Worship in Spirit and in Truth

In the Pentateuch, as Israel stood in preparation to enter into the land, the tribes were separated and placed upon two mountains, Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal. Upon Mount Gerizim, after crossing the land, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Isaachar, Joseph, and Benjamin would stand and proclaim the blessings to the people (Deut. 27.12). On the opposite side, upon Mount Ebal, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zubulun, Dan, and Napthali would declare the curses.

Which mountain would be the center for worship? The place of curse or the place of blessing? Moses states, Deuteronomy 27:4–8 “And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”” 

Worship, for the people of Israel, took place upon the very mountain where curses for disobedience would take place. Yet, it would be the very place where the Levites would offer upon the altars the sacrificial offering for atonement. It is upon the mountain of curse, failure, and punishment where God erects His altar of sacrifice. For Jesus Himself says in John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

The Lord is not seeking a people who, in their self-righteousness, believe to be the embodiment of religious worship. In fact, the Lord says just the opposite in Luke 18:9–14 “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””

True worship is recognition of one’s sin in light of God’s holiness. Christians are called to worship in Spirit and in truth. As Jesus had rebuked the woman for her illicit relationships and made manifest His prophetic office, of which she recognize, He proclaims to her the fullness of who He is in verse 26, “I AM.”

In looking at the text, three things will be highlighted. First, the spiritual separation of one who has not received the gift of faith. Second, what spiritual worship is to look like. And third, Jesus’s final clarification as He reveals precisely who He is to the woman of Samaria.

(1) spiritual separation (vv. 15-20)

(2) spiritual worship (vv. 21-24)

(3) spiritual clarification (vv. 25-26)

In light of the biblical doctrine made manifest here in the text, we will emphasize the “hypostatic union” of Christ as truly God and truly man as expressed in John 4:1-26. The last portion will look at what it means to worship God in Spirit and in truth in our daily lives as points of application.

(1) spiritual separation (vv. 15-20)

Although we have looked at these verses previously, it is important as we see the context of the remaining passage to take another look. As you may have remembered, we looked at how the woman’s refutation of Christ’s identity is very similar to that of Nicodemus. When she asks of the “living water” in verse 15, she is primarily focused on her temporal needs insofar as Nicodemus questions Jesus’s declaration what one must be born again (3:3). Likewise, Nicodemus is confident that Christ is someone unique, just not necessarily in the Messianic sense in John 3.2 where the woman of Samaria recognizes His prophetic office in 4:19.

Yet, all of the spiritual truth bombs that Jesus has dropped thus far has not resonated upon her heart. Why? Because she is still involved in grievous sin. Jesus confronts her sin in 4:17-18, which strikes at the very heart as to why she, a Samaritan woman, is alone during high noon gathering water. No one in the town wanted to associate with her sinful misconduct. This is similar to how we see sin as well. Believers are not to engage in sinful practices, rather, they are to detest them.

As Jesus confronts this woman, she still misses the mark. She retorts, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship”” (John 4:19-20). The word used for “perceive” is where we get the word “theoretical” (θεωρεω). It is merely an expression of her current observation based upon what He had said thus far. It is not a recognition of His deity.

This makes clear sense in light of the Samaritans’ position on Scripture itself. They rejected the writings of the Psalms, the Prophets, and the historical books. In fact, they had a very limited understanding of who God is. Yes, they had the revelation in the Pentateuch, but they knew nothing of the Suffering Servant or the King from David’s lineage, nor did they have an understanding of the various dispensations of the covenant of grace (cf. WCF 7.5). Her understanding was sub par compared to that of Nicodemus.

Her retort this time is about the place of worship. In fact, when she says “Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship” the emphasis “ought” comes from the Greek word δει meaning “it is necessary.” In the same way it was necessary for Jesus to pass through Samaria (John 4.4). From her perspective, it was necessary to worship how the Samaritans believed worship should be conducted. As Richard Phillips comments, “The Samaritans were trying to worship their idea of God in the way that seemed best to them. They were probably sincere in their religion, but it was nonetheless a false religion because it was based on ignorance of the true God” (John, REC, 245)

This is one of the problems in the modern evangelical church. It is necessary to worship God as He clearly dictates in His Word. Yet, people want to worship according to their own word. Paul explains this dilemma in Ephesians 4:18 “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” So how ought Christians worship? Jesus tells us plainly in John 4:21-24, which brings us to the second point, “spiritual worship.”

(2) spiritual worship (vv. 21-24)

Calvin comments on this passage saying, “we ought not to attempt any thing in religion rashly or at random; because, unless there be knowledge, it is not God that we worship, but a phantom or idol” (Calvin Commentary on John, 159).

Jesus confronts the woman’s misunderstanding as it relates to worship. He doesn’t do this by explaining to her where the proper place of worship will be. Instead, He redirects her understanding to who the proper object of worship should be, namely, God. This is precisely His point in verse 21. Essentially, arguing over which mountain to worship God is an act of futility. Why? Because the Father is seeking true worshippers.

But before going into what these true worshippers look like, who worship in Spirit and in truth, what does Jesus mean by “salvation is from the Jews.”? Popularized in the mid-twentieth century was a theological hermeneutic and eschatological position known as dispensationalism. Time does not allow for a full deep-dive into their theology. But it would be easy to summarize saying God has two distinct plans of salvation, one for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. During the thousand year millennia, the Jewish people will worship and offer sacrifices in the same manner as the Old Testament.

Aside from many of the errors in this theological category, Jesus actually argues against this specific place of worship in the last days. But, He does reference that salvation comes from the Jewish people. How are we to understand this? First, salvation does come from the Jewish people. If you trace Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1 and Luke 4, it is quite clear that Jesus’ ancestry is primarily Jewish.

That should not be a point of concern for any reader of the Bible. We see many promises from Jewish people given that the Messiah would come. He would be a light to the Gentile nations (Isa. 42:6). This humble people of humble origins were the means by which God would bring forth the promised seed back in Genesis 3:15. God’s choosing was according to His own purposes. He reminds the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 7:7–8 “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” 

Salvation is from the Jewish people because the Messiah was promised through them. All throughout Scripture there are small threads placed to see the Messianic line reach its culmination in Christ. The same could be said about Christ’s threefold office. As Prophet, the people were promised a better prophet after Moses (Deut 18.18). As King, David was promised an everlasting throne and dominion (2 Sam 7). As Priest, Christ would come as the Suffering Servant and offer Himself on behalf of His own (Isa. 52.13-53.12). The Messiah was anticipated through the Jewish people.

Christ, however, redirects her attention toward worship and the caliber of people who ought to worship. Jesus says that the true worshipper will worship in spirit and in truth. Why? Because the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

There is a lot to unpack in this verse. Therefore, we will look at the two aspects of worship, worshipping in spirit and worshipping in truth.

[1] Worship in spirit

We have heard a lot about “seeker sensitive” churches. Those social clubs that hide themselves under the banner of the church yet do not proclaim the glorious Gospel. The aim of seeker sensitive churches is to be as much like the world as possible to hopefully win over people to Christ. The problem, at least one of the many problems, is that worship is for the worshippers, not for the lost. Granted, God can certainly bring someone to church and save them as they hear the Gospel preached. But church is not a place for unbelievers but for believers. It is a gathering of saints where they proclaim the glories of God.

In fact it is an impossibility for man, apart from the work of the Spirit, to seek God. Romans 3:11 “no one understands; no one seeks for God.” The idea that people are naturally seeking God is utterly contrary to Christ’s own teachings as we have seen in John 3:1-15. Richard Phillips is again helpful in writing, God is drawing people, and such people, in consequence, are looking for God when they come to church. Therefore, our goal is not to present an appealing worldliness or secular packaging, but to present God biblically in his saving glory so that those whom God is seeking will find him in his church” (Phillips, REC, 254)

Here, in John 4.23, we are told “the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” A mere cursory reading would make this seem like the seeker-sensitive proof text. However, this is not the case. First off, the Father is the one seeking. Not the church. Second, and more powerful, is the word used for “seeking.” It can mean to “look for” or “to investigate.” But something more powerful is being communicated. Here, is means to “request” or “demand.” God is not begging and hoping that people would worship Him, no. Rather, He is demanding worship.

Worshipping God is not a suggestion, it is a demand. If you are not worshipping God, then what are you worshipping? Everyone worships. When something occupies your mind, time, or finances, that is you worship. Worship is mandated. God cares so much about His worship, that the writer of Hebrews warns about forsaking the gathering. Hebrews 10:24–25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” 

God is demanding a people who would worship Him in spirit and in truth. In authentic worship (spirit) and in God-ordained worship (truth). On worshipping in spirit, it is important to note that Jesus here is not referring to the Holy Spirit, due to the absence of the adjective and definite article. Instead, he refers to inward and authentic worship.

One of the best places to turn in seeing what authentic and inward worship looks like is Acts 16:25–31 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.””

Paul and Silas had every reason not to worship God from a human perspective. They were led by the Holy Spirit to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). When they arrived to Philippi, they had some success with Lydia, and then failure in the markets. They were wrongfully imprisoned since Paul was a Roman citizen (16:37-38). They were not concerned about ensuring their worship was done on a mountain top, or in a sanctuary, or temple, or massive cathedral. Their worship was centered on the object, namely, the Lord God.

[2] Worship in Truth

To worship in truth means we must have a concept of whom we are to worship and how we are to worship. The object of our worship is God, which is plainly manifest in Scriptures. The how to worship is often a steady topic of debate and strife within the church. Historically, Reformed theologians and pastors have held to what is known as the regulative principle of worship. As Ligon Duncan explains, “There must be scriptural warrant for all we do. That warrant may come in the form of explicit directives, implicit requirements, the general principles of Scripture, positive commands, examples, and things derived from good and necessary consequences” (from Give Praise to God, 23).

Indeed, God has given us a formula for worship grounded in His moral Law, or the Ten Commandments. Idolatry is strictly prohibited in the strongest terms. This is witnessed in the Golden Calf incident in Exodus 34. Unfortunately though, our worship often takes the form of Golden Calves. When we don’t get to hear the music or songs we like, we find another church that fits our style of worship. When the sermon is too long or boring, without any jokes or inspirational Facebook quotes, we find something pleasing to our senses.

This is completely against what the Bible teaches as it relates to worship. Sentiment and emotional feelings is not what breaks through the barriers of sin, rather, as Jesus explains in John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” True worship is an intimate knowledge of who God is and what He does. This involves, as Paul writes in Romans 12:2 to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

Often the worship is not the problem, but we are. Many are unaware but the basic liturgy and structure of Sunday morning worship at CFC is to be didactic, meaning, it is to teach you about worship. The first couple of songs are to be a praise of the glories of God. The confession of faith is to be reminded of the true doctrines about who God is and what He has done. The Psalm of Lament and confession of sin is done in a posture of sitting because we recognize that apart from the assurance of pardon, by which we stand, we are unworthy to stand in the presence of God. We pray because Jesus is interceding on our behalf. We hear God’s Word preached to feed our souls. We conclude with a song of praise in light of what Scripture has taught us.

This is the type of worship God is seeking, or as the text says, demanding.  And as the text makes a dramatic pivot, Jesus provides the woman with one final spiritual truth, that the very Messiah she claims will come, has come already.

(3) spiritual clarification (vv. 25-26)

How many times in your life have you debated with someone about Christianity and provided every form of argumentation in your tool belt but they still kept rejecting? Or, how many times have you argued a position and they brought up something else? This is often known as a Red Herring or deflection. I would not go so far to say that she was deliberately doing this, but it almost seems as if she is finding subtleties in Jesus’s discourse to refute the possibility that this is the Redeemer.

After redirecting the conversation, by my count, seven times (4:9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19, 20), she now brings attention to one last possible deflection in John 4:25 “The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”” The rebuttal is not the focus. Instead, Jesus’s thunderous and powerful words ought to be a point of pause.

In verse 26, the ESV rendering of the translation is “I who speak to you am he.” However, this is not well-translated in terms of grammatical construction and theological significance. I would present to you first with how God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ””

The “I am” is the word Yahweh in Hebrew. When God identifies Himself as “I am” or in English the LORD, it is the covenant name of God. It is of utmost importance and significance. No one else compares to Yahweh.

Jesus’s only response to her is the Greek equivalent to “I am” or εγω ειμι or what would be in Aramaic “Yahweh.” Jesus declares to her “I am” … [is] the one speaking to you. We get no other rebuttal or interaction from the Samaritan woman. Jesus stops her dead in her tracks. As a Samaritan, she would have been intimately familiar with Yahweh and the significance behind the name. In fact, we see the reaction of Jesus saying this in the Garden of Gethsemane in John 18:6 “When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”  

We are not sure of the woman’s posture or reaction but we could safely assume she was taken back. In fact, she doesn’t even bring her water jars with her when she goes to town. And her first reaction is to tell the others of the good news. Christ is exactly who He says He is, the great I AM, Yahweh, the Messiah.

Doctrine – The Hypostatic Union of Christ

We have been picking up upon this theme sporadically in our study of John. We have seen the various times where Jesus’s humanity was on display, in being weary from the journey to Samaria, in asking for a drink, in walking even. Lately, we have seen His deity on display. Not only does He know things He shouldn’t know, from a human perspective, but now, He equates Himself to be the Lord.

This is a great mystery and should not be a point of rationalistic deduction to hold that Jesus is truly God and truly man. Yet this was a major point of contention in the early church. Some believed Christ merely appeared to be a man, others assumed He was a created being. Others believed His deity subsumed his humanity or vice versa.

Regardless, Scripture holds back no punches in declaring that Christ is truly God and truly man. He is truly God because He alone can lay down His life and raise it up again. He is truly man because He had to endure all the miseries of this life, just as we do, yet He does it without sin. And when we think about worship, it is this Christ who is the object of our praise and worship.

Application – Worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth

Use 1. Find comfort in worshipping the Lord.

John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.””

Remember Jesus says we “must” or “it is necessary” to worship in spirit and in truth. This means that worship is not contingent upon one’s feelings, nor is a feeling necessary to worship.

When the truth about who God is, infinite, eternal, unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth seems ethereal and far off because of the way the world is darkening our understanding of these truths, you still must worship. Find comfort in his infinitude. He is not lacking, nor is He limited.

Have comfort that He is eternal and unchangeable. His love and protection for His children is unchangeable. The Lord is not fickle like we are, where our mood is altered by external circumstances. The Lord is the same today, yesterday, and forever.

Take comfort in the truth that God is full of wisdom. He knows what you need and when you need it. In His eternal wisdom He blesses and chastises for your own good. Take comfort that God is mighty and powerful. Nothing in the world has the ability to separate you from His unending love.

Take comfort in God’s justice when you feel a great injustice done towards you. Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”” You can take further comfort in God’s justice that He has acquitted you of all sin and depravity and made you alive together in Christ Jesus. Worship in spirit and in truth. 

This also means to worship when your spirit feels heavy, downcast, or overly burdened. In fact, Christ Himself worshipped the Father in the Garden and on the Cross. He quoted the Psalmist, He prayed, He forgave. Our worship should not be circumstantial but ever-present in our lives.

John 4:23 “for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” 

Find comfort in worshipping the Lord despite circumstances because He requires it. The Lord does not give us an option when it comes to worship. He commands it. Because worship lifts us back up to the presence of God.

Think again of Paul in Acts 16. Where was his heart? It was not directed to his chains and shackles but to the Lord. We believe Paul and Silas to be prisoners in this situation. However, Paul and Silas were the most free of anyone in the prison cell. They had Christ. They were set free by His blood. Chains and shackles did not bind them but their hearts were bound to God.

Practically, this is one of the reasons why our liturgy is set up to sing a “Psalm of the Month.” The whole purpose is that you would have a Psalm accompanied by a tune in your mind and heart. That way, when life inevitably throws fiery darts your way, you have the shield of faith to extinguish them. Find comfort in worshipping the Lord.

Use 2. Find peace in God’s gift of salvation.

John 4:21–22 “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”  John 4:26 “Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”” 

Think about how restless the woman of Samaria must have been. She had been confronted by Christ on numerous occasions with a great deal of spiritual truths. She was constantly at odds with what Christ was saying. But you don’t have to live like that. Christ has revealed all of these truths to you.

The disciples, from a human perspective, seem to have had a great advantage. They were there. They were eyewitnesses. John says in 1 John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—”

But Jesus commends those whom He reveals the truth to who have not experienced Him tangibly. John 20:29 “Jesus said to [Thomas], “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.””  

Think of the magnificent ways Christ has opened your eyes to behold the truths hidden from the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-26. In verse 10, “If you only knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you.” You have the privilege of knowing who this is. You know Christ and Christ knows you.

Think of how great Christ’s gift is that no longer will you thirst again. No longer will you scavenge the earth in hopes of finding the proverbial fountain of life because the true fountain of living water is found in Christ. There is peace in that. Peace because God has promised to give it, provides it, and never takes it away from you. He leads you to still waters and ensures you are overwhelmed with eternal life.

You have peace with God because Christ has reconciled you to Himself. Romans 5:10–11 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

There is peace in God’s salvation. A peace that carries itself forward throughout your own life. A peace that surpasses all understanding. 

We have looked at three important aspects of the text, (1) spiritual separation, (2) spiritual worship, and (3) spiritual clarification. In light of Christ’s self-disclosure as Yahweh, we briefly touched again on the hypostatic union. And finally, we looked at two ways this applies to our own life in worshipping God in spirit and in truth, namely, (1) finding comfort in worshipping the Lord, and (2) finding peace in God’s gift of salvation. To conclude, I leave you with the first stanza of a wonderful hymn in light of worshipping God, It Is Well, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul!’”