Scriptural Teachings for Contemporary Evangelical Settings
Scripture conveys there is a clear distinction between the terms (a) restoration, which often involves lament, (b) thanksgiving, (c) praise, and (d) worship (see Psa. 95:6-7; Psa. 100:2-7; et al.). Deeply interconnected themes in the Scriptures, lament of one's sinfulness before God elicits a Spirit response of restoration through Christ, which brings believers into a right relationship with God, enabling us to experience joy and hope along with the ability to worship Him in spirit and truth. Worship, therefore, is the human response to God's restorative work in us. Recognizing this restorative work moves us to express gratitude, thanksgiving, praise, reverence, and commitment to His will.
Part 3/4 (below) discusses praise, the purpose of our existence, and an extraordinary gift of God made for His glory, and bred through our humility before Him.
Worship
"Worship is our attitude and our posture before God."
Worship in the Bible is the act of attributing reverent honor and homage to God. It is both a personal and communal expression of faith, characterized by adoration, praise, and obedience. Worship is central to the life of a believer and is a response to God's revelation and redemptive work. It allows us to submit to God as God, not ourselves. It resists the plans and tactics of the Enemy to make us feel sad, discouraged, or fearful, and refuses to allow him to defeat us (Jas. 4:7). It allows us to trade our 'spirit of heaviness' for 'a garment of praise' (Isa. 61:3), and allows us to find strength in the joy of the Lord (Neh. 8:10).
In the Old Testament, worship is intricately linked to the covenant relationship between God and His people. The Israelites are instructed to worship God alone, as seen in the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exo. 20:3). Worship in the tabernacle and later in the temple involves sacrifices, offerings, and rituals that symbolize the people's devotion and dependence on God.
The Psalms serve as a rich resource for understanding worship, and Psa. 95:6-7 invites believers to worship: "Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care." This passage emphasizes worship as an act of humility and recognition of God's sovereignty.
In the New Testament, worship is transformed through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches that true worship is not confined to specific locations or rituals but is a matter of the heart: "But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him" (Jhn. 4:23). This teaching underscores the importance of sincerity and authenticity in worship.
The early church exemplifies communal worship through prayer, teaching, fellowship, and the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42). The Apostle Paul encourages individual believers to offer their lives as a living sacrifice, which is their spiritual act of worship (Rom. 12:1). This holistic view of worship encompasses all aspects of life, calling believers to live in a way that honors God.
"Give to the Lord the glory due His Name; bring an offering and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (1 Ch. 16:29).
A Scriptural portrait of worship is manifest in (a) a posture of individual prostration and service before God, and (b) a discipline of obedience that magnifies the glory of the triune God.[1] A holistic theology of worship must reflect a daily practice of perpetual faith, unconditional love, obedient submission, and dependence toward God the Father through Christ the Son, by way of the Holy Spirit.[2] This obedient worship is a requirement of a mature and Scripturally authentic discipleship, one that partakes in salvation through grace within the present and anticipates the promise of eternal restoration to God through Christ. Further, a sincere and dedicated practice of worship equips all individuals to participate in the unfolding narrative of God the Father, through Christ the Son, as those who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23).[3] Nonetheless, contemporary evangelical theologies often define worship as a musical activity, intended for entertainment, ritualism, and emotional engagement.[4] Worship is conflated with musical experience, personal expression, ritualized activity, and demonstrative performance, which encourage a self-oriented liturgical approach and neglect the principle of Christ-centered discipleship through obedience. As such, this study will (a) assess lexical ideologies of worship within the Old and New Testaments, (b) analyze theological incongruities within contemporary evangelical practices of worship, and (c) establish a holistic theology of worship emergent within submissive obedience.
For a detailed discussion on the history, etymology, fall, and threat of contemporary liturgical models since the Jesus Movement to scriptural worship, click here.
__________
[1] Daniel I. Block, “True Worship: It Turns Out the Bible’s Idea of Worship Is Mostly About Posture, Not Music or Praise,” Christianity Today 63, no. 4 (2019): 46.
[2] D. A. Carson, “Worship Under the Word,” in Worship by the Book, ed. D. A. Carson (Zondervan, 2002), 8–9.
[3] Benjamin Harding, “Lecture 1B: The Creeds and Their Shape in Planning Worship,” virtual lecture, n.d., by Cairn University, Panopto, 8 min., 34 sec., 2:26–5:05.
[4] Robert E. Webber, Ancient-Future Worship (Baker Books, 2008), 60.
Worship in the Bible is the act of attributing reverent honor and homage to God. It is both a personal and communal expression of faith, characterized by adoration, praise, and obedience. Worship is central to the life of a believer and is a response to God's revelation and redemptive work. It allows us to submit to God as God, not ourselves. It resists the plans and tactics of the Enemy to make us feel sad, discouraged, or fearful, and refuses to allow him to defeat us (Jas. 4:7). It allows us to trade our 'spirit of heaviness' for 'a garment of praise' (Isa. 61:3), and allows us to find strength in the joy of the Lord (Neh. 8:10).
In the Old Testament, worship is intricately linked to the covenant relationship between God and His people. The Israelites are instructed to worship God alone, as seen in the Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exo. 20:3). Worship in the tabernacle and later in the temple involves sacrifices, offerings, and rituals that symbolize the people's devotion and dependence on God.
The Psalms serve as a rich resource for understanding worship, and Psa. 95:6-7 invites believers to worship: "Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care." This passage emphasizes worship as an act of humility and recognition of God's sovereignty.
In the New Testament, worship is transformed through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches that true worship is not confined to specific locations or rituals but is a matter of the heart: "But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him" (Jhn. 4:23). This teaching underscores the importance of sincerity and authenticity in worship.
The early church exemplifies communal worship through prayer, teaching, fellowship, and the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42). The Apostle Paul encourages individual believers to offer their lives as a living sacrifice, which is their spiritual act of worship (Rom. 12:1). This holistic view of worship encompasses all aspects of life, calling believers to live in a way that honors God.
"Give to the Lord the glory due His Name; bring an offering and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (1 Ch. 16:29).
A Scriptural portrait of worship is manifest in (a) a posture of individual prostration and service before God, and (b) a discipline of obedience that magnifies the glory of the triune God.[1] A holistic theology of worship must reflect a daily practice of perpetual faith, unconditional love, obedient submission, and dependence toward God the Father through Christ the Son, by way of the Holy Spirit.[2] This obedient worship is a requirement of a mature and Scripturally authentic discipleship, one that partakes in salvation through grace within the present and anticipates the promise of eternal restoration to God through Christ. Further, a sincere and dedicated practice of worship equips all individuals to participate in the unfolding narrative of God the Father, through Christ the Son, as those who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23).[3] Nonetheless, contemporary evangelical theologies often define worship as a musical activity, intended for entertainment, ritualism, and emotional engagement.[4] Worship is conflated with musical experience, personal expression, ritualized activity, and demonstrative performance, which encourage a self-oriented liturgical approach and neglect the principle of Christ-centered discipleship through obedience. As such, this study will (a) assess lexical ideologies of worship within the Old and New Testaments, (b) analyze theological incongruities within contemporary evangelical practices of worship, and (c) establish a holistic theology of worship emergent within submissive obedience.
For a detailed discussion on the history, etymology, fall, and threat of contemporary liturgical models since the Jesus Movement to scriptural worship, click here.
__________
[1] Daniel I. Block, “True Worship: It Turns Out the Bible’s Idea of Worship Is Mostly About Posture, Not Music or Praise,” Christianity Today 63, no. 4 (2019): 46.
[2] D. A. Carson, “Worship Under the Word,” in Worship by the Book, ed. D. A. Carson (Zondervan, 2002), 8–9.
[3] Benjamin Harding, “Lecture 1B: The Creeds and Their Shape in Planning Worship,” virtual lecture, n.d., by Cairn University, Panopto, 8 min., 34 sec., 2:26–5:05.
[4] Robert E. Webber, Ancient-Future Worship (Baker Books, 2008), 60.
Comments are closed