“But a time is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” —John 4:23–24
Jesus tells us the old has gone and the new has now come. Paul puts it this way:
“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” —2 Corinthians 5:17
No longer bound to worship in the ceremonial way of the Mosaic Law, Jesus shows us what is essential and necessary: to worship God in both spirit and truth. The stress is placed on our minds and our hearts. I am reminded of a time when God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to His people in regard to trusting in their place of worship rather than in Him. At that time in history, the Jews mistakenly thought they were safe to do all sorts of detestable practices because they worshipped in the temple of the Lord—practicing a form of outward religion, with no inward change:
“The LORD said to Jeremiah: ‘Stand in the gate of the LORD’s temple and proclaim this message: “Listen to the LORD’s message, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the LORD. The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, ‘We are safe! The temple of the LORD is here!’” —Jeremiah 7:1–4
Jesus tells us we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. We are to depend on God’s Holy Spirit for strength and assistance, worshiping with sincerity of heart and bringing glory to the One we worship because we believe Him to be true. Paul says:
“For we are … the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials.” —Philippians 3:3
This true form of worship begins by setting our hearts and minds on things above—earnestly seeking to bring heavenly direction to our earthly duties by fixing our attention on the eternal rather than the temporal. We are told in Colossians:
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him.” —Colossians 3:1–4
Become More
Simply put, the more we know Him the more we love Him. The more we love Him the more we desire to worship Him. The more we worship Him the more we desire to serve Him. Our worship of Him mirrors the condition of our hearts. The true worship which God desires from His children works from the inside out. Our worship of Him should result in personal transformation.
Further Reflections
“As a contrite heart is the most pleasing temple of God; so speaking with God in words of our own, as a child does with his father, is the best book of prayer. The most cunning method, by which Satan deceives many now, is the mistaking of an extensive knowledge and assurance of their own making, not witnessed by the Spirit, for true faith; or trusting on some outward form of worship, or having communion with others, or pretending to gospel experience and liberty, and thereby claiming the office of building up souls, though a true change was never wrought in their own hearts. For what can all our reading, prayers, going to church and sacrament, profit us, without this? Before all this shall be acceptable to the Lord, we must be renewed in our minds, and prove by our words and deeds that we are the living temples of God.” —K. H. Von Bogatzky
“Jesus showed us what God really wants to cleanse and purify–our hearts. Christ’s transforming work on the cross helps us to break free from desires that hold us in bondage. As we submit to God, we become like Christ, no longer wanting to offend God. Out of gratitude we obey Him from the inside out.” —Tremper Longman