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Response

Often when we think about worship we think about our favourite worship leaders and their songs, or about what we do with a bunch of people on a Sunday. The Bible has a lot more to say about worship than that; in fact it comes across as quite a pressing issue.

The most important thing to know about worship is that it is for God and him alone (Exodus 34:14). It is an ongoing theme throughout the Bible, especially in the prophets. This might sound obvious, but all of us from time to time probably think about worship in terms of whether I liked it, rather than God.

Another important thing to have clear is that Jesus is the perfect worship leader. This is not due to his excellent guitar skills or velvety voice, but something far more profound and mysterious than that. Rewind to the Old Testament.

Worship in the Old Testament was focussed around the temple, with its rituals and sacrifices. There was a mediator, the High Priest, who came before God in the temple on behalf of the people to bring worship offerings. It is important to note here that although this form of worship is very different to anything we might engage in on a Sunday morning, the patterns and values behind it are the same. In the midst of the ritual and the sacrifices, God still looked at the attitude of the heart (see for example Amos 5:21-24).

When Jesus died on the cross, he enabled us to have a relationship with the Father. It is therefore only through Jesus that we can come before the Father to worship – he is our mediator, we no longer need a High Priest to worship God on our behalf. As Hebrews puts it: “…Christ is the mediator of a new covenant…” (Hebrews 9:15 – but read the whole chapter!). In this way, Jesus is the perfect worship leader, since only he can lead us before the throne of God.

Jesus is also the perfect worship leader because he offered the perfect worship to the Father. In his death, Jesus became perfect worship, by being the perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:1-18). Also, as the second Adam (Romans 5:12ff, 1 Corinthians 15:20ff), Jesus made all the right choices which the first Adam did not, living his life in perfect obedience to the Father (Romans 5:19), all the way to the cross (Philippians 2:8). Obedience is worship: Samuel said to Saul in one of his lower moments, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22).

One word that is translated “worship” in the Bible is the Greek word latreuo, which in essence means “to serve”. We should remember in our worship that it should be about serving God with our whole lives like Jesus did (Romans 12:1). However, it is also about coming before the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit to bow down (proskuneo) and be in awe and reverence (sebomai). This we can do through singing (see many of the Psalms, Acts 16:25, Ephesians 5:19), prayers and liturgy (1 Chronicles 29:10ff, Revelation 4:8-11) or many other creative ways (like for example dancing, 2 Samuel 6:14).

Further Reading

Marcus Green, Salvation's Song (Eastborne, Kingsway 2004)

Andrew Hill, Enter His Courts with Praise (Eastborne, Kingsway 2003) - Especially informative on Old Testament worship.

Barry Liesch, The New Worship (Grand Rapids, Baker Books 2001) - Includes both theology and practical skills.

Matt Redman (ed.), The Heart of Worship Files (Eastborne, Kingsway 2003) - See especially the chapters by Chris Jack for explanation of the Hebrew and Greek words for worship.

FAQ Disclaimer:

FAQ responses are designed to promote clear biblical thinking about subjects that are often difficult and confusing. The responses are all considered to be compatible with the Evangelical Alliance’s basis of faith but beyond that should not be assumed to represent the Evangelical Alliance’s ‘official standpoint’ on any particular doctrine or issue.