In John 4:24 are recorded the fundamentals of worship, “those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Why did Jesus say these words?
Jesus was speaking here to a Samaritan woman. He was concerned about the true nature of worship. In His discussion with the Samaritan woman, we learn that although the Samaritans worshipped the same God as the Jews, their worship was inadequate and imperfect and therefore unacceptable to God. In John 4:22 Jesus says, “You worship what you do not know…” The Samaritans rejected all of the Old Testament books except for the first five books of Moses. Now, as wonderful as the first five books of Moses are, they were never intended to give a full and complete understanding of how one is to worship God. The Samaritans had only a limited knowledge of God, of His power, of His Spirit and of His truth.
So, Jesus comes to this Samaritan and tells her that God desires only those who worship Him in “spirit and in truth.” In other words, there was nothing spiritual about the Samaritans worship, nor was such worship in accordance with the truth. The Samaritan worship was a work of the flesh, centered upon the abilities and merits of men rather than upon the workings and wonders of God on behalf of men. Does any of this bear relevance for today? I say, “Yes!” Today we see much of the same problems in our churches as experienced by the Samaritans of Jesus’ day. Certainly the desire in most “evangelical” churches today is to worship the same God that you and I seek to worship on any given Sunday. Yet, as based upon what se see being passed off as worship, it is clear that many are not worshipping God “in spirit and in truth.” Much of worship in the Church today is far more man-focused than God-centered. It is more man-generated than Spirit-led. It is based more on a “touchy/feely” attitude than it is on truth. And, to the great detriment of the Church, much of the Church has rejected most of the writings of the Old and New Testaments, at least when it comes to their worship, focusing only on a few topics like the love of God, the forgiveness of God, and, some even include such non-Scriptural ideas like the value and ability of man. Just like the Samaritans, we have a whole host of church-goers who “worship what they do not know” as they seek to worship God out of spiritual ignorance, Biblical illiteracy, and woeful incompetence when it comes to knowing the things of God. As John Calvin noted,
“We are not to essay anything in religion rashly or unthinkingly. For unless there is knowledge present, it is not God that we worship but a spectre or ghost. Hence, all the so-called good intentions are struck by this thunderbolt, which tells us that men can do nothing but err when they are guided by their own opinion without the Word or command of God.”
Jesus was speaking here to a Samaritan woman. He was concerned about the true nature of worship. In His discussion with the Samaritan woman, we learn that although the Samaritans worshipped the same God as the Jews, their worship was inadequate and imperfect and therefore unacceptable to God. In John 4:22 Jesus says, “You worship what you do not know…” The Samaritans rejected all of the Old Testament books except for the first five books of Moses. Now, as wonderful as the first five books of Moses are, they were never intended to give a full and complete understanding of how one is to worship God. The Samaritans had only a limited knowledge of God, of His power, of His Spirit and of His truth.
So, Jesus comes to this Samaritan and tells her that God desires only those who worship Him in “spirit and in truth.” In other words, there was nothing spiritual about the Samaritans worship, nor was such worship in accordance with the truth. The Samaritan worship was a work of the flesh, centered upon the abilities and merits of men rather than upon the workings and wonders of God on behalf of men. Does any of this bear relevance for today? I say, “Yes!” Today we see much of the same problems in our churches as experienced by the Samaritans of Jesus’ day. Certainly the desire in most “evangelical” churches today is to worship the same God that you and I seek to worship on any given Sunday. Yet, as based upon what se see being passed off as worship, it is clear that many are not worshipping God “in spirit and in truth.” Much of worship in the Church today is far more man-focused than God-centered. It is more man-generated than Spirit-led. It is based more on a “touchy/feely” attitude than it is on truth. And, to the great detriment of the Church, much of the Church has rejected most of the writings of the Old and New Testaments, at least when it comes to their worship, focusing only on a few topics like the love of God, the forgiveness of God, and, some even include such non-Scriptural ideas like the value and ability of man. Just like the Samaritans, we have a whole host of church-goers who “worship what they do not know” as they seek to worship God out of spiritual ignorance, Biblical illiteracy, and woeful incompetence when it comes to knowing the things of God. As John Calvin noted,
“We are not to essay anything in religion rashly or unthinkingly. For unless there is knowledge present, it is not God that we worship but a spectre or ghost. Hence, all the so-called good intentions are struck by this thunderbolt, which tells us that men can do nothing but err when they are guided by their own opinion without the Word or command of God.”
I might add to this a quote by Gardiner Spring (1829) who said, "It is a common and just maxim that men easily believe that to be right which they wish to be right."
Lord, protect us from our vanity, our own self-tendency toward thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3) and of being wise in our own opinion (Romans 12:16). May You alone be exalted in all we say and do to the glory of Your name. Amen.
Final thoughts tomorrow.
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