Worship defined: (verb) to render religious reverence and homage to God; to adore, pay honor and reverence to; to attend services of divine worship; (noun) the act of paying reverent honor, adoration, and homage to God; formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage.
In some languages the equivalent word for “worship” literally means “bend over,” “fall down (before),” or “bow down (before).”
Our English word “worship” comes from the Old English worthscipe, “worth” + suffix “–ship” – acknowledging one in the condition worthy of reverence and honor.
- Worth: deserving honor, worthy, valued.
- -Ship: quality, condition, state, or relation.
- Worthship: condition of being worthy.
- Over time this becomes “reverence paid to Deity.”
The Bible does not give an explicit or formal definition of worship. The biblical view of worship must be discerned from the teachings on the subject throughout the Bible.
Preparing to worship
The principle of worship proceeds from the concept that there is someone worthy to be worshipped (and then that there is someone in a position to worship, render honor).
Worship is regulated by the one worshipped; in truth, John 4:24. Deut. 12:32
The Regulative Principle of Worship – Whatever is commanded in the Scriptures for the public worship of God is required, and whatever is not commanded is prohibited. This principle accepts that only God and not man ordains how he will be worshipped. Exodus 20:3-6.
Worship is responding from an inner heart movement; in spirit, John 4:24
- Fear before him
- Humble yourselves
We see that God is worthy of our submission and homage, (then) we give him our reverence and respect (then) we are ready to do service and offer sacrifice. Romans 12:1
The London Baptist and Philadelphia Baptist Confessions describe acceptable worship: “…the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.”
In our doctrinal and position statements, our church declares “The sufficiency of Scripture for all matters of faith and practice,” which declarations insist that our worship is dictated by God to us through his Scripture.
- Psalm 29:2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
- Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
- Psalm 96:9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
- Psalm 99:5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
- Revelation 4:10 the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
- Revelation 5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
- Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
2 comments:
i enjoyed this one Mr. Vaughn - i have always been so frustrated as to what i have seen in the last thirty plus years as to what the "church" considers worship - and part of that time was as an unsaved man looking through unsaved eyes at something that i knew was not "worship".
as i started reading the Bible, got saved, i did not see what was passing off as, and still is passed off as, "worship".
i thought you hit the primary essence here in you post.
grace and peace.
Thanks, Alex. There seems to be far too much mentality of Cain, that we can bring whatever we want to offer, and God should just have to accept it!
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