THE KING’S BUSINESS
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John in passages where he himself is the speaker (see ch. 1:9; 6:32; 7:28; 15:1; 17:3; 19:35). No better definition of its meaning can be given than that given by Westcott, namely, “ The original term ‘true’ describes that which is not only truly but also completely what it professes to be.” How little of our present-day wor ship is true worship, and how few wor shippers are true worshippers, accord ing to our Lord’s definitions of worship and worshippers. There is indeed much worship in word and form and pretense but very, very little “ in spirit and truth,” in the deepest recesses o f our own being and in the most complete and thorough-going reality. The “ but” with which verse 23 be gins is emphatic. It emphasizes the thought that while as to the past the Jew had the better of the Samaritan, in the time that was now dawning, the distinction between Samaritan and Jew would utterly vanish, and the question would not be whether one was a Samaritan or a Jew; the ques tion would be, was he, whether Sam aritan or Jew, worshipping “ the Fath er” and was he worshipping “ in spirit and truth.” The last clause of verse 23 sets forth the great truth that what the Father is seeking above all else is " worshippers” and a certain sort of worshippers. First, He is seeking worshippers . The one thing above all else that God desires of men is worship. God desires obedi ence o f men, He desires service, He desires prayer, He desires praise and thanksgiving, but His supreme de sire from men is worship. He is “ seeking’ “worshippers.” He does not find many worshippers in our day. Prayer is not worship: praise and thanksgiving are not worship; giving is not worship; service is not wor ship; absolute surrender is not wor ship. If anyone will take his con-
mate issues which are pointed to. We see the same contrast by the use of the same phrases in chapter 5 :25 con trasted with chapter 5 :28. True worship is worship “ of the Father in spirit and truth.” The ob ject of that worship is “ the Father” ; the method of the worship is “ in spirit and truth.” By the word “ spirit” is not meant the Holy Spirit. It is true that Paul tells us later that those only truly worship “ who wor ship by the Spirit of God” (Phil. 3:1, R. V .), but that is not the thought here. The thought here is of inward and real worship. Worship that comes from the deepest part of man, “ the spirit,” and is “ in truth” (or reality), is distinguished from merely outward and seeming worship. Truth here means reality as distinguished from mere form or pretense (cf. 1 John 3:18). It is not truth in the sense of revealed truth. It is true that the only acceptable worship is that which is according to God’s re vealed Word, but that is not the thought here. The thought is that of deep inward reality as distin guished from outward form, which lays the emphasis upon times and places and modes. The true worship per is not the one who bows the knee, but whose inward being bows in ador ing contemplation of the One who is worshipped. There are many who kneel, many who prostrate them selves, supposedly before God, but the real man himself, “ the spirit,” is not bowed. Such worship God does not desire, such worshippers are not true worshippers. The true worshippers are those who bow before the Father in their inmost being, “ the spirit,” whether the knees are bowed or not, and who bow in reality and not in mere outward form or pretense. There is a deep significance in the word “ true” as used by our Lord Jesus, and as used by the Apostle
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