In Spirit and in Truth

The importance of truth

Reading through 1 Corinthians 14. Suddenly the overall theme jumps out at me.

I’m a detail person. I usually see every individual tree, rarely the entire forest. For people like me, it doesn’t help that the NIV labels this chapter “Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues.” That might be the content, but it’s not the theme. The main point is the importance of engaging the mind in worship. A significant idea in these days of increasingly valuing the emotional and experiential at the expense of the understanding.

Key verse: “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind” (vs. 15). (Okay, I admit it. As one who laments the loss of depth in the lyrics of so many contemporary songs, I just had to underline the second half of that verse in my Bible. Years ago.)

Throughout the chapter, Paul is stressing the greater importance of the gifts that lead to a deeper understanding of God’s Word. He in no way denigrates the more “emotional” gifts, as opposed to the more “intellectual” gifts. They’re both gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Yes, I need to hear that.) But he continues to emphasize the superiority of the latter gifts in building up the Body of Christ.

Verses 4 and 5: “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.”

Speaking in tongues at that time would be equivalent to the more experiential aspects of worship today. It’s a deep, rich communion with God, a worshiping in spirit. It’s not to be dismissed as an inappropriate emotional expression that has no place in our solemn worship services. (Again, I need to hear and remember this.) We are not to discourage those who seek a more spiritual/emotional/experiential means of expression.

But it is more important to teach (prophesy), to stress the “truth” aspect of worshipping “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Without the truth as a solid foundation, we will always do as we please, we will always go where we desire, we will always stray from God’s design. That’s the way fallen man always operates.

The importance of balance

I find it fascinating that God placed the famous chapter on love right before this chapter on worshiping in truth. He could have put them in completely different books. He could have used two different human authors to write them. He could have put one in the Old Testament and one in the New. But this is how He helps people like me to find a better balance. He placed them side by side.

Not that chapter 13 is all about emotions. Biblical love is not just a gooshy feeling inside that tends to come and go, as our culture understands love. Christian love includes our feelings. The emotional side of love cannot be denied, as I’ve heard some Christians teach. But biblical love is so much greater than other kinds of love. It always results in long-term commitment. It always leads to action in the treatment of others, as described in this passage. Not a legalistic “I must act as though I have patience with her even though she’s wrong.” But an ability to respond to others with a heartfelt patience that naturally springs from the emotion of godly love.

And, of course, that chapter 13 love should flow into chapter 14 worship. Even though Paul stresses the superiority of worshiping in truth, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (13:2).

Worship and suffering

So why do I keep writing here about worship? (See my earlier posts Changing Churches and Sing Unto the Lord a New Song.) What place do these articles have in a blog whose theme is suffering?

The way that we worship reflects the God that we worship. Here’s the message I’ve picked up on in worship services where the greatest emphasis is on the emotional side: God wants and expects everyone to feel good, regardless of what’s happening in their lives. If you’re not smiling, you’re demonstrating a lack of faith. You’re not worshipping, and you’re not pleasing Him. There’s no need to work through your internal issues and struggles. He will instantaneously remove them all as you wave your hands and psych yourself up.

The result? Those who are suffering will live in denial of their pain as they continue to worship this God. Or they’ll walk away from Him after they fail over and over again to work up enough faith to heal the ache inside.

On the other hand, this is the message relayed in services I’ve been in where the truth was stressed at the expense of the spirit: God expects His followers to apply rules for overcoming their hurts without allowing them to pour out their hearts to Him. Get right with Him and everything will be okay. Read your Bible. Pray. Confess and forsake your sins. Go to church. Fellowship with other believers. If that doesn’t work, then do it a little more.

The same result will occur when suffering strikes. Either denial of the pain or walking away from a God who doesn’t seem to care.

But if we worship God in spirit and in truth, the emotional side of our worship will be based on the truth of who God is and what He wants for us. Not a psychological high that ignores the hurts of this world. Not an instant removal of all suffering if we just believe hard enough and smile big enough.

Instead, an understanding of the God of the Bible, who cares deeply for His people and yet uses pain and suffering to grow our faith and to bless the lives that we touch. Our hope and joy will be anchored on the solid ground of His character, as revealed throughout His Word, not just a weekly pumping up that fades away soon after we leave the worship center.

And the intellectual side of our worship will be enriched by the experience of the Holy Spirit moving us to greater joy and hope and compassion, and leading us to greater expressions of heartfelt praise.

The psalmists, whose writings have been used in worship for centuries, freely voice all their needs to God. But they base their expectations and their words on what they know of His character from Israel’s long history of witnessing His actions in their lives. Truth is more important than emotion, but both have a prominent place in God’s Word and in our worship.