Spirit and Truth

“Jesus said to her, 'Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 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.’” –John 4:21,23

Have you ever had scoffers shove the scriptures back in your face when confronted with a passage that undermines their lifestyle choice? “Do you eat shellfish and wear polyester-cotton blends?” they pointedly ask. “You’re just cherry-picking the verses in the Bible you want to follow!” They may leave us stumped in trying to defend our position, wondering why we are compelled to follow some parts and not others.

So take notice, it is here in this passage that Jesus indicates the hinge, “a time” when the ceremonial “shadows” (Col 2:16-17) like the physical place of worship, are replaced with something greater. He is not speaking of an event in history, but rather the revelation of Himself in His-own-story. New hearts are being granted as promised, and are now called to true obedience (Eze 11:19-20; 36:26-27)—a life of “worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). The object lessons are being replaced by larger, spiritual realities for those who truly seek God and His kingdom (ex: Mat 5-7; Mar 4:11). They may appear to be abolished, but they are in fact now “fulfilled” (Mat 5:17).

Let’s begin.

PHYSICAL PLACE

“You must not worship the Lord your God the way they worship. But you must seek only the place he chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence, and you must go there.” –Deuteronomy 12:4-5, NET

When Israel was to conquer the nations in Canaan and take possession of the promised land, God gave them explicit instructions to NOT worship the LORD as the former inhabitants worshiped their gods. They were to destroy every “high place” of idolatry, shattering and burning the sacred statues and pillars in order to eliminate the very memory of such ‘worship’ in these places (Deu 12:2-4). In contrast, the people of Israel were to worship God only in the location of His choosing.

Why? Because God is Holy (Psa 99:9). He is too high to reach (Psa 139:6). Only that ground where the revelation of God burns bright is declared holy (ex: Exo 3:5). Men are not to construct high places where we determine to reach heaven (Gen 11:4), but rather God determines a place where He will come down to mankind (ex: Exo 3:12). Thus, we must come out from the world by faith to the space where God appears to us (ex: Gen 12:1-7).

Notice that in John 4, Jesus hints that the Samaritan practice of worshiping God “on this mountain” was unlawful in ignorance: “You worship what you do not know” (John 4:22). However, He then renders the issue inconsequential, saying that His appearing (“now is here”) signaled that God was doing a brand new thing (Isa 43:19). “New wine” required “new wineskins” (Mat 9:17). Authentic worship would require the old temple be replaced with a new one (John 2:17-22).

God despises religious “worship” that has become hollow theatrics (Amos 5:21-23). He desires to shut such temple doors and extinguish their lampstands (Mal 1:10). Even though He commanded temple lights to be perpetually lit (Exo 27:20), when the hearts of the people are not aflame (Rom 12:11), the praise on their lips becomes worthless (Mat 15:8-9).

True worship is no longer bound to a physical place within a physical nation where God’s name rests. God has determined a “way” (John 14:6) that trailed through the wilderness of every “tribe and tongue” (Rev 5:9), in order to build a place for “every nation” to come and worship God (Act 10:35). This “temple” would be a single body built on the “cornerstone of Jesus Christ” into a “dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:16-22), a holy home “not made with human hands” (Act 17:24), a “spiritual house” made of “living stones” (1Pe 2:5) with each “pillar” signed by Jesus (Rev 3:12). Now the sacred assembly is where we go to worship (Heb 10:25). For wherever two or more members gather in Jesus’ name, God now dwells in our midst (Mat 18:20).

FOOD AND DRINK

“This is the law of the land animals, the birds, all the living creatures that move in the water, and all the creatures that swarm on the land, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the living creatures that may be eaten and the living creatures that must not be eaten.” –Leviticus 11:46-47, NET

Even though the LORD confirms the existence of physical distinction in the animal kingdom before the law (Gen 7:2), He declared all animals available for food following the great flood (Gen 9:3). It was not until Moses that detailed parameters are given as to which animals God’s people are permitted to eat (Lev 11:2-23). This was to teach Israel to be set apart even in mealtime choices (Lev 20:26). For even the act of consumption is a part of worship.

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” –1 Corinthians 10:31

Yet it is not the physical food that enters and exits our stomach that truly defiles us (Mark 7:18-19), as was represented ceremonially in the law (ex: Lev 11; Deu 14:3-21). Rather, Jesus declares it is what comes out of our HEART (through the mouth) that makes us unclean (Mat 15:11). This is why Paul concludes, “no food should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” (1Ti 4:4), because Jesus declared “all foods are clean” (Mark 7:19).

Physical food matters only as much as it is nourishment from God for our physical frame (Psa 104:14-15) in order to empower it unto service to Him (Deu 6:5). Life is more than sustaining and satisfying this temporary tent of a body (Luke 12:23; 2Co 5:1), nor does God’s kingdom “consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Only those that serve Christ “in this way” truly please Him (Rom 14:17-18).

True worship then is not bound to an external menu, but spirit-filled hearts are fed by faith (Rom 14:23). Worshipers are no longer consecrated by meat selection, but “set apart in truth” (John 17:17). We have been given the tree of life (Rev 2:7), satisfied because we crave righteousness (Mat 5:6), the flesh of Christ our pure food (John 6:53-58), His “loyal love” the superior dish (Psa 63:1-3).

CLOTHING

“You must not wear clothing made with wool and linen meshed together. You shall make yourselves tassels for the four corners of the clothing you wear.” –Deuteronomy 22:11-12

There are only a few commands regarding clothing in the law, just a couple of verses strewn among other commands. God’s people were not to wear “a garment made of two different kinds of material” (Lev 19:19). They were to instead put on tassels that drew attention to God’s faithfulness (Num 15:38-41). This was to emphasize that Israel was to be separate from the world even in covering choices (Lev 20:26). Again, everything was to be done to the “glory of God” (1Co 10:31). What we wear is a part of worship.

“The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” –Genesis 3:21, NET

Clothing both covers and communicates. It is purposed to conceal those parts that illicit lustful desires and multiply sinful flesh, and instead put focus on the head—that which should shine with the countenance of God (Exo 34:30; 2Co 4:6) and lead the body in image-bearing behavior (Gen 1:27; Mat 5:16; 1Ti 2:9-10). Thus, when we display our nakedness or dress to attract attention to the parts we should cover, we are making ourselves objects of worship. We are exalting a dark and shattered mirror, instead of reflecting the light we were meant to embody (Gen 1:27; Mat 5:16). We are drawing attention to our fleshly body instead of humbly serving as a member of Christ’s (Rom 12:4-8; 1Co 12:20-27), giving glory to the Head (Col 1:18). This spirit of idolatry seeks to sinfully exploit others in order to bring glory to itself. But in doing so, our shame is exposed (Jer 13:26) and we declare God a liar by saying we have no need of His covering (1Jo 1:10; Gen 3:21).

However, no physical garment can cover our shame nor make us pure (Gen 3:7). Just as the blood of bulls and goats never atoned for sin (Heb 10:4), outer garments point to the need for us all to be covered by a sacrifice (Gen 3:21). The external person may masquerade as something he is not (ex: Deu 22:5), but we cannot escape judgment by pretending (ex: 1Ki 22:30-37). God sees past every pretense and peers into the heart (1Sa 16:7). Any righteousness costume is nothing but the filthiest laundry (Isa 64:6).

Therefore, true worshipers recognize their need for new garments in order to stand before God approved (Mat 22:11-13), and so dress in spirit and truth to cover their spiritual nakedness (Rev 3:18). They are unconcerned with the purity of the physical fabric, but firm in the single substance of the spiritual cloth (Gal 3:27). They “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14), wearing HIS righteous robes washed in the pure and precious blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14; 1Pe 1:19).

We cannot dress to please both God and men (John 12:42-43; Gal 1:10), nor should our outward adornment be our main concern (Mat 6:25). So what is our emphasis to what we put on in the morning? Is the predominance of our time squandered on our physical appearance in order to give the best presentation of ourselves to corrupt judges (Jam 2:3-4)? Or do we spend our time dressing spiritually, cultivating the righteousness of Christ so that the faithfulness of God is put on display (Mat 5:16; 1Pe 3:3-4)?

SABBATH REST

“Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” –Exodus 20:8-11

This commandment was given at Mount Sinai, but the Sabbath was instituted prior. After God rescued Israel from Egypt, He miraculously provided manna for them in the wilderness (Exo 16:14-15). It was then that God commanded this sacred day of the week for His people not to work to gather or to cook like the other six days. Instead, they were promised that they would have enough from the day before (Exo 16:22-23). It was a test of faith, and those who did not trust in God’s grace and provision were cut off from the assembly (Exo 31:14).

For Israel, the Sabbath was a holy day, set apart from the other six days in order for them to reflect on their past slavery in Egypt when God rescued them with a “mighty hand” (Exo 31:15; Deu 5:15). It was a time to joyfully sing and celebrate God’s loyal love, staggering strength, and wonderful ways (Psa 92:1-5). It was to be a “sign” (Exo 31:17; Eze 20:12) to the world that God’s people were a holy people—not because of their labor, but because the LORD sanctified them through His work (Exo 31:13). Thus, they were not permitted even to carry heavy loads through the gates of Jerusalem (Jer 17:21-22; Neh 13:15-22). God had done all the heavy lifting to bring them to Himself (Exo 19:4).

Yet God desired His people to not simply observe the day in ritual. The Sabbath was also a test of the heart. Will His people follow His lead and reflect their maker (Gen 2:3)? Will His people treasure time to rest and remember what He had done for them? The LORD takes no joy in hearts that are eager for the Sabbath’s end so they can return to their true passions—serving themselves (Amo 8:5-6). A day committed only by outward obedience is detestable to God (Isa 1:13); He puts an end to such festivities (Hos 2:11).

“Have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?” –Matthew 12:5, ESV

If we trust in our own understanding (Pro 3:5), then we bind the letter of the law to man-made mandates (Mat 15:8-9). We miss the purpose of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27), seeking to pacify God rather than relish special time with a loving Father (John 8:42). Whenever we find our self-righteous rules in conflict with God’s commands of service, we should examine our hearts to see where we have missed the core issue—LOVE (Mat 22:37-40; 1Co 13:1-3).

God desires His people to delight in holy days, finding joy in the denial of selfish pursuits and idle talk (Isa 58:13). Only then will we “find joy in [our] relationship to the LORD” and enjoy “great prosperity” (Isa 58:14). The Sabbath only functioned as a sign, a “reminder of the relationship” that sets God’s people apart from the world (Eze 20:20). “Hard hearts” had necessitated provisions to be made in the law (Mat 19:8). “Stiff-necked people” (Exo 34:9) required a “tutor” or “disciplinarian” to guide them (Gal 3:24).

But true worshipers require inward separation. External symbols are rendered incapable of decisively designating the redeemed (Rom 2:28-29). Christ released us from the guardian of the law to live as free sons (Gal 3:24-27). So regardless of whether we consider “one day holier than other days” or whether we “regard them all alike,” all our days are dedicated to the LORD (Rom 14:5-6). Every day is a celebration of God’s lavish love, staggering strength, and wonderful ways. Every day we rest on His provision and finished work. Every day is devoted to the service of the LORD. 

And if we belong to Christ, are we not a “nation of priests” (1Pe 2:9) serving the “Lord of the Sabbath” in “something greater than the temple” (Mat 12:6-8)? Is not every day a priestly service, “doing good to others” (Mat 12:12; John 21:17; Gal 6:10) with the praise of His name continually on our lips (Heb 13:15)? Is not every day a joyous denial of selfish ambition (Phi 2:3) and idle talk (1Co 4:20; 2Ti 2:16), and instead a pursuit of the LORD’s pleasure (Eph 5:7-10)? Is not every day a remembrance and proclamation of what the LORD has done (1Co 1:5-7; 2Pe 3:1-2; 1Jo 5:11), a perpetual time of thanksgiving (Eph 5:20)? Is not every day a perpetual rest for God’s people—a relief from the curse of sin and the futility of labor (Ecc 2:11,26; Heb 4:9-10)? Is not every day about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49), following Him (2Co 5:7) and reflecting whatever He does (John 5:19)?

The question is not: what day of the week are we willing to vacation from our careers where we find ultimate pleasure and identity? Rather, it is: are we living as priests of God, making every day a labor of love in His service to the worship of His name (1Th 1:3; 4:1)?

THE TITHE

“Any tithe of the land, from the grain of the land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” –Leviticus 27:30, NET

The tithe existed prior to the law (Gen 14:20), but it was formerly instituted in the law by God so that all His people would set aside the first portion of what He provided His people. They were to give back to the LORD this first tenth “so that [they would] learn to revere the LORD…. always” (Deu 14:23).

But the tithe was not transmitted to heaven, but enjoyed by the Levites (Num 18:21), to those whose inheritance was not land, but God Himself (Deu 10:9). The Levites were then to give from what they were given, a tithe to the priests to be offered up and consumed (Num 18:28-32). All for the nourishment to those who were employed completely in the LORD’s service.

Now consider again how all true believers are of this priestly class (1Pe 2:9), our inheritance the LORD (Eph 1:17-19)? Do we not bare our meek master’s yoke (Mat 11:29)? Are we ourselves not His lowly laborers (1Co 3:7-9) who will not be muzzled while we work in the harvest (1Co 9:9-10), but nourished by the will of God (John 4:34-38) until we inherit the whole earth as He promised (Mat 5:5; Rom 8:32)? Has not the LORD promised to provide all our needs while we are about His business (Luke 12:22-31), the wealth of the world’s work to be ultimately enjoyed by those that “please God” (Ecc 2:26)?

“Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” –Luke 12:15

Therefore, it is not a tenth that we seek to set aside for God. We renounce ALL our possessions (Luk 14:33) in order to follow Him (Mar 10:21). We now give “cheerfully” and “generously” as the Spirit leads (Luke 11:41; Eph 4:28; 1Ti 5:3; Jam 2:15-16; 1Jo 3:17) in order to advance the worship of Christ and foster greater “thanksgiving to God” (2Co 9:7-12). And we do this with joy, because we have found true treasure—the priceless pearl of Christ (Mat 13:44-46).

How do you see your possessions? Are you negotiating what portion to devote to God, or are you leveraging ALL that is in your care for His kingdom?

CONCLUSION

“Some things in these letters are hard to understand, things the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men and fall from your firm grasp on the truth. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on that eternal day.” –2 Peter 3:16b-18

The applications of “in spirit and truth” certainly do not stop with the issues we discussed. They apply to all things. There will always be those deeper and difficult things in scriptures that the “ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction” (2Pe 3:16). But they are “blind” (Isa 43:8), and the beautiful parables of God’s Kingdom are “hidden from them” (Mark 4:11). No amount of debating can overcome such a spiritual handicap. There are times God requests our silence (ex: Mark 7:36), and commands us not to throw pearls to pigs (Mat 7:6). Apart from the work of the Spirit, what is from above cannot be seen and valued (John 3:3). So let us not be surprised when what is precious to us is trampled by the world (Luke 8:5).

What a blessing to be a true worshiper who enjoys the freedom of the Gospel (Gal 5:13-18). God has given us a pure heart in which to see Him (Mat 5:8). This enables us to devote ourselves singularly to the Savior (Deu 6:5; Luke 14:26-27), for He cleanses all who place their hope in Him (1Jo 3:3). And so “to the pure, all things are pure” (Tit 1:15); “in the Lord Jesus … nothing is unclean in itself” (Rom 14:14).

So let us simply endeavor to worship “in spirit and truth,” seeing the deeper spiritual things for ourselves (Mat 6:33), explaining them to those we disciple (Mat 25:20), all the while bearing with those weaker members who are still struggling in the physical (Romans 14). And let us continually cry out to the LORD to open blind eyes so that our enemies too can stand before a merciful king and have their lives spared as they feast with God’s people (2Ki 6:20-23). If the LORD mixes but a drop of spittle into our mundane mud, eyes and ears will be opened to see and hear Jesus as we do (Mark 7:33-35; 8:23-25; John 9:6-7,15,36-38).

Now GO—worship in spirit and truth!