One of the key passages concerning worship is found in John 4:23-24 where Jesus talks about worshipping in Spirit and in Truth. What does He mean by that? Let's take a look Worshipping God is synonymous with Christian existence - John MacArthur ,
John MacArthur says that worshipping God is synonymous with Christian existence - with being a believer.[1]When talking about the topic of worship, many believers struggle to find a balance between spirit and truth. We see in John 4:23-24 Jesus telling the woman at the well that the true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth. What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth and how can we as modern day believers apply what Jesus said? Looking at this passage we find Jesus talking to the woman at the well. 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. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus here is giving some qualifications for worshippers. They are to worship in both spirit and truth. The key to this passage is the “and” between spirit and truth. This makes them mutually exclusive to each other. Jesus is saying we are not to worship in just spirit or just truth but worship in spirit and truth. This is something that the believers of today struggle with. Sometimes we experience things in our spirit that can be so strong that we feel it “must” be true. But if this experience does not line up with what scripture says then it is not truth. Ross explains that to worship in spirit is defined later with the description of God as Spirit. He says, “To worship in spirit is to worship in harmony with the Spirit of God.” When we worship in spirit we are aligning ourselves with God. He goes on further to explain that when we worship in harmony with the Spirit of God that we will worship in truth as well.[2]Michael Bleecker says, “Where the word of God is taught correctly, the opportunity exists for the informed worshippers to respond to God with their heart and mind, with affection and thought.”[3] When we worship in truth we are able to worship rightly in spirit aligning ourselves with the Spirit of God. We cannot know someone if we do not have a relationship with them and you cannot have a relationship with someone without communicating to them. God communicates to us through His word, it is how we know Him. When looking in the context in which this statement is made, during Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, we find another point to come from this statement. Ross points out that Jesus is telling this woman that genuine worship is not restricted to a specific location. This was because the Father had sent the Son. Jesus opened the way to the Father through His death on the cross and called Himself the temple (John 2:19). With the arrival of Jesus, worship was no longer restricted to a specific location but can now be done anywhere. When it comes to application of these verses, it is very easy to be theoretical, but we need to be practical. Bleecker shares a story about a young man who would come to church and sing some of the great hymns of his time but not know what he was singing about. So while he was singing in spirit and truth these songs held minimal meaning to him. After the meaning behind certain words used in some of the hymns and where they come from in scripture this young man gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of the hymns.[4]Bleecker again says “Our biblical theology should inform and propel our doxology.”[5]Our studying of God’s word should catapult us into times of worship. Taking a look at Paul in Romans 1-11, we see him launched into praise after going through topics that are theologically rich. The thing that Paul knew to be true because he had spent time with God, getting to know God on a personal and intimate level, pushed him to align his spirit is God’s in worship. One of the dangers of simply worshiping in only spirit is that our worship becomes an emotional experience only. This kind of emotional experience can become trouble because it can become confusing for a believer who “feels” close to God but does not know why or is not sure if what they are singing about it true. Bleecker warns that a deficient view of the Word of God results in a deficient view of God.[6]On the other end of the spectrum when you worship only in truth you run the risk of becoming spiritually dead, letting knowledge of God (head knowledge) take position over knowing God (heart knowledge). As believers applying this passage would look like letting our worship flow from our growing relationship with Christ, learning the truth about Him and letting it propel us into worship. As a final thought, worship in spirit and in truth is to worship in such a way that our spirit aligns with the Spirit of God and is propelled by our study of the truth of God’s word. We need to make sure that we are worshiping in both spirit and in truth and that our study of God is propelling our worship of Him. Footnotes: Bleecker, Michael. Doxology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader. Edited by Matt Boswell. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2013 MacArthur, John. True Worship. John Macarthur's Bible Studies. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985. Ross, Allen P. Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006. [1]John MacArthur, True Worship, John Macarthur's Bible Studies (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), pg 28 [2]Allen P. Ross, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006), pg384 [3]Michael Bleecker, Doxology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader, ed. Matt Boswell (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), pg 45 [4]Michael Bleecker, Doxology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader, ed. Matt Boswell (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), pg 43-45 [5]Michael Bleecker, Doxology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader, ed. Matt Boswell (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), pg 46 [6]Michael Bleecker, Doxology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader, ed. Matt Boswell (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), pg 53
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