Do you find it difficult to know what to believe about religions? There are so many different religions, some old and some new, and in each of them there are sincere people who claim theirs is the right way to worship and satisfy God.
But, what a religion has to say about itself can be very very different from what God has to say about it! (Matthew 15:8-9.)
In our story today we find out from Jesus, the Son of God, about God's true worshippers.
One day as Jesus talked with a Samaritan woman she was shocked to discover that this Jewish stranger already knew the details of her sinful life! (verse 18.) "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet." (verse 19.) Then she immediately changed the subject and began to talk about her religion. Perhaps she was thinking, "O.K., so you know about my sinful life, but I belong to a historic religion!"
Many people think like that today, in the false hope that God will accept them because of their religion, despite their sinfulness.
The woman said, "Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is Jerusalem." (verse 20.)
This woman needed more than a right place to worship, and a historic religion, if she was ever going to please and serve God! - and so do you and I!
Jesus declared, "Believe Me, woman... you Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews." (verses 21-22.)
Notice, Jesus did NOT say salvation is for the Jews, but from the Jews. Over 2,000 years earlier God had promised that the MESSIAH - God's appointed Saviour for the world - would arise from the family of the Jews. (Genesis 22:18. Galatians 3:16.)
Jesus went on to say, "..the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks." (verse 23.) Here Jesus teaches us that God is only worshipped as an invisible
Spirit. God has forbidden the worship of things we can see or touch: all worship of objects, or through images, is rejected by God as IDOLATRY. (Exodus 20:4-6. Deuteronomy 4:15-19.)
The woman was becoming uncomfortable with Jesus' teachings. She then said, "I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am He." (verses 25-26.)
Would she believe that this Jewish "prophet" was indeed the One God promised He would send to be the Saviour of the world? (1st John 4:14. John 3:16-18. 4:42.)
Will YOU believe that Jesus Christ is the One who alone can forgive your sins, and can teach you to become a true worshipper of God?
Only through JESUS CHRIST will you be able to worship God "in spirit" - and you will reject the use of any form of idolatry! You will want to grow in knowledge of your Lord and Saviour so as to worship God "in truth" - for Jesus is "the truth". (2nd Peter 3:18. John 14:6.)
Surely you can see that just any religion, old or new, won't do! "God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth" (verse 24.)
Read Jesus' teachings about God's true worshippers in John's Gospel chapter 4, verses 16-26.
John Nixon, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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