It is therefore possible that what the Saviour said when He spoke to

the woman of Samaria, was `the hour cometh when the true worshippers shall

worship the Father in spirit and in truth', but when John came to write this

gospel, he was able to interpolate for the benefit of the reader the

information that this hour had now come.  For us today, the question of

`place' so far as worship is concerned, has no meaning.  Chapels and Churches

are convenient meeting places where the saints can assemble, but if they know

the Truth, whatever the architecture, and whoever it may be who made the

building `sacred', one of the hymns they will surely sing will be:

`Saviour, where'er Thy people meet,

There they behold Thy mercy seat;

Where'er they seek Thee, Thou art found,

And every place is hallowed ground.

For Thou, within no walls confined,

Inhabitest the humble mind;

Such ever bring Thee where they come,

And going, take Thee to their home'.

What are we to understand by `true' worshippers?  What are we to

understand by worship that is `in spirit and in truth'?  Alethes is used when

truth as opposed to falsehood is in view.  Thus in John 4:18 where it is

translated `truly'.  Alethinos is truth when opposed not so much to a lie,

but as substance is opposed to a shadow.  So we have such expressions as `the

true tabernacle' (Heb. 8:2); `the figures of the true' (Heb. 9:24) obviously

in contrast with the typical tabernacle and its furniture.  So in John's

Gospel we read of `the True Light', `the True Bread' and `the True Vine' as

fulfilments and contrasts with their respective types.  So `true' worshippers

are not placed in contrast with idolaters, worshippers of false gods, but

they are contrasted with Old Covenant worshippers whose worship was typical

and shadowy `which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and

carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation' (Heb.

The expression `in spirit and truth' without the preposition `in'

repeated, should be taken as a figure of speech, known as hendiadys, where

one thing is meant, but two statements are made, hence hen one, dia by means

of, dys two, the `one -by -means -of -two' figure, truly, i.e. antitypically

in Spirit.  Two reasons are given for thus worshipping the Father:

(1) He seeks such worship.  This is a unique passage.  No other passage

of Scripture uses the word `seek' in this way.  It is a common thing for

worshippers to be bidden `to seek' the Lord, but here, it is the Father that

seeks!  If He thus seeks, shall He not find?  If He thus finds shall He not

be pleased?  If He thus finds, must not blessing be the result?  Is not

therefore true worship near the heart of all true, acceptable and fruitful

(2) The second reason resides in the very nature of the God we would

worship.  `God is Spirit'.  Pneuma ho theos.  It is no more necessary to

insert the indefinite article here and read `God is a spirit' than it would

be to translate the similarly constructed passage of John 1:1 and read `The

Word was a God'.  To this Samaritan woman a statement concerning the

essential Being of God is made that transcends every other revelation found

in the Scriptures!  All titles under which God is pleased to make Himself

known in the Old Testament Scriptures are really gracious accommodations to