In Spirit and Truth

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

~ John 4: 24 (ESV)

In Hebrew, the word for “spirit” is ruach (ר֫וּחַ), which also means “breath” and “wind,” and the word for “truth” is emet (אֱמֶת).

When I realize that God is the king of the universe and that all things were made through Him, I also realize that I neither live by my own breath, nor do I act by my own goodness. Walking 'in spirit' then is not about feeling spiritual or doing spiritual things. It is about submitting to God as my only source of life and goodness, reflecting His image, and bearing the fruit of His spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” [1]

I also realize that He alone determines what truth is. The sages teach that the word emet (truth), containing the first (aleph-א), middle (mem-מ), and the last (tav-ת) letters of the Hebrew alphabet, indicates that truth encompasses all things and endures from the beginning to the end. The Bible says that the Spirit of truth proceeds from the Father [2], that His Word is truth [3, 4], and that Jesus (Yeshua) is the truth [5]. Knowing the truth then is not about being correct or having right theology. It is about submitting myself to God as my only source of wisdom, listening to God's Son [6] who is the image of the invisible God [7], and being transformed by the renewal of my mind [8].

Take a hard look at how you worship God. Do you submit to Him as to your Lord wherever you are? Do you walk in His ways? Do you obey His Word? Whenever you are, you are worshiping.

[1] Galatians, 5:22-23

[2] John 15:26 [3] Psalm 119:160; [4] John 17:17

[5] John 14:16 [6] Matthew 17:5

[7] Colossians 1:15

[8] Romans 12:2.