John 4:24

Context

At a well near the Samaritan town of Sychar, Jesus speaks with a woman. She observes that Samaritans hold that worship should take place on Mount Gerizim, while Jews hold that it should take place in Jerusalem, and she asks which is right (v. 20). Jesus answers that the hour is coming when the Father will be worshiped neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, and he declares that "the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (v. 23). Verse 24 grounds this in the nature of God.

Interpretation

The phrase rendered in the Korean Revised Version as sinryeong-gwa jinjeong (roughly "with spirituality and sincerity") translates the Greek en pneumati kai alētheia, literally "in spirit and truth." The New Korean Standard Version renders it "with spirit and truth."

• Reading it as "by the Holy Spirit and in truth": This view takes "spirit" to mean the Holy Spirit and understands the verse as describing worship offered under the Spirit's prompting and in accordance with Christ, who is the truth (14:6), and with his word. It regards the verse as a declaration that place-centered worship has given way to Christ-centered worship.
• Reading it as "with the human spirit and sincerity": This view takes "spirit" to mean the inner person and understands the verse as describing worship offered sincerely from the depths of the heart rather than as mere form. Some have noted that the Korean rendering sinryeong-gwa jinjeong tends to evoke this reading.
• Many interpreters combine the two readings, understanding the verse as describing worship in which the Holy Spirit moves the human spirit to worship in accordance with the truth.

Debates and Issues

This verse is invoked by opposing sides in debates over the form of worship. Pentecostal and charismatic churches appeal to "spirit" when emphasizing worship marked by the free working of the Holy Spirit and by emotional expression, while the Reformed tradition stresses "truth" when explaining the regulative principle, which holds that worship should include only those elements prescribed by Scripture. Liturgical churches maintain that fixed orders of service and liturgy do not hinder sincere worship. Both sides also cite the verse in the worship music controversy and in debates over open worship (seeker-oriented services). Some observe that the verse speaks of worship that transcends place and ethnicity rather than justifying any single form of worship.

In the Korean Church

The verse is often used as a motto for worship renewal seminars and worship team training, and the phrase "Let us worship in spirit and in truth" is commonly heard in calls to worship.

Related Passages

• John 4:20-23
• Romans 12:1
• Philippians 3:3
• Hebrews 12:28