ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP (10): In Spirit & In Truth

In Spirit and In Truth

One of the most important statements by Jesus, indeed in the entire New Testament, about worship is in John 4:19-24. This was the climactic part of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar.

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”

Traditional Understanding

As I was growing up, the understanding of this passage conveyed to me was that to worship in spirit was a worshipful attitude. I believed this was in seriousness and sincerity, certainly not celebration. I understood that worship in truth is worshiping according to the teachings of the Bible.

We did not think much about the possibility that worship in spirit might have something to do with the Holy Spirit. In fact, we did not think much about the Holy Spirit at all, except to aver dogmatically that the “Holy Rollers” were way out in left field.

To us “worship according to the teachings of the Bible” was the same as “worship according to the teachings of the Church of Christ.” We did not consider, and indeed did not conceive of the possibility, that our teachings might vary from the teachings of the Biblical record.

We did not go to the extreme of saying that “two songs, a prayer, another song, the Lord’s Supper, another song, a sermon, and the invitation song followed by a closing prayer” was the scriptural pattern. We were quite happy to have a few more songs than that – as long as we stayed within the allotted hour for worship.

Now, I hope you realize this is at least a little facetious. Honest worship did occur in those churches, even though our understanding of worship “in spirit and in truth” was seriously lacking, though I did not realize it then. What was lacking was not sincerity of purpose – but comprehension of what Jesus was actually saying.

Context of John 4

The context of any statement is important. John did not write His gospel as isolated, unrelated events. Most believe John is the most theological of the four gospels. That means there is a discernable plan in its development.

Without trying to look at the total plan for the Gospel of John, there are significant things in chapter three that relate to Jesus’ statement about worship in chapter four. The first significant fact is that chapter four is immediately after chapter three, and should be building on what is in chapter three. In chapter three, we see the following:

• Nichodemus came to Jesus as a “teacher who has come from God.”
• Jesus told him he must be “born again” of water and spirit  to see the kingdom of God.
• Nichodemus asked how he could be born again when he was old.
• Jesus replied, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
• As Nichodemus continued to question, Jesus elucidated further: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
• Following this conversation, the scene shifts to Jesus baptizing in the wilderness.
• John the Baptist’s disciples asked him about Jesus’ baptizing.
• John replied that he himself was the friend of the groom, but that Jesus was the groom who must increase while John decreased.
• This is true, John said, because Jesus “comes from heaven” and “is above all.”
• Further, John added, “The one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.”

This chapter has two distinct references to the Holy Spirit: first, as being involved in the new birth of water and Spirit and, second, John said that God gives the Spirit without limit.

The KJV is woefully inaccurate in its translation of John 3:34. It says, “God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him”. The italics are in the original. Those familiar with the KJV know that italics mean the translators have added the words italicized. In this instance, there is absolutely nothing in that text even to suggest the italicized words. Yet, we based an elaborate theory of “measures” of the Holy Spirit on this verse. This has distorted our understanding of the Holy Spirit for generations.

Jesus said that those who are born of Spirit are spirit and that God gives the Spirit without limit. It is against this backdrop that Jesus said, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth…. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

His Worshipers Must Worship in Spirit…

What did Jesus mean by “worship in spirit”? He Himself had just said, “God is spirit.” In the context of chapter three, He had said, “Spirit gives birth to spirit” and that everyone who enters God’s kingdom must be “born of water and Spirit.” By being born of water and Spirit, those entering God’s kingdom come into relationship with God, who is Himself spirit. It is in that relationship with God that true worship can occur.

While on the Isle of Patmos, in his introduction to Revelation, the apostle John wrote, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit…” (Revelation 1:10). That is, he was in a close fellowship and communion with God, who is spirit. This fellowship is through the indwelling Spirit at all times, but on “the Lord’s Day” John seemed to be particularly aware of his communion with God.

Paul also bears testimony to what it means to “worship in Spirit.”

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh – though I myself have reasons for such confidence…. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. – Philippians 3:1-11 (Emphasis added, JS)

Worship in Spirit is worship focused on Jesus and His greatness, for the Spirit bears witness to the Son of God. In glorifying Jesus through the Spirit, we glorify God. Worship in Spirit is also worship we offer because we, by faith in Christ, receive the righteousness that comes from God.

Note that Galatians 3:26-27; 4:6 states,

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ…. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

In passage after passage, we see that receiving the Spirit comes through the new birth or through baptism. When we became sons of God by faith (because we were baptized into Christ), God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. Thus, we are now “spirit,” not mere “flesh” because God’s Spirit lives in us. There is a new relationship to God in Christ; God makes us righteous and we become spirit. In this new relationship, we worship God in Spirit.

(For more on worship and the Holy Spirit, see this post.)

…And in Truth

But, what does it mean to “worship in truth?” John uses this phrase, “in truth,” also in 1 John 3:18. There he writes, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” What does the phrase mean there? It refers to genuine love that comes from the heart. It is an actual love shown, not in words alone, but in heart-felt action.

Worship in truth is genuine worship that comes from the heart. It stands in stark contrast to the worship of the Pharisees of whom Jesus said as he quoted from Isaiah, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men” (Matthew 15:9; Isaiah 29:13).

Try worship in place of love in 1 John 3:18. “Dear children, let us not worship with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

What “actions” show genuine worship? What keeps worship from being mere words? I will discuss this further in the next post in this series.

NEXT (11) Bow Before Him

PREVIOUS (9) Self-Imposed Worship

Series Index