What It Means to Worship in Spirit and Truth

Now, let’s turn to the words of Jesus about worship in the New Testament. Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Without going into the background, he says,

“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.”

That’s a remarkable statement, isn’t it? Almighty God is seeking for those who will worship Him. But we have to worship Him according to His terms: in spirit and in truth.

And then Jesus goes on in the next verse,

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

So, in worship, I believe it’s our spirit that relates directly to God as Spirit. See, according to the Bible, man consists of three elements: spirit, soul, and body.

I think our soul is very active in praise and thanksgiving. But when it comes to worship, then it’s our spirit in direct communion with God’s Spirit. And we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Without the Holy Spirit, we really cannot worship Him.

I think those of you who have had an experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit will bear me out. It changes the way you worship. You have a new dimension. That doesn’t make us perfect or superior to other people, but it does release something in us that makes us capable of appreciating what worship ought to be.

But it also says “in truth.” And truth, I believe, requires sincerity. And I really believe it’s extremely important that we learn to be sincere in our worship.

Just to illustrate this, I want to take a little picture from the book of Leviticus. Leviticus is the Old Testament book about priestly ordinances and sacrifices. In connection with the sacrifices, the Lord gives directions as to what may be offered and sacrificed, and what may not be offered.

In verses 1 and 2, he demands that a certain aromatic gum, called frankincense, shall be always offered on every sacrifice. Let’s look at it.

“When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it,” which is a type of the Holy Spirit, “and frankincense, and put frankincense on it. He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil, with all the frankincense, and the priest shall burn it as a memorial on the altar, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.”

Frankincense, in the Old Testament, is a type of worship. And our offerings, given to God, also serve the ministers of God, the priesthood. But there’s one part of our offering that never goes to anybody but God. That’s the frankincense, the worship. How important it is, remember, we do not offer worship to any human being at any time, but only to the Lord.

Now, frankincense is a kind of aromatic gum that comes from a tree. And when it’s burned, it gives forth a beautiful fragrance. It has no real beauty in itself, but it has this beautiful fragrance. And that’s what God wants. That’s what our worship becomes to God: a beautiful, aromatic fragrance that rises up in His nostrils.

On the other hand, there’s one thing that must not be put on the offerings of God. If you look in verse 11 of the same chapter,

“‘No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, nor shall you burn—for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey—in offering to the Lord made by fire.’”

Now, honey, before it’s in the fire, is sweet and tasty. But when it’s burned, it becomes a black, sticky mess. And what the Lord is saying is, “Don’t you offer to Me any worship that won’t stand the fire.”

Offer to Me frankincense, ‘cause the more the fire, the sweeter it becomes. But don’t offer to Me worship that, when you’re tested and tried, becomes a black, sticky mess.

Think of that. Ask yourself, am I putting honey on my prayers, or are they with frankincense? Am I telling God sweet things that I won’t live out, or am I offering, praying to Him, in spirit and in truth?

One final, very vivid picture of worship is in 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 16 and 17. Now, this is a very frank passage, like the Bible is a frank book. And Paul says,

“Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ God says, ‘shall become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

Now, we’ve got to be frank and see the contrast. The first example is physical, sexual, immoral union. But right together with that, parallel to that, Paul speaks about the one who is joined to the Lord in the spirit. In other words, there’s two kinds of union: there’s physical union, and there’s union in the spirit.

What is worship? That’s what it is. It’s the only way our spirits can unite directly with God. And out of that union, there comes procreation. Worship is what makes us spiritually productive.