When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He said, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). These few words reveal something profound: God is not a being made of matter or limited by physical form. To say that God is spirit means that He is invisible, eternal, and beyond the limits of the material world.
Many people, especially when first learning about faith, imagine God as an old man in the sky or as a powerful physical force. But Scripture teaches us that God is not confined to any shape or body. He is pure being — completely real, yet not bound by time, place, or form. His presence fills all creation, but He Himself cannot be contained by it. This is why the Bible says, “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18).
To say that God is spirit also means that He is living and personal. The word “spirit” in the Bible often points to breath, life, and power. God is not an abstract energy or idea; He is the living God who breathes life into all that exists. His Spirit moves within creation, speaks to the human heart, and makes Himself known in love and truth.
For us, this truth changes how we approach Him. We cannot see God with our eyes, but we can know Him deeply through faith, prayer, and the movement of His Spirit in our hearts. Worshipping “in spirit and truth” means opening our whole selves — mind, heart, and soul — to His presence, beyond words or rituals. It is an encounter not with an image, but with the living God who desires relationship with us.
May this remind us that God is nearer than we imagine — closer than the air we breathe, present in every moment, waiting to be known not through sight, but through love and faith.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
