Worship is a spiritual activity of faith in the truth.

Worship is a spiritual activity from the heart, not an external exercise. Jesus defines the “true worshipers” of God as those who worship Him “in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23, 24 Jesus teaches that true worship is “in spirit.” He does not mean spirited or lively in the sense of a pep rally. God is a spiritual being—holy, righteous, and pure. Worship is in harmony with Who God is as the living God. His Spirit is the Holy Spirit. Those who worship God, worship Him in union with, (the idea in the original) the holy, sanctifying work and gracious operation of the Spirit of God.

With reference to the concern of the Samaritan woman about the holiness of a place of worship, Jesus teaches that Jerusalem as the holy place of worship would pass away with the coming of the gospel to the nations.The church, the body of Christ, becomes the true temple.True worship is not a matter of the physical place, but of the holiness and consecration of the heart, of being a true worshiper.

Jesus teaches that true worship, “in spirit and truth” is first of all a work of grace, a blessing of salvation which God works in the heart. Man is not by nature or of himself a true worshiper. Man by nature is a dead, guilty sinner. He cannot worship God. He will not in his sin seek after God. A true worshiper is the result of the sovereign, saving grace of God. It is so by the atoning blood of Christ and by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus teaches that true worship is not only “in spirit,”but also “in truth,” that is, in union with God’s revelation of Himself in His Word, the truth of the gospel, the truth of Christ. Thus, where the gospel is corrupted and where the worship of God, according to the Scriptures is corrupted, there the true worship of God is taken away. We are not members of, nor do we attend a church because we like the people, the building, the pastor, the programs and activities. We are members of and attend a church because we find the truth of the gospel preached in it. There we find the true worship of God according to the Scriptures. There we are able then to draw near unto God in true worship “in spirit and in truth.”

Living participation in worship is from the heart by faith, a faith which has content. We draw near to God as repentant sinners with “a broken and contrite heart,” Psalm 51:17. We draw near to God “in the beauty of holiness,” and with a godly fear, Psalm 96:9 We draw near to God in Jesus Christ and on the grounds of His finished work alone, Hebrews 10:19-22 We draw near to God, not in a mere external form, or seeking entertainment, but as the highest exercise of true religion and of a heart living out of our salvation.