The Lord Jesus stated in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (NKJV).  This portion speaks of true worshippers.  True worshipper SHALL WORSHIP the Father and true worship is accomplished in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.  Let’s look at these two requirements separately.  But, first, let’s consider what true worship is. 

Worship is often defined as ‘worth-ship’ as a way we honor the Lord according to what He is and what He means to each of us…His worth to us.  One of the best descriptions of worship is that “it is the honor and adoration which are rendered to Him by reason of what He is in Himself, and what He is to those who render it.” (Concise Bible Dictionary).  The Greek word for worship (proskynéō) is defined as: “to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore).”  The Bible teaches us that while the Lord Jesus came to seek and to save the lost ones (Luke 19:10), the Father seeks worshippers.  Indeed, His person and His work demand the grateful worship of our hearts. How gracious is our Lord that He does not wait for us to seek Him to worship Him.  NO!  HE SEEKS US for the privilege of worshipping Him.

IN SPIRIT – Because God is spirit, He desires and expects spiritual worship from those who believe in Him.  God does not have a body.  He is not material or comprised of parts.  He is invisible, as we read in 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”  God is eternal and His presence fills the earth and heavens. He is omnipresent and all-knowing, therefore the worship we offer Him MUST be spiritual, free from any external conformity to religious rituals or places.  No longer does one have to seek out the ‘proper place’ to worship the Lord.  He exists in all places, therefore we can worship Him wherever we are, whenever we are prompted to worship and adore Him. To worship ‘in spirit’ does not here refer to the Holy Spirit, but it speaks of true worship coming from the heart, or spirit, of the true believer. (Of course, all true worship will be by the agent of the Holy Spirit). 

IN TRUTH – True spiritual worship of God, our Father, must be consistent with the revealed truth of the Lord made known in the scriptures.  The Old Testament Law reveals relatively little to us about who God is.  The Lord Jesus reveals God to us in His own person.  Christ “is the image of the invisible God…” (Colossians 1:15).  Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ is “the express image of his (God’s) person…”  The Lord Jesus said of Himself in John 14:6, “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  To know who God truly is, we learn more about His Son.  The more we know about the Lord Jesus, the better equipped we are to worship God in truth.  It is such a dangerous thing to try to appeal to God as we suppose or desire Him to be.  God is God in all His glorious and perfect attributes.  Indeed, the more we know about Him, the more we will desire to worship Him in spirit and in truth. 

Hebrews 13:15-16 instructs us, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”  We must give to God (in worship) that which is proper and fitting for Him.  It comes from the heart filled with love for and obedient knowledge of Him.  I will end by saying that to be proper worshippers of God, we need to be proper students of His Word.  (CC)  (714.4)