24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
It may be human nature, or it may be lack of understanding, but many people tend to think of God as if He were human. Speaking of Him as if He reacts the way we do, feels the way we feel, or responds the way that we respond. I often hear people speak about God making someone pay who has wronged them, even politicians they disagree with. As if God is their personal judiciary, obligated to carry out their sense of justice.
Others treat prayer as a one-sided session of requests, wants, and desires, as if God exists to serve them. It is true, God is the judge of all the earth. Yes, He does provide our needs and even our desires according to His will. But is it possible to truly know God and still treat Him like a servant? Can there be a desire to be obedient to God if the relationship is one-sided, and one side continually takes God for granted? How can there be intimacy with God without seeking to know His desires?
Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well: “God is Spirit.” Until we understand what that means we will never approach Him as He truly is. But before we can understand how to approach God, we must first understand who God is — and to know who He is, we must know His name.
I AM vs Pagan gods
In the ancient world, a pagan gods name determined what the deity depended on. Ra was the Sun god of Egypt. Baal was the Canaanite storm god. Artemis of Ephesus was the fertility goddess. In fact, in Egypt alone, during the days of Moses, Egyptian texts name over 1,400 deities. — each tied to a specific force of nature or human need.
But when Moses asked God what name he should give the Israelite’s, God did not identify himself with the sun, moon, stars, harvest, or fertility. He did not tie Himself to anything created — showing that His being was not dependent on anything created.
Instead God said to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.”
The pagan gods of the nations were made by the hands of men. They never appeared to anyone, never sent angels to speak on their behalf, or chose prophets as their voice on earth. Their names revealed their limitations — Ra depended on the sun, Baal on storms, Artemis on fertility.
With the words “I AM WHO I AM” the God of Israel revealed that He is not defined by creation — He is the creator. Revealing His nature as: self-existent, existing before time itself, eternal, unchanging, and independent of all things. These are the very attributes that allow us to begin understanding what Jesus meant when He said, “God is Spirit.”
Because He is Spirit, God is omnipresent — everywhere at all times. David asks in Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” There is no place where God is not.
Because He is Spirit, God is omniscient — knowing all things past, present, and future. As David declares in Psalm 139:2, “You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.”
And because He is Spirit, God is omnipotent — all‑powerful. The angel told Mary in Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
We cannot understand nor access God on a human level. As such, we must do so on a spiritual level — worship Him in Spirit. Physical worship and fellowship are necessary, but should not be the only ways we communicate with and show our reverence for God.
To worship God in Spirit you must do so with your heart, mind, and soul.
1. We engage God with our heart through an active prayer life.
This means we do not treat prayer as a dialogue, but as a monologue with God — we speak to and listen to God. We offer thanksgiving with our prayers, as Hebrews 13:15 teaches: “offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
It is not always about a prayer posture, it is also about presence. Prayer can be done anywhere, at any time, in any circumstance.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 Paul tells us to “Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing.” Prayer walks in the morning sun are a beautiful way to converse with God. Pray while commuting, Pray whenever you feel the need — because prayer is the foundation of worship.
2. We engage God with our mind by meditating on His Word.
Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and when we meditate on the Word we not only open our spiritual eyes, we allow the Holy Spirit to communicate with our spirit. Romans 8:16 teaches us, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
This is why Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God often uses His Word to give instruction, warnings, correction, encouragement, and even reveal His will for us.
3. We engage God with our soul by aligning our thoughts with the Spirit.
Our thoughts are indicative of the state of our soul. Our thoughts, desires, and intentions must be shaped by the Spirit of God. Philippians 4:12 instructs, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
As born-again believers in Jesus Christ, we should have thoughts of eternal value. Colossians 3:1 declares: “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”
When we worship God in Spirit we bring our heart, mind, and soul into alignment with Him. It means not approaching Him as though He were human, but as the eternal, ever present, all knowing, all powerful Spirit that He is.
Worship God in Truth
To worship God in truth is to simply know God’s truth. Since all scripture is inspired by the Spirit of God, the only way to know God’s true character and nature — worship Him in truth — we must immerse ourselves in His Word. We understand this instinctively when we want infatuation to grow into love. In a romantic relationship, you get to know a persons true character by their actions and their words. In the beginning, we hang on their every word to see if their actions match what they say. Over time, this is how we learn who they truly are.
In the same way, we are to meditate on the Word of God. When we hang on every Word God has spoken, we not only come to know God — we also learn how His Word takes action in our lives. Scripture reveals His character and nature — His heart, His will, His desires for His children, His warnings as a protector, His promises out of love. Ultimately, His ways.
Believing God exists and knowing who God is through having a relationship with Him are not the same. Many believers attend church on Sunday, sit through Sunday school, and even participate in Bible study, yet still do not know who God is or walk in relationship with Him. When you are in a relationship with God, you believe God — you trust His character, you submit to His authority, and you understand your position as His servant. But when you merely believe in God you treat Him like a servant. These are they who eagerly quote Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you,” but ignore Matthew 7:1-2 which warns “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.“
The servant can be confident when he or she asks anything of God because they know how to please Him — they have intimate knowledge of who He is. Intimacy with God bears the fruit of worshiping Him in spirit and in truth. As believers, this is how we come to know God’s truth, and this is how we approach Him as He truly is.