What Is True Worship?

What is True Worship? I am sure that you have asked yourself many, many times as you’ve observed different religious groups, different churches, different denominations, just what is worship? Some churches have altars, they have candles, incense, holy water; other denominations have no symbols at all. You have certainly noticed so many variations that you have thought many times, “If that’s the way they worship, why does another group worship so differently?” Each group may have a kernel of truth, but such diversity of religious ritual among Christian believers cannot all be in alignment with The Word. What is true worship? The verses that are critically important to understand are spoken by Jesus in John 4. John 4:22-24: Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Jesus said, “Ye worship ye know not what. . .” I believe that is true for most people. Everybody worships. The question is: Are we worshipping rightly? Do we know what, how or why we worship? Jesus said about worship that “the hour cometh. . . when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit [The word “in” is the same Greek word translated “by,” “by spirit.”] and in truth.” Worship the Father how? You shall worship Him not by candles, not by altars, not by Bible reading, not by singing, but by the spirit . “. . .In spirit and in truth. . .” is the figure of speech hendiadys : two nouns used but one thing meant. “Spirit” is a noun and “truth” is a noun, the double noun being used to doubly emphasize that it is spiritually true, or truly spiritual. The Father seeketh a true worshipper to worship thus—in spirit and in truth. If we can find out what it is to worship God by the spirit, we know how to truly worship. The question