Worshiping in Spirit and in Truth
Worship is life, or, at least, that’s what the Bible claims. That’s why we here at More Than Sundays wanted to take some time to dive into the topic so that we could all cherish worship like God cherishes it. We hope the articles in this series are a blessing to you in this and many other regards. Please enjoy!
When you think of worship, what images come to mind? Maybe it’s a band leading songs on a Sunday morning or a quiet moment of prayer. Perhaps it’s a way of living, a scripture, or simply the presence of God. Worship can mean so many things, but at its core, it’s about honoring and connecting with God through Jesus Christ. Scripture offers us countless ways to approach this, from singing praises in the Psalms to surrendering our lives like it says in Romans 12:1-2. In John 4, though, Jesus gives us another perspective, inviting us to a deeper, more authentic worship—one that goes beyond rituals and reaches the heart. In verse 24 (ESV), He says to a Samaritan woman, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
The Samaritan Woman
In John 4, while traveling from Jerusalem to Galilee, Jesus takes the direct route through Samaria—a place most Jews avoided due to deep-seated religious tensions. “Most of the Jews in Jesus’ time despised the Samaritans, disliking them even more than Gentiles – because they were, religiously speaking, ‘half-breeds’ who had an eclectic, mongrel faith” (Enduring Word). Despite the cultural divide, He stops at a well during His travels and meets a Samaritan woman drawing water in the heat of the day. We learn of her controversial past, so we can assume she’s drawing water at this time in order to avoid the judgmental hostility of others who knew her past as well. During their conversation, Jesus reveals His knowledge of her problematic history, including five marriages and a current relationship with a man she’s not married to. Feeling exposed, she quickly shifts the topic, steering their exchange in a different direction. She says, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus replies, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father…God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The story ends with this woman leaving her pail at the well and going to tell everyone about who she has just encountered – the Messiah. She has a new emboldened character because of an encounter with Jesus; the people she once hid from she is now running to in order to tell of His power. Jesus speaks profound words to the Samaritan woman at the well, revealing the true nature of worship. He shifts the focus from places and rituals to a heart-centered, genuine connection with God. What does it mean to worship ‘in spirit and in truth,’ and how can we cultivate that kind of worship in our daily lives? Let’s dive into this powerful passage and discover the essence of worship that transcends tradition.
Worshiping In Spirit
“To worship in spirit means you are concerned with spiritual realities, not so much with places or outward sacrifices, cleansing, and trappings” (Enduring Word). Worship as this Samaritan woman would have known it, as did many religious people of this time, would have been merely physical – actions one takes to grow closer to God or win His approval. Many times, we can get trapped in this similar mindset that our worship means things we do for God to earn His love and blessing, but worship begins in the Spirit because true worship is something that is stirred up by God. It is His grace that draws us in and His grace that enables us to worship Him in the first place. If it’s a physical image, mere action, or a transactional attitude that drives our worship, then is it really worship? Or is it a form of self-idolization to boost our image or self-dependence to win God’s grace? When we have encountered the Gospel and know the depth of Jesus’ love and salvation, it will lead us into a life of worship. Worship looks like being sacrificially obedient to God because this delights God. With this point, we cannot confuse delight with getting approval. It’s like when my toddlers listen to and obey me; I delight in this. They don’t have to do anything to earn my love or approval; it’s already there. All of the work that’s done in order for us to be obedient is internal work that is developed in the spirit and by the Spirit.
Worshiping in Truth
Along with the spirit, we have to worship in truth. As Christians, we believe that the gospel is Truth with a capital “T”; it’s the absolute truth. “To worship in truth means you worship according to the whole counsel of God’s Word, especially in light of the New Testament revelation. It also means that you come to God in truth, not in a pretense or a mere display of spirituality” (Enduring Word). This truth is two-fold. First, we worship in the knowledge of the truth of the gospel. Paul says in Galatians 1:6-9 (ESV), “ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Paul uses very strong language here to describe the anger he has for those that try to tweak or change the gospel, especially those that then take these changes and share them as if they are gospel truth. If we try to do anything in our own power to earn God’s grace, we immediately take the power out of the incredible substitutionary sacrifice Jesus made for us. Tim Keller says in his Bible study “Galatians for You” that “Jesus is not so much a teacher as He is a rescuer. Because that’s what we most need. Nothing in who we are or what we do saves us” (Keller). We can worship in the truth that we have done nothing to earn or deserve God’s grace but that He has still made the payment so that we can receive it. We rejoice in the truth of the gospel!
The second part of this “truth” is that we live our lives in full authenticity, in full transparency, and in full dependency. We don’t worship God – whether corporately, publicly, or privately – in order to put on a show or bring ourselves glory. It’s in our nature to do things that serve us and lift us up, even in areas we’re unaware of. This can be a hard thing to avoid, and we’ll probably never be perfect in this area. I like to consistently pray a verse found in Psalm 139 where David says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV) I know that there are shortcomings in my life that I’m not even aware of (on top of the many failings and struggles I am aware of!). The best place to be is in an honest position before God, being truthful about our condition and even our selfish motives. We can pray that God would help us give Him the glory and take away any selfish motives. As C.S. Lewis puts it, it’s not a matter of thinking less of ourselves but rather thinking of ourselves less. We can live in the joy found in the truth of the gospel and live in the freedom of coming to God in truth.
When Jesus calls us to worship in spirit and in truth, I don’t think it’s spirit first and truth second. I don’t think it’s one or the other; both must be present. Sometimes, though, it’s our spirit that leads to the knowledge of God – sometimes our worship is driven by emotions like love and joy that are found in the presence of God and the moving of His spirit. Other times, it’s our knowledge of the truth that leads our spirit. Sometimes we’re not going to “feel spiritual”, but that does not mean the spirit is not still moving. When Jesus spoke these words to the Samaritan woman, it was likely something she wouldn’t fully comprehend at that point in time. Our worship is no longer bound to temples, mountains, animal sacrifices, or religious customs. Our worship is marked by freedom and grace. We can worship in spirit and truth knowing what Jesus has permanently done for us as our rescuer. He knows us like He knew the woman at the well – in all of our past and present sin, in our efforts to hide from others, in our fear, even in our efforts to avoid honesty about our sin. But He lovingly calls us out of these things – He calls us to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Works Cited:
Enduring Word. “Enduring Word Bible Commentary John Chapter 4.” Enduring Word, 27 Apr. 2023, enduringword.com/bible-commentary/john-4.
Keller, Timothy. Galatians for You. The Good Book Company, 2017.