"…The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 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. God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’". John 4:19-24
     To the adulterous woman of Sychar, Jesus revealed Himself as Christ and Savior. He also revealed that true worshippers worship God in spirit and truth. To worship God we must worship Him from the core of our being which is spirit. We must also worship Him in truth…a basic knowledge of the one true God. Let us consider that truth about God revealed in the scriptures.

     In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1.  Whenever the material universe began God was already there. Everything material came into existence by the creation of God…in all the heavens as well as in all the earth. Genesis proceeds to tell us that the original creation was formless and void. It does not tell us how long it remained in this state…whether a few seconds or longer. It simply states that during this time the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
     We are told that the creation as we experience it was formed in six literal days identified by an evening and a morning making each day. On these six days God formulated:
       light and darkness / the waters of earth and the expanse of the heavens
       dry land with vegetation / the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars
       the creatures that swim in the sea and the fowls that fly in the air
       animals, insects, and man / On the seventh day, God rested.

     Creation did not create itself. Creation was created by the Creator Who is the One True God. We are also informed about Jesus, "All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made". John 1:3.

     We are told many things about "the Spirit of God" in Old Testament scriptures, but it is the clear statement of Jesus to the woman of Sychar that gives us the fullest understanding. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24.   Theologians are not very good at telling what "spirit" is. "A non-material personal being, self-conscious and self-determining" is about as good as they do. It is difficult to understand that God is a living person Who thinks and acts without having a material body. Part of man is also spirit for Jesus said we must worship God in spirit and truth. That spiritual nature of man died to God through the sin of Adam and Eve. Man’s spirit is made alive to God by being born again by the Holy Spirit.

     "Trinity" is a condensed version of "Tri-unity". It means there is one God, but this God has revealed Himself in three personalities, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The trinitarian nature of God can be seen in the Genesis account of creation. The Hebrew word for God is Elohim, "the strong One". Elohim is used as a singular noun even though it ends in the plural "him", a plurality of three or more. God is revealed as holding counsel with Himself through the process of creation "Then God said, let Us make man in Our image…"  Genesis 1:26; "Then the Lord God said, Behold the man has become like one of Us…"  Genesis 3:22.  Some other statements are: "Let Us go down, and there confound their language." Genesis 11:7 "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Isaiah 6:8
     Christians also see the trinity in these words of Isaiah, "Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me." Isaiah 48:16
     At the baptism of Jesus the Son is baptized; the Father speaks from heaven and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove. (Matthew 3:16,17).
     In the Great Commission, Jesus stated the formula for baptism is, "…baptizing them in the name (singular) of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. " Matthew 28:19
     The apostolic blessing given by the apostle Paul reads, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion  of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." 2 Corinthians 13:14
     When Stephen was being stoned to death we read, "But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." Acts 7:55
     We worship and serve one true God Who has revealed Himself in three persons –Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

     By infinite we understand that God is beyond all measure or comprehension. Man is finite and has all manner of limits and bounds. But not so, God.

    By eternal we understand that God is without beginning or end. There never was a time in the past when God did not exist and there will never be a time in the future when He ceases to exist. Jesus spoke of Himself as, "…the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." Revelation 1:8;  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End..."  Revelation 21:6;  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."  Revelation 22:13

     By unchangeable we glimpse the perfect self-consistency of God that never needs to change. "For I, am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O Sons of Jacob."  Malachi 3:6.   In every age God is the same and never changes. Over the centuries God has given progressive revelation about Himself, but He has not changed. In His dealings with man God has "appeared" to have changed. But the true fact is that all changes are on man’s side. The same man may experience the chastening of God (for sin) and the favor of God (for faith and obedience). Man changes. God remains the same.

     The character qualities of God are referred to by theologians as His attributes. It is important to remember that the infinite, eternal, unchangeable nature of God is active in all His attributes.

     Everything everywhere is immediately in God’s presence. David was impressed with this truth when he wrote "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold You are there." Psalm 139:7,8. The writer of Hebrews, in chapter 4:13 reminds us "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." The prophet, Jonah, tried to flee from the presence of God, but found it impossible…even in the depth of the sea.

     God’s knowledge never increases or decreases. He knows everything with full and perfect knowledge. He knows the future with just as full and perfect knowledge as He knows the past. Nothing ever catches God by surprise. He has never said, "Oops!" and He never will.

     When we fully accept the truth that God spoke the building blocks of all things material into existence in an instant of time and brought all things into their present order in six days we begin to grasp something of the infinite power of God. Creation of the universe is no more of an accomplishment to God than laying out a baseball diamond is to us…and He takes far better care of His universe than we do baseball diamonds. There is no limit to God’s power.

     These words describe God’s moral qualities:
     Holiness refers to the infinite purity of God that requires Him to withdraw from all that is sinful or defiles. In the Song of Moses we are informed that God is "glorious (or Majestic) in holiness" - Exodus 15:11. Through the Old Testament we learn that God’s name is holy; His Spirit is holy; His scriptures are holy; His acts are holy and places and things are made holy by His presence. Jesus instructed His disciples to pray that God’s name be reverenced as holy. Matthew 6:9 Demonic spirits recognized Jesus as "the Holy One of God!" Mark 1:24. True believers in Christ are referred to as "the elect of God, holy, and beloved." Colossians 3:12. The church is referred to as "the bride of Christ, holy and without blemish" Ephesians 5:27. The church is also referred to as a "holy temple and a holy nation". Ephesians 2:21 and 1 Peter 2:9. Peter reminds believers that God has commanded "You shall be holy for I am holy".  1 Peter 1:16.

     Justice refers to that quality of God that requires Him to be perfectly right in all His dealings with man, angels and fallen spirits. His punishment and rewards in this life and eternity are perfectly right. "And He shall judge the world in righteousness; And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness." Psalms 9:8

     Goodness includes God’s loving nature spoken of so eloquently by Jesus, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16.   God’s goodness includes His common grace in causing "His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust".   Matthew 5:45.  The redeemed of God can be especially grateful for God’s special grace in saving them from their lost condition and bringing them into His family as His dear children.

     "It is impossible for God to lie" - Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18.  When God states any matter to be fact, it can be relied on to be true. When God makes a promise and man meets the conditions of receiving the benefits of the promise, God cannot do otherwise than fulfill the promise. When God prophesies a future event, it is certain that the event will be fulfilled at the proper time. All the laws of mathematics, logic, chemical, and physical science are expressions of God’s perfect truth.

     "God is love" we read in 1st John 4:8 and 16.  From the lips of Jesus came those beautiful words, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16.
     "...For the Lord your God is a merciful God"  was revealed to Israel through Moses.  Deuteronomy 4:31.  Four time we read in Psalms that God is "full of compassion."
     A phrase that often occurs throughout the Psalms is "...the LORD is good for His mercy (or loving kindness) endures forever."  Indeed, the theme of God's mercy pervades both the Old and New Testaments.  Mercy is God withholding the just punishment of our sins because of His lovingkindness.  God can be merciful because of the sacrifice for our sins by Jesus one the cross.
       God is a God of Grace.  The fullness of this truth was revealed in the coming into the world of His Son, Jesus.  "And the Word (Jesus) became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth..."  "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:14 and 17
     

     To the Samaritan woman the most important factor in worship was location. "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." That still seems to be the most important factor with people today. "We must worship in a building that is connected with a certain denomination." "We must worship in a building that has a certain form of architecture and has a certain form of service." Jesus stated that with His coming the time had begun when location had no importance at all. "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father…But an hour is coming, and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth…" As far as location we can do that anywhere.

     To properly worship the Father we must worship Him with our spirit that has been made alive to God through spiritual birth by the Holy Spirit. We receive this spiritual birth when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us (See John 16:16,17) and helps our spirit to worship God. We must also worship God in truth. Few of us need to be told that the false ideas mankind has about God are numberless. In this message we have presented the basic truth God has revealed about Himself. As we embrace this truth and come into agreement with this truth we meet the requirements to become a true worshiper of God.

May each of us strive to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Copyright © 2002 Thomas E Berry
All Scriptures quoted from NKJV unless otherwise noted