WHY DO WE WORSHIP?
When many believers think about “worship,” they think about prescribed rituals that a group of believers goes through on Sunday. But the doctrine of worship in the Bible is far more glorious and requires a much greater dedication than just this.
Worship is a life lived in creaturely dependence upon the God who created us. It is recognizing and appreciating and acknowledging who God is, and who we are as His people. It is giving God the glory and honor that is due Him.
God is our Creator, and honoring Him as such is where worship begins (Revelation 4:11). We affirm our belief in the reality of God by surrendering our lives to Him and recognizing that if we are created beings—and there is no “if” about that—then we owe all our allegiance to Him.
In Christ, we seek to honor God as our Redeemer (Isaiah 43:1) and King (Psalm 95:6). We owe our existence and our salvation to Him alone. Those who trust in Christ are the saved people of God because of the work of Jesus Christ. Worship is acknowledging that.
Three things must be present for “true worship” (John 4:23:24) to take place:
First, there must be love for Christ in our hearts (Mark 12:30). When we exalt Christ in our hearts in recognition of how wonderful He is, love for Him grows. By focusing on how much He loved us first, our love for Him grows (1 John 4:19). We will worship and serve Him when we truly love Him. And we will truly love Him when we accept the reality of His infinite love for us.
Second, we must be willing to obey the Lord we claim to love (John 14:15). Love for Jesus is shown by a changed life. We simply do not love Him if we do not commit our lives to serving Him. It is when we recognize that He is the sovereign Lord and Ruler of the universe that we will accept Him as the ruler in our lives. And we will always strive to do what He says.
How could we not worship the King of the universe? Especially considering how He loves us. And how could we refuse to serve Him—which is what worship ultimately is—when we consider that He came to serve us and to give His life for us (Matt. 20:28).
Third, every aspect of our lives must be “offered to God” as a “living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). In the Bible, sacrifice is worship. But we are not called to offer animal sacrifices or any kind of literal sacrifices that require death. Jesus has already sacrificed Himself for our sins (Ephesians 5:2). His death was the only death required.
Jesus said that worship must be “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24), which means that the sacrifices and worship ceremonies of the Old Testament were types and shadows of what we are to do in Christ.
Worship is not about external rules and rituals. It is about a heart and life of praising God that surrenders to Him both in worship acts—like singing and praise and, most importantly, dedicating our entire lives to Him. The “worship service” that God wants is a life of service in His name. That will include what we think of as “acts of worship”—singing, taking communion, praying. But all will be within the freedom of a life lived completely for Him.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
