciples of Jesus who wrote them.
They were all written in different time periods and have different focuses, content, and timelines–though they obviously keep Jesus at the center.
Since this is a hack (which means this is meant to be easy and not overwhelming), here are tips on how to proceed:

It focuses on Jesus as God, which aligns with the goal of understanding God’s true character.
As such, it includes some unique content and focuses on Jesus’ miracles (which also speak to God’s character).
Note: This is probably why God had me read this way back when.

If a shorter book would be helpful to start with, Mark is the shortest of the four gospels.

If you’re not a reader or Type A person, this might not sound fun. But, the more you break down who Jesus is, the more you’ll understand God.
Whether you choose to make notes in your bible or have a dedicated journal, highlight (or note) things about Jesus such as:

His actions. Make a note of the healings, conversations, travels, etc.
His approach. Ask yourself, how did Jesus approach things? For example, was He sacrificing things such as comfort in order to help others?
His character. Was He loving? Compassionate? Kind? Patient?
His identity. What do the Gospels say about His identity? An example would be John 14:9 that we looked at earlier.

Lastly, write down anything that confuses you or that you have questions about.
The Bible was written in a different time and culture, which is why reading it and learning about it is a lifelong process. Don’t expect to understand everything on the onset because you won’t.
Just focus on Jesus and what you can discern right now–which will be a lot.
And if you have questions, that’s where joining Relate Escape Place comes in handy because then you can dig into the mini courses and ask questions to myself and other women who are on the same learning journey that you’re on.