Does Paul say “worship by the Spirit of God” or “worship God in spirit”?

Explanation:

Paul warns the Philippians to beware of the Judaizers who promote Jewish ceremonial laws. Instead, he says the Philippians are the true circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God. In other words, Paul is saying that the true circumcision are not those who uphold the ceremonial laws, but those who worship by the Spirit of God. What does it mean to worship by the Spirit of God?

It is important to understand the meaning of the verb that we have translated as worship. The meaning is not simply worship in the sense of worshipping God in church. It is a technical term pulled from the Old Testament.⁴ The term is used approximately ninety times in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), where it is used exclusively in terms of religious service. That is, the term is never used to denote something like service or ministering to other humans, but always in the context of humans serving God.⁵ The term is used similarly in the New Testament. For example, in Romans 12:1, Paul calls the Romans to present their bodies as a sacrifice to God, which is their spiritual worship. In other words, the term has to do with devoting one’s entire life in service to God.⁶

So when Paul says that the true circumcision are those who worship by the Spirit of God, he means that the true circumcision are those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to devote their entire lives to God.

Counterargument:

The verb can also refer to doing the service of God. That is, it can refer to work for pay done in the service of God.⁷ Thus, what Paul might be saying here is that he and his fellow mission workers are the true circumcision, because they carry out their ministerial service on behalf of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, they serve as Holy Spirit-empowered missionaries rather than law-empowered missionaries.

Response to counterargument:

The problem with this counterargument is that the immediate context suggests that when Paul refers to the true circumcision, he has in mind himself along with the Philippians. We can deduce this because in Philippians 3:2, Paul warns against the Judaizers, and then in Philippians 3:3 he says, We are the true circumcision. Of course, not all of the Judaizers were missionaries, so Paul is contrasting one worshipping community with another, saying that the worshipping community of the Judaizers teaches wicked doctrine, while the worshipping community of Philippi (we) is the true circumcision. Of course, the Philippians are not official missionaries, so if Paul says that he and the Philippians are the true circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, he cannot mean they are missionaries empowered by the Spirit of God. And since to minister also denotes something like entire life devoted to God, and the Philippians are included as the true circumcision, Paul likely says the true circumcision are those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to devote their entire life to God.

Explanation:

Paul says that the true circumcision are those who worship by the Spirit of God. What he means is that the true believers are those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to devote their entire lives to God. We can deduce this because Paul says something similar in other passages. For example, in Romans 8:8–9 he says that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Rather, it is those who are by the Spirit, in the sense that the Spirit of God dwells in them, who are the true worshippers of God. Likewise, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 we learn that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, which means he has the Spirit.⁸ In other words, the true circumcision are not those who are in the flesh, or promoting ceremonial laws, but those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Counterargument:

This view has it that what Paul means by Philippians 3:3 is that the true circumcision are empowered by the Holy Spirit to worship God. The problem is that neither Romans 8:8–9 nor 2 Corinthians 5:17 say that the true believers are those empowered by the Holy Spirit to worship God. Romans 8:8–9 says that those who do not have the Spirit are not in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that those who are in Christ are a new creation. Of course, no one should deny that Romans 8:8–9 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 has to do with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Still, such meanings are simply not parallel to Philippians 3:3 and so cannot be used to support the notion that Philippians 3:3 has to do with the Holy Spirit empowering believers to worship God.

Response to counterargument:

The argument here is not that Romans 8:8–9 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 are in some way parallel to Philippians 3:3. Rather, the argument is that Paul says elsewhere that the Holy Spirit now plays a significant role in the life of believers. In the context of Philippians 3:3, the significance of the Holy Spirit is worked out in terms of his enabling believers to devote their entire lives to God. In Romans 8:8–9, however, Paul explains that those in the flesh cannot please God, inferring that God desires those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. And 2 Corinthians 5:17 works out the significance of the Holy Spirit by implying that the Holy Spirit makes people into a new creation. The point is, the Holy Spirit plays a significant role in the life of believers, as explained by passages such as Philippians 3:3, Romans 8:8–9, and 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Explanation:

Paul says that he and the Philippians are the true circumcision, and then follows this up with the phrase the ones who worship by the Spirit of God. It is important to note that there are textual variants for the phrase, where some manuscripts omit the term θεοῦ (God).⁹ If this is the case, then we would translate the phrase who worship in spirit, rather than, who worship by the Spirit of God. In other words, the true circumcision are those who worship not by external acts such as circumcision but by their internal hearts and minds. Such a meaning makes good sense given the context, as Paul is about to contrast the external works of the Mosaic law with faith in Christ (Philippians 3:4–11).

Counterargument:

While there is a textual variant where the term θεοῦ (God) is omitted, the reason many translations choose to retain the term is that the omission is only found in one manuscript (P46). On the other hand, the reading πνεύματι θεοῦ (by the Spirit of God) is supported by several manuscripts, including א A B C Dc G K 33 81 614 1739 itg syrhmg copsa bo. Most likely, P46 omits θεοῦ (God) because of an oversight by a copier.¹⁰

Response to counterargument:

The fact that one reading is better supported than another does not mean that the better supported reading is the original. Given that the RSV goes with the omission, and the early date of P46, one is justified to believe that in Philippians 3:3, θεοῦ (God) is omitted so that the translation reads who worship in spirit. (Technically the RSV translates οἱ πνεύματι λατρεύοντες as who worship God in spirit. They include the term God in English likely because it is implied that the verb to worship has to do exclusively with worshipping God.)¹¹

Explanation:

There is a textual variant for Philippians 3:3. This means that we have manuscripts that contain slightly different readings of this verse. Specifically, some manuscripts contain the term θεοῦ (God), so we should interpret Philippians 3:3b as those who worship by the Spirit of God. Other manuscripts omit the term θεοῦ, so we should interpret Philippians 3:3b as who worship in spirit. Aside from any manuscript evidence for deciding between these variants, there is textual support for the omission. That is, there are other passages that support the reading who worship in spirit. For example, in John 4:23–24, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman and explains that God is spirit, and the true worshippers worship God in spirit and truth. We read something similar in Isaiah 29:13 where God says that the people draw near with their mouth, but their hearts are far from God. Jesus also quotes from Isaiah 29:13, explaining that this passage also applies to the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 15:7–9). So we know from other passages that God desires worshippers who worship him not with their lips but with their hearts and minds. In other words, the true circumcision worship God in spirit.

Counterargument:  

A case could be made that passages like John 4:23–24 are not about worshipping God with one’s internal spirit, but about believers being empowered by the Holy Spirit to worship God. That is, Jesus is saying that the true worshippers of the Father are those who worship in the Spirit and truth.¹² There was a time when people worshipped the Father through a set of rules and laws, but Jesus is saying that when the Holy Spirit comes, people will worship the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Response to counterargument:

There are two problems with this counterargument. First, it overlooks other passages such as Isaiah 29:13 and Matthew 15:7–9 where we learn that God desires worshippers who worship him from the heart. That God desires worshippers who worship him from the heart aligns with the notion that the true circumcision are those who worship God in spirit. Further, it is not enough to simply assert that we should translate John 4:23–24 as referring to the Holy Spirit rather than one’s inner spirit. Instead, we need an argument to show why such an interpretation is preferred. The fact is, some Bible translations, such as the ESV, take it that Jesus refers to the inner spirit, while others, such as the NIV, take it that he refers to the Holy Spirit. Thus, one needs to make an argument to help decide between these, and so barring an argument, one is free to take Jesus to refer to the inner spirit. Of course, this aligns with the notion that Paul teaches that the true circumcision are those who worship God in spirit.

The weakness of this view is that it is based on a textual variant that is only supported by one manuscript and few prominent English translations.