“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
To worship God “in spirit” basically means to do so
with sincerity of heart, for it is an offering of the soul
to God. In other words, God wants us to worship
Him because we want to, not simply because we
have to. To worship God “in truth” means to do so
according to His standard of truth: His word (cf. John
17:17).
Two men worship God. Both men are very sincere in
their efforts to worship and praise Him – and no one
could deny the genuineness of each man’s heart.
However the first man does not fully embrace God’s
truth, for he worships according to his own desires or
man-made traditions – ways that God did not
authorize. Thus, God does not accept this man’s
worship (cf. Matt. 15:8-9). The second man respects
the authority of God’s word and only worships Him
according to the way God specified. Thus, God
accepts his worship (Acts 10:35). Which man best
describes you?