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{Sermons on John 1:47
The Doctrine Confirmed
Duties and Comforts of Godliness Are Not Fantasy
First, there is worshiping God in the Spirit. If this is a fantasy, the apostle Paul, with his contemporary Christians, were the great fanatics of their time. Paul says of himself and them, “We are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit” (Philippians 3:3).192 “We are the circumcision” means that we are the people of God. We are those who are circumcised with the circumcision that is without hands, that is, circumcised in heart. It is the same as if he had said, “We are Christians who worship God in the Spirit.” Worshiping God in the Spirit denotes, first, worship by the soul or heart-worship. Second, it denotes worshiping God through His Spirit, that is, in the Holy Spirit.
192There are two main textual variants in manuscripts of this verse. One variant reads, “worship God in the Spirit.” The other reads, “worship in the Spirit of God.” As worship is always of God, and the Holy Spirit is always the Spirit of God, the difference is small.
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