True Worship (4:20-26)

I’m about ready to give up entirely on trying to communicate with anyone under 35. A year or so ago I recall using the word “low key” with the teens, and they all laughed at me. I was personally crushed. I’m still somewhat traumatized and try to avoid any conversation with them. And, I’m still not exactly sure what “low key” means anymore.

Of course, google offered me a definition and seems to indicate that “low key” is now somewhat synonymous with “kind of” or “slightly.” “I lowkey like her.” “I’m lowkey sad that my roommate is moving out.” Or, my favorite, “I lowkey wanna eat an entire cake.” Of course, after being harassed by the teens, I highkey wanted to eat an entire cake!

The meaning of words has changed so drastically, and I just can’t seem to keep up. I recall one really funny interaction I saw between a mom and her son.

(Mom) Your great aunt just passed away. LOL

(Son) Why is that funny?

(Mom) It’s not funny David! Wht do you mean?

(Son) Mom lol means laughing out loud!

(Mom) Oh my goodness!! I sent that to everyone I thought it meant lots of love. I have to call everyone back

Communicating can be really dangerous. The words we choose to use are very important. Both, using the correct word and using it correctly is extremely important in order to communicate the idea you desire.

So then, I offer you the word “worship.” What comes to mind? Maybe a time of singing comes to mind, maybe ideas such as worship service, a style of music, a certain liturgy, or an experience. In our context, we likely think of “praise and worship.”

I love the worship at our church, it’s so genuine and relevant.

We have a time of worship prior to the message each Sunday.

Our worship band does an amazing job of worship each week.

In our current church culture, worship is very often defined primarily by music, a style, a level of energy, a group, etc. Regardless of your understanding, most of us would agree that worship is important – even if we are not exactly sure or in agreement as to what worship really is.

So then, we need to define worship. We are going to do that, but before we do let’s first see the context once again.

The Samaritan Woman. When the Samaritan woman realized that Jesus was an important religious figure, her first question involved the proper place of worship. She inquires to Jesus, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship” (). Her question exposes the error of Samaritan worship. While the Samaritans had accepted the books of Moses, they had not accepted any of the following Old Testament. The rest of the canon revealed to the Jews a proper place of worship and the appropriate manner and directions in worship. This is why Jesus says, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” ().

In spirit and truth. Much discussion surrounds the wording “in spirit and truth.” Many, if not most commentators consider this phrase to be a hendiadys. A hendiadys is the expression of a single idea by two words connected.

Michaels. “Spirit and truth,” like “grace and truth,” are a hendiadys, that is, coordinate grammatically but not coordinate in meaning. Just as “truth” specified what “grace” or gift it was that Jesus possessed and brought into the world (1:14, 17), so “truth” here defines “Spirit” as “true” Spirit, or “Spirit of truth” (see 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; ).[1]

Lenski. They shall worship the Father “in spirit and truth.” One preposition joins the two nouns and thus makes of the two one idea.[2]

While the grammatical evidence points to the phrase equating to a singular idea, it seems likely that the singular idea implies multiple aspects. For instance, I often use the phrase “warm and comfy.” By the phrase I intend to communicate a singular idea but the context likely involves a number of aspects. I likely refer to a warm drink along with sitting or laying on a comfy couch or in front of a warm fire place with a comfy blanket. No one of those elements equates to “warm and comfy” by themselves but all of them (or some of them) together communicate the singular idea of “warm and comfy.”

I would like to propose that “in spirit and truth” communicates one idea but that one idea involves multiple aspects. First, our worship is no longer confined primarily to physical places and external practices (i.e. physical sacrifices in the physical temple). Jesus tells the woman that the Jews are correct in their place of worship. But, he goes on to admit that the place of worship will soon be irrelevant. “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father” (). So then, whatever worship is, it isn’t confined to one specific place.

Michaels. It is an impending, even imminent future, for it is the goal toward which the narrative itself is moving (see vv. 35–36). It is a time in which the holy places now dividing Jew from Samaritan no longer matter.[3]

Secondly, our worship now surrounds the reality of Christ instead of the pictures of a future coming Messiah and Savior. Jesus goes on to say, “the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (). Jews offered sacrifices that were a picture of a future perfect sacrifice. Christ is that perfect sacrifice. Ever since Christ was sacrificed, the manner and form of worship changed. Jesus told the woman “the hour is coming” because he had not yet been killed, but also admitted it “is now here” because the reality of all the past pictures and allusions was standing in front of her. Christ was right there.

Michaels. Worship “in Spirit and truth” does not necessarily mean non-liturgical or noninstitutional worship, nor does it favor “inward” individual worship over “outward” corporate worship. Rather, it is worship appropriate to the nature and character of God, and if God’s nature is revealed only in “God the One and Only, the One who is right beside the Father” (1:18), then such worship is impossible until “the One and Only” has come.[4]

Third, our worship is enabled more fully by the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Worship has always been enabled by the Spirit. No one has ever humbled themselves to the greatness of God and submitted to Him with their whole being without the work of the Spirit. But, unlike the Old Testament saints, we have the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples, in , that he needed to go so that the Spirit of truth could come. “You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (). The Spirit already dwelled with them, but there was going to be a point in their future where he would dwell in them. Our ability and manner of worship was transformed by the presence of the Spirit within us.

Kruse. Most likely it means worship through the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus would give to those who believed in him, and in accordance with the truth of God as it has been made known through the person and teaching of Jesus. The Father seeks people who will worship him in the Spirit and in accordance with the teaching of Jesus. This is a reminder that worship is not restricted to what we do when we come together in church, but about the way we relate to God through the Spirit and in accordance with the teaching of Jesus, and that touches the whole of life.[5]

Fourth, our worship has been further enhanced by additional revelation. We now possess more revelation than the Old Testament saints.

It is true that “true worship” has always been done by genuinely transformed hearts and not merely out of obligation. But, following Christ’s resurrection and the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit, genuine worship takes on its long-intended form.

Therefore, “in spirit and truth” does not equate to a simple wooden equation, as if spirit = The Spirit or our spiritual worship or internal worship in contrast to external worship . . . and truth = Jesus as truth or scripture as the truth.

In one sense “in spirit and truth” does not equate to any one of those things and in another sense the singular idea of “spirit and truth” equates to all of them.

Barnes. In spirit. The word spirit, here, stands opposed to rites and ceremonies, and to the pomp of external worship. It refers to the mind, the soul, the heart. They shall worship God with a sincere mind; with the simple offering of gratitude and prayer; with a desire to glorify him, and without external pomp and splendour. Spiritual worship is that where the heart is offered to God, and where we do not depend on external forms for acceptance. In truth. Not through the medium of shadows and types, not by means of sacrifices and bloody offerings, but in the manner represented or typified by all these, , . In the true way of direct access to God through Jesus Christ.[6]

So then, what is a definition of worship. And once again we come back to the idea of the importance of accurate definitions. I’ve already hinted at the fact that worship is not simply what we do during our singing at church, but I haven’t defined what it is.

Generic Worship. If we were to start with a dictionary definition, it would at least start us in a good direction. The Concise English Dictionary defines worship as “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity . . . great admiration or devotion.”[7] That helps us, but most certainly it falls short of a complete understanding of biblical worship or Christian worship.

True Biblical Worship. Well-meaning people, motivated by a desire for simplicity, have offered concise definitions of worship in the context of a Christian’s life. The etymology for the word worship reveals that the word derives from the word “worth-ship” or “worthiness.” Therefore, some offer a simple definition for worship as “giving God his worth.” While this is catchy, it is not helpful. How do I do that? What is God worth and how do I give him what He’s worth?

The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible offers a simple yet more practical definition as it defines worship as an “expression of reverence and adoration of God.”[8] Although not stated, we can deduce from this definition that worship is an acknowledgement of who God is and a submission to him over oneself and that submission exhibits itself in external actions.

I might add empowered by the Holy Spirit. Not to get into the distinctions between the Holy Spirits work in the Old Testament and New . . .

True Christian Worship. But that definition still falls short in defining Christian worship. Elements of Christian worship. (1) It has always been submission to and adoration for a greater being, (2) has always been directed to God, (3) It has as well always been primarily internal but (4) has external manifestations. All the words translated as worship in either Old or New Testament are almost always accompanied by both concepts of internal and external worship.[9] (5) Focuses on Christ, otherwise what Jesus says about the change in worship doesn’t make any sense. Jesus admits that key components of worship is going to change now that he was there. His presence and work on earth transformed worship. (6) It can’t conflict with truth whether scriptural truths or truths about Christ. Whatever “in spirit and truth” means it must include that all worship must be consistent with truth, whether that is the truth of God’s Word or Christ who is the truth.[10] (7) Worship has always been empowered by the Holy Spirit, but now the Spirit is not just with us but is within us ().[11] (8) It is no longer limited to a certain time and space.

Carson’s definition. Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so. This side of the Fall, human worship of God properly responds to the redemptive provisions that God has graciously made. While all true worship is God-centered, Christian worship is no less Christ-centered. Empowered by the Spirit and in line with the stipulations of the new covenant, it manifests itself in all our living, finding its impulse in the gospel, which restores our relationship with our Redeemer-God and therefore also with our fellow image-bearers, our co-worshipers. Such worship therefore manifests itself both in adoration and in action, both in the individual believer and in corporate worship, which is worship offered up in the context of the body of believers, who strive to align all the forms of their devout ascription of all worth to God with the panoply of new covenant mandates and examples that bring to fulfillment the glories of antecedent revelation and anticipate the consummation.[12]

Corporate worship. So then, what do we do when we come together? Corporate worship is a relatively small portion of true Christian worship. If we are to worship throughout all our lives, then of course our time together ought to be worship as well.

In other words, worship becomes the category under which we order everything in our lives. Whatever we do, even if we are simply eating or drinking, whatever we say, in business or in the home or in church assemblies, we are to do all to the glory of God. That is worship. And when we come together, we engage in worship in a corporate fashion.[13]

William Law goes so far to say that “there is not one command in all the gospel for public worship; and perhaps it is a duty that is least insisted upon in scripture of any other. . . . Whereas that religion or devotion which is to govern the ordinary actions of our life, is to be found in almost every verse of scripture.”[14] This greatly contrasts to the common understanding of worship that seems to limit worship to the 4 or 5 songs a church sings each Sunday morning.

The notion of a “worship leader” who leads the “worship” part of the service before the sermon (which, then, is no part of worship!) is so bizarre, from a New Testament perspective, as to be embarrassing.[15]

Tozer. It is entirely possible for humans to have recognized forms of worship apart from Christ and apart from the salvation He offers. . . I need to go even a little further beyond that statement to point out a similar and parallel truth. Authentic religious experience is altogether possible apart from Christ . . . Yes, I said there may be worship apart from Christ and I said there may be authentic religious experience apart from Christ. But I did not say—and I do not believe—that such religious experience or forms of worship are acceptable to God. There are certain kinds of worship that God will not accept, though they may be directed toward Him and meant to be given to Him . . . Men and women on this earth ought never to fool themselves about the reality of true worship that must always be in spirit and truth. It is plainly possible to have religious experience and forms of worship that are not at all acceptable to God.[16]

[1] Michaels, The Gospel of John, 253.

[2] Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Gospel, 322.

[3] J. Ramsey Michaels, The Gospel of John, The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 253.

[4] Michaels, The Gospel of John, 253.

[5] Colin G. Kruse, The Letters of John (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010), 136.

[6] Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke and John, 218.

[7] Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, eds., Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).

[8] Walter A Elwell and Barry J Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), 2164.

[9] In the O.T. “worship” literally means to “bow down,” but it is not the only word that is translated “bow down.” There are a number of words that are translated “bow down.” In fact in many passages two different words that have the meaning of “bow down” are present. “Then the man bowed low and worshiped the LORD” (). Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker” (). "And I bowed low and worshiped the LORD” (). “Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship” (). When this is the case, one of them is translated “bow down” and the second shaha is translated “worship.” You could technically translate these verses, “then the man bowed low and bowed down to the Lord.”

For both words to be present there must be a reason and a distinction between the two. I believe that the distinction is that one of them is a physical action which is the result of the internal reality of worship. When someone is truly worshipping in “spirit and truth” there are natural physical activities. These activities may be anything from service to praise, from singing to listening attentively.

This same principle is also seen in the New Testament, but both ideas are seen in the one word translated in John as proskuneo. In , the word used is proskuneo. Friberg defines this word as “bow down to kiss someone's feet, . . . veneration of a divine . . . expressed concr. w. falling face down in front of someone.” The primary meaning for this word in the New Testament conveys both aspects that are seen in the Old Testament: “veneration of a divine object” which is the internal aspect and that is seen externally “with falling face down in front of” the object of worship.

Even though the word itself implies both the internal and external aspect of worship, there are many passages that speak of worship accompanied with an external action. “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him” (). “they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him” (). “Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him” (). “And the elders fell down and worshiped” (, , , ).

[10] Christ is the truth (the incarnate Word). “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (). We would know nothing of God if it were not for Christ. “So they were saying to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also." (). And we would not have a relationship with God if it were not for Christ. “no one comes to the Father but through Me” (). The Word of God is truth (the written Word). As Christ is God’s incarnate Word, the Word of God is God’s written Word. It is through His written Word, that today we know more of Him.

[11] “even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (). The Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” (). The Spirit reveals all divine truth to both man today and the authors of scripture (; ).

[12] R. Kent Hughes, Timothy J. Keller, and Mark Ashton, Worship by the Book, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2002), 26.

[13] Hughes, Keller, and Ashton, 46.

[14] William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life: Adapted to the State and Condition of All Orders of Christians, 18th ed. (Boston: T. Bedlington, 1821), 31, https://books.google.com/books?id=pytMAAAAYAAJ.

[15] Hughes, Keller, and Ashton, Worship by the Book, 47.

[16] A. W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship? (Camp Hill, Pa: Christian Publications, 1985), 10th paragraph of chapter 3.

True Worship (4:20-26)

The Context

Definition of Worship

Conclusion