A True
Worshiper
(Jn 4:20-24)
A true worshiper
worships in Spirit and Truth (Jn 4:23). We all know that. We’ve also probably seen
this slogan at a Christian camp/retreat/conference some point in our lives. Yet,
what does it mean to be a true worshiper? What does Christ mean when He says in
the next verse: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth” (4:24)?
I think the phrase “[to] worship in Spirit and Truth” can
oftentimes be mentioned without an adequate explanation, contributing to why
the meaning of the verse can remain vague. Hence, this article will provide 4
points explaining what true worship means in light of its contextual passage
(Jn 4:20-24)—so that we may all aspire to be worshipers in Spirit and Truth.
1) True worship is not defined by physical actions of worship
This passage, including most of the Gospels, takes place
during a transitional period between the Old and New Covenant. Worship,
according to the Old Covenant, was at a distance (Exo 24:1) and mainly through
the form of animal sacrifices (1 Kings 12:28-32 etc.). Hence, when the
Samaritan woman said: “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that
in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship” (Jn 4:20), she was
referring to the act of worship—specifically the act of offering animal
sacrifices.
Yet, to her surprise, Christ responds by saying “the hour is
coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the
Father” (4:21) which foreshadows the veil of the temple being torn into two
(Matt 27:51), in which believers can directly access and worship God. Christ’s
response was indicating that worship was not purely about the act, for the act
of worship (animal sacrifices) can only take place through a standard location.
Christ then qualifies the statement by saying “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth” (Jn 4:24). Since God is Spirit—and not a physical being—true worship
cannot be defined by a physical act, but in
spirit (and truth).
Some Christians confine worship to the act of singing praises,
offering tithes, or some sort of outward
Christian service. Christ, on the other hand, is implying worship that is inward. This does not imply that
physical acts of worship, such as going to church to praise God in music and
song, is not worship at all, but that the physical acts by itself do not
qualify to true worship. True worship
must be more than physical acts.
2) True worship is not defined by setting
Hence, when true worship is not about physical acts, which can only be performed in certain locations, it is also not about the setting. Based off a
similar logic, when Christ said: “the hour is coming when neither on this
mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father” (4:21), He is implying
that true worship is not confined to, or defined by, a location. It does not
matter where we worship for God is Spirit—He is not a physical being. He cannot
be confined to be worshiped at a certain location, time, background, or setting.
But since He is spirit (4:24), true worshipers must “worship the Father in
spirit and truth” (4:23).
Some Christians think worship has to somewhat be confined to a
setting that is appropriate for worship—such as the mountain or the Jerusalem
temple, as understood by the Samaritan woman, or, in a present context, a
church or Christian setting with musical functions. Again, all of this focuses
on the outward, but Christ appears to be implying that the act of worship in a
certain setting, by itself, fails to be “true worship” in the
eyes of the Father. The Father “is seeking such people [worshipers in Spirit
and truth] to worship Him,” (4:23) people who do not only worship in a certain
setting by reproducing a certain act.
3) A true worshiper knows God
What then is true worship (or a true worshiper)? Christ begins
by saying: “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for
salvation is from the Jews” (4:22). “Salvation [being] from the Jews” refers to
Himself, the Messiah (4:25-26). Hence, this verse (4:22) makes a contrast
between the believers of God who know Whom they are worshiping—God—compared to the
Samaritan woman, who doesn’t. In fact, the woman in this discourse plays the
role of a false worshiper or a worshiper
who doesn’t know what she’s worshiping (until she finds Christ). She limits worship to physical acts, to
certain settings, and worse off, she doesn’t know what she’s worshiping. (If
you think worship is based on physical acts in certain settings, you might be
in a position similar to the Samaritan woman.)
Yet, Christ is saying that, in order to be a true worshiper,
one must know God—one must have a personal relationship with God. This is
evident from “in truth”. The Gospel of John clearly states that Christ Himself,
who is full of truth (1:14) and speaks the truth (8:45-46; 16:7), is the truth
(14:6)! Not only so, but so is His Word (17:17); and most importantly, the Holy
Spirit is the Spirit of truth (14:17; 15:26; 16:13)! Thus, to worship in spirit
and truth requires one to know God through the Spirit—who holds the truth.
Christ’s focus in this passage is not to make a distinction
between a true or false, better or worse, charismatic or stagnant act of
worship—but that all believers who are in the right relationship with God are true
worshipers. One who knows and has a relationship with God is a true
worshiper.
In fact, this is where the imperative (“must”) comes in. In
John 4:24, most translations write: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must
worship in spirit and truth.” (ESV, NIV, NRSV, ASV) Yet, the Greek word
translated as “must” is δεῖ (dei), which literally means
“it is necessary”. Thus, in a more literal sense, this verse indicates that in
order to worship (προσκυνεῖν—infinitive)—to present an
act of worship—it is necessary for
one to firstly have a relationship with God. One must know God in order to
worship Him.
4) A true worshiper loves God
While this passage does
not explicitly state that “a worshiper in spirit and truth loves God”, this
concept is clearly evoked throughout Johannine writings. John writes that those
who know Him keeps His commandments (1 Jn 2:3), and that those who say “I know
Him” but do not keep His commandments do not have the truth (2:4). Most importantly, John writes that: “but whoever keeps
His word, in him truly the love of
God is perfected” (2:5), which indicates that the love of God is directly tied
to the keeping of Christ’s Word (cf. Jn 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10; 1 Jn 5:3; 2 Jn
1:6). Scripture clearly presents that one who knows God, loves God. In the same
way, since a true worshiper knows God, he/she also loves God by keeping His
Word in the form of a relationship.
Scripture clearly presents
this: one who knows God, loves God, and that one who is in a right relationship
with God is a true worshiper—a worshiper who worships in spirit and truth. In
fact, this is evident throughout Scripture as those who knew God (Abraham,
Moses, David etc.) were always categorized by their love for Him—evident from
how they would keep God’s Word and commandments.
Conclusion & Application
In summary, Christ tells us in John 4:20-24 that a true
worshiper—a worshiper in Spirit and Truth—lives in a right relationship with
God. In Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, He contrasts a true
worshiper and a false worshiper, someone who focuses on the outward acts of
worship without truly knowing and loving God.
Please note that the text does not imply that all acts of worship
are meaningless. Worship can be an act, such as singing praises in music and
song with hands lifted high or the act of offering tithes. Yet, the act of worship
by itself is not what God is seeking. This is clear throughout Scripture. 1
Samuel 15:22 writes, “…“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings
and sacrifices as much as in obeying the
Lord? To obey (God’s Word) is better than
sacrifice...” The prophet Samuel was saying that God takes no delight in the acts of worship (OT: burnt offerings; present: songs, music,
tithes) when one is not obeying the Lord—the
sign of one being in a right relationship with Him!
A similar concept is stated in Isaiah 1:11-15: “The multitude of your sacrifices (acts of worship)—what are they to Me?...I
have more than enough of burnt offerings… Stop bringing meaningless offerings!....
when you spread out your hands in prayer, I
hide My eyes from you” (cf. Amos 5:21-27). Again, this verse shows that God
has little regard for our acts of worship when we are not living in the right
relationship with Him. Thus, the act of worship is only pleasing to the Lord when
the one who worships is in a right relationship with Him.
I pray that we may all guard our ways before we enter the
house of God (Eccl 5:1). This is not for the sake of religious piety or outward
displays of “righteousness” but so that we may be in communion with God as our heavenly
Father—for He seeks worshipers who worship in Spirit and Truth (Jn 4:23) and
knows those who love Him (1 Cor 8:3), working things for their good (Rom 8:28).
No comments:
Post a Comment