In Spirit and Truth

We have seen that God receives worship that is given in faith, and that while sacrifices and offerings are good, the worship He truly desires is the sacrifice of praise. But what about more formal worship, such as the services that are held in our churches on Sunday morning? What principles should guide these services?

This is a matter of no small controversy; indeed, the question of what worship ought to look like is so hot, the debate is sometimes dubbed the “worship wars.” The battle frequently pits advocates of liturgical and non-liturgical worship (or formal and informal services). However, these labels represent something of a false dilemma. In the first place, any service has a liturgy (an order or pattern to what is done). Second, the word informal literally means “without form,” and there is always a form or structure to a worship service. The danger we must always guard against is dead formalism—simply going through the liturgy in a rote manner, with cold, uninvolved hearts. We must not let the form become the end in itself. Beyond that, the more significant question involves the content of our worship. What is being taught? The message that comes through in the liturgy must be Biblical above all else.

In John 4, Jesus has an encounter with a woman at a well in Samaria. Their talk turns to worship, and the woman, perhaps to divert the conversation from Jesus’ perceptive comments about her string of husbands, asks about the place where God ought to be worshiped. Jesus replies that it is no longer necessary to worship in one particular place, but He then goes on to make a more important point: “True worshipers [must] worship the Father in spirit and truth.” What is He saying? First of all, as we have seen, God wants us to worship from the depths of our souls, from hearts that have been converted by the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work and filled with love for Him. Second, God desires that the content of worship be true. Above all else, this means that worship ought to be an expression and celebration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth that Jesus Christ is the Savior of His people should shine through in every service of worship, no matter what the form. According to Jesus, God desires people who will worship Him in this way.