"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18:23-35
Are there moral implications here for banks and creditors who have received stimulus money from the federal government?
25 September 2009
13 September 2009
Worship
The following is my senior thesis from high school. It is a really long post, and is actually more a work in progress, so all the thoughts may not be complete, or I may have changed my opinions on some of the ideas within. However, in order to open discussion, I decided to post it. This is how it read when I turned it in at the end of my senior year in high school. Here goes...
For several decades, the war on worship has waged on in the American churches. The debate ranges from physical expressions of worship to styles of music to be used in the church; from the argument about whether or not to use instruments in the church to the debate regarding the structure of a "worship" service. While the Bible does not say, "Thou shalt sing hymns every Sunday" or "Thou shalt not play the drums in the House of God", it does have much to say about worship. Moreover, while some "restrictions" on worship may not be totally scriptural, some "freedoms" in worship may not be completely biblical, either. Only through an investigation into the Bible in its entire context can this conflict be resolved.
The truest forms and doctrines of worship come not from new, charismatic church doctrine; nor do they stem from conservative, traditional doctrine. True, pure worship can be found in the churches that encourage worship in the light of God’s Word, not in the light of church doctrine. Traditions have suppressed the movement of God in overly conservative churches; lack of foundation has destroyed order and created confusion in extremely charismatic churches. The truest forms of worship found in God’s infallible word lie somewhere along the less conservative lines than today’s extreme traditionalists (namely older denominations as Baptists, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.).
The key to remember is that worship is not a doctrinal or denominational issue; it is rather a biblical issue. The Bible tells Christians what God’s desires are, not denominational creeds; the scriptures are the infallible word of God, not the official Baptist doctrine. Only if these doctrines agree with the Bible as a whole and within context of itself as a whole are they even worth recognizing. Another key is that not all churches under the “traditional” banner deny freedom in worship; similarly, not all “charismatic” churches abandon traditions rooted in God’s commands for worship. Finally, unity between all believers is a desirable trait. These points being understood, an investigation into worship can begin.
The first question to be resolved is what is worship? In his book What the Bible Teaches, R.A. Torrey proposes that worship is "the soul bowing itself in adoring contemplation before the object worshipped" (472). His evidence for this can be found in verses such as 2 Chronicles 7:3 - "…they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped…" - and Exodus 4:31 - "…And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped." Torrey writes, "Reading the Bible…is not worship…Praying is not worship…Singing is not necessarily worship…The root of the Hebrew word translated 'worship' in the Old Testament means 'to bow down'"(472). So the first aspect of worship is reverence and bowing down. This is evident throughout the entire Old Testament.
According to several authors and theologians, many people have confused worship with praise. Lewis Chafer writes, "Praise…has the same root as price, meaning to ascribe value and worth to another" (252). In Psalm 22:22, David says to God, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you." In Philippians 1:11, Paul speaks of his desire for the Philippians to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes from through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." In these two verses, praise is used as giving glory and credit to God for what He has done.
The main difference between praise and worship is the personality of the action. Bob Sorge writes, "praise can sometimes be distant, but worship is usually intimate." (68) Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, "To worship someone or something is to attribute supreme worth or to declare supreme value to that one or that thing." (17) While praise is proclaiming God's worth to everyone, worship is proclaiming God's worth to Him. Worship is always communication with God; praise is the outward celebration of one's communion with God. Sorge goes on to say, "praise is always seen or heard; worship is not always evident to an observer." (68) While praise is always going to be an outward outpouring of joy and reverence for God, the intense intimacy of worship allows for personal worship that is not evident to others. "Worship is not a musical activity, but a function of the heart"; it is "often characterized by a quiet and unassumed basking in God's presence" (Sorge 68). While praise is an act of the flesh, worship is an act of the spirit, an intimate unity between a person's spirit and God's.
Oftentimes, the phrase "Worship is a lifestyle" is used by pastors and Christian leaders to emphasize a habit of worship. However, Davin Seay writes, what does the term lifestyle mean? He quotes Reverend Maggi Dawn as saying, "The word 'lifestyle' connotes a choice…But worship is not an option. It is a command of God." This is true. It is not for people to choose whether to worship God or not. Worship involves sacrifice; rather than choosing to stay in one's comfort zone, worship breaks that zone and makes God the absolute center of everything that is done. However, by "lifestyle", would someone mean that everything they do reflects the aspect of that routine? While one's entire life should revolve around bringing pleasure to God, is worship the entire life, or can it be boiled down to times of worship on a consistent basis? Seay quotes Samuel Balentine as saying: "[The Sabbath] is a time set apart from ordinary days." God says to keep the Sabbath holy and separate. This shows that some time should be especially set apart for time with God. Therefore, worship has to be an instance, and exact point in time, or an action, rather than a period of time, or a "lifestyle" in this sense. However, a true worshiper's life will make obvious the time spent with God. In essence, worship is an action that should be habitual, while obedience is a choice of a lifestyle, or how to live.
How does God expect His followers to worship? In John 4:23, Jesus says "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." There has been much speculation and study into what "in spirit and in truth" exactly means. If these are the worshipers God desires, all who aspire to worship Him should follow these guidelines. So what is worship in spirit and in truth?
First, Jesus was showing that worship would not put emphasis on the place (Jerusalem for the Jews, or Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans), but instead it was a function of the spirit of man reaching out to the Spirit of God (Sorge 79). Until the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus left, God's people did not have the Holy Spirit. While before Pentecost, one could commune with God's Spirit in true worship, now it is even deeper because all Christians have the Spirit of God with them. Under the rituals of the past, the Jews had lost sight of true worship. In Isaiah 29:13, God says of His people, "These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." God's people had lost sight of true worship and had chosen simply to go through the motions. Jesus knew this and was emphasizing to this woman that soon the Mosaic sacrifice rituals would pass away, and worship would take place between God's spirit and man's spirit. "Worship in spirit", therefore, is emphasizing communion with God rather than empty rituals.
Worship in truth has three facets to it. As Sorge clarifies, "When Jesus spoke of worshiping in truth, he meant that worship involves the mind." This, he says, is the difference between "intelligent" and "ignorant" worship (80). Many people carry around the misconception that when they attend the "worship service" at their local church on Sunday morning, that God will come and move and when he does, it will be based upon the great feeling that comes in worship. Worship, they fail to recognize, requires great mental application. Jesus commands Christians to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind". This command does not become limited to only one's heart and soul in worship, but worshipers worship God in their minds. This means that whatever worship takes place must be done with intellectual intelligence. Worshipers must understand all that is going on and only worship in the truth.
A second component of worship in truth is worship with honesty. According to Allen and Borror, "The real factor in worship is a heart desire for God…" (24) One should not come before God and offer hypocritical or false worship. God is not pleased with forms of worship that are actually hypocritical in nature; He wants worshipers to come before Him with hearts that are pure and true (Sorge 82). Sometimes Christians need "to realize we have a form of godliness but have long since lost the power thereof" (Allen and Borror 25). It is one thing to appear that everything is under control; it is quite another to be truly seeking God. The reason true worship does not take place in churches is that is does not take place in the everyday lives of churchgoers (Allen and Borror 24). Mouth worship is false, but heart worship will reveal itself in every portion of the worshiper's life. To worship in truth, one must be following God's commands.
Finally, worship in truth deals with worship in accordance to God's word and His nature. While many today would quickly lump Jesus, Hare Krishna, Allah, and even themselves into the same "deity", there is no doubt that there are great differences. The God of the Bible, Yahweh, in three persons, is inherently different than other gods. Sincerity in worship does not make up for worshiping without truth. Consider the Muslims, arguably the most sincere religious group in the world; however, they do not worship Jesus, but Allah, who is an entirely different entity. Therefore, there are irreconcilable differences, and their worship, no matter how sincere, cannot be accepted by God because it is not in accordance to His Word or His nature. Likewise, all worship must be in accordance to Scripture; if it is not, it is not true worship and is unacceptable.
The effects of worship in spirit and in truth will be myriad and noticeable. Time truly spent with God will show. Davin Seay quotes Dr. Randy Rowland as saying, "…worship demands an investment of the whole person and the whole life." This means that a true worshiper will have obvious effects of being with God. One cannot spend significant amounts of intimate time with anyone - much less the omnipotent God - and not be changed. The time set apart for God will make a great difference. It is a cyclical process. When one worships, he becomes closer to and more like God, therefore making him a better and more complete worshiper. True worship affects the worshiper's life.
Therefore, worship is the communication and intimacy between the spirit of a person and the Spirit of Almighty God. This worship is always going to be out of reverence and love, out of humility and bowing down. Worship involves man's adoration and contemplation of God. Worship and praise, while similar in origin and meaning, are two separate acts. True worship occurs in spirit and in truth. Worship in spirit is communion between Christians and the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs them. Worship in truth is worship of the mind along with the heart and soul. It is sincere and honest worship of one who understands and obeys God's laws and desires genuinely to know Him more. Finally, it is in accordance to God's word and will.
The next question to be resolved is what kind of people worship. Now that true worship can be understood, true worshipers can be defined. The scriptures give very specific attitudes and attributes that true worshipers act out in their worship. If worship is completely focused on God instead of self, then a true worshiper will be consumed with what God wants from His worshipers.
The first thing to understand is that God’s desire is the worship of every man and woman. The creation of humankind was for relationship with God. Before the creation of man, God said, “‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26). This is proof of special creation of man. This special creation was for communion with Almighty God. Genesis 3:8 speaks of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. The assumption that can be made is that God's walking in the garden with Adam and Eve was an everyday occurrence. This personal relationship with God is the reason for the creation of man.
Something else to understand is that worship is a command rather than a request. God says to His people in Exodus 20:3-5, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol…You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” God did not request the worship of His people – He commanded it. God demanded that His people give Him their unadulterated love and attention. To be a child of God necessitates worship of Him alone. Therefore, since God desires all people to be His children, God desires and expects the worship of every person.
So then, what kind of people are true worshipers? Rick Warren writes, “The heart of worship is surrender” (77). The very first attribute of a true worshiper is that of being unselfishly surrendered to God’s will. No one can worship when focused on himself. A true worshiper will be focused on God and doing what He wants. In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Paul uses the word sacrifice to describe a worshiper. This is evidence of God’s desire for unselfish worshipers.
A true worshiper will be, as Matt Redman writes, “unquenchable” (18). Redman cites as an example Habakkuk, who “decided he would respond to God’s worth, no matter how bleak a season he found himself in” (19). Habakkuk 3:17-18 says
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in God my Savior.
Habakkuk was not limiting his worship of God to times of great comfort and rejoicing. He was not an easily quenched worshiper, but instead worshiped God at all times. This embodies the idea of being an unquenchable worshiper.
Another characteristic of a true worshiper is that of being ruined. No sinful man can worship the Father in spirit and in truth until he realizes his sin and the separation from God, which exists as a result of that sin. When Isaiah saw God in all His glory, he responded by confessing his sin. He says to God in Isaiah 6:5, “‘Woe to me…I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah realized that his sin permeated every facet of his life. He knew that since he was spiritually dead, his physical eyes could not view the Lord. Isaiah was broken before the Lord; only then did God proceed to cleanse Isaiah and allow him to worship. Likewise, a true worshiper does not enter the throne room of God with an air of arrogance, but rather “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). A true worshiper understands that he is doing God no big favor by worshiping Him, but that it is an honor and privilege to worship the Almighty.
The true worshiper will not worship only in song or in church once a week, because he understands that worship is so much more than singing a few songs or listening to a sermon. A true worshiper will be obedient to God’s commands because he understands the importance of obedience. One John 2:6 says, “Whoever claims to live in [God] must walk as Jesus did.” In order to worship personally, obedience to God’s commands is vital. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” In order to worship, one must love God and desire to spend time with Him. Those who love God will obey His commands; therefore, a true worshiper will be obedient to what God’s word says.
Matt Redman writes that a true worshiper will be willing to go unnoticed (84). By unnoticed, he means unnoticed by people, not unnoticed by God. God sees everything that happens to everyone. However, in Matthew 6, Jesus warns, “‘Be careful not to do your “acts of righteousness” before men…’” (verse 1). Again, in verse 6, He says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Jesus teaches that acts of worship should be done before God, not before men. Jesus expects worshipers to have the faith to believe that their worship is seen and that God will reward them for their worship in secret. The temptation is always present to put on big acts of “worship” for everyone to see. A true worshiper worships the same in secret as he does in front of thousands of other people. There is also an expectation implied by Jesus when He says, “When you pray”, or “When you fast” (Matthew 6:16). Therefore, a true worshiper will do these acts, but is content in worship that goes unnoticed by man.
A true worshiper will also be able to relate to God. A.W. Tozer writes, “…for millions of Christians, God is no more real than He is to the non-Christian. They go through life trying to love and be loyal to a mere principle” (48). Instead of worshiping someone that they know and love, someone they can talk to and have communion with, these Christians worship a standard or an idea. A true worshiper will by definition know God intimately and personally. A true worshiper will not have to hold to an opaque opinion or ideal because he will worship Whom he knows.
One last aspect of a true worshiper is that of purity. A true worshiper will not try to enter the presence of God with the guilt of sin in his heart. The true worshiper understands what God commands in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be holy, as I [God] am holy.” The true worshiper will set himself apart from the world and will lead a pure life. He will also understand that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The guilt of sin has been taken away, and the true worshiper can worship freely and purely. The true worshiper also understands that he must deal with his sin before entering God’s presence to worship. He understands the principle that Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore, if you are offering a gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” A true worshiper will not try to offer God the sacrifice of praise until he is completely blameless before God. He makes sure his purity and then will offer God acceptable worship.
These are all attitudes of a true worshiper; however, there are several attitudes that hinder true worship. These attitudes are brought about by man’s sinful nature, attack on Christians’ minds, and Christians’ complacency. The first of these attitudes is pride. Sorge writes, “Pride has ruined far more worship services than all the forces of hell combined” (101). Pride keeps Christians from responding to God the way He wants them to. Because the very nature of worship is God-centered and God-focused, pride can destroy intimate worship from the foundation up. Rather than be prideful or selfish, a true worshiper should follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in worship and follow what God wants. Sometimes that may entail leaving one’s “comfort zone” or doing something that is not socially acceptable, such as a physical act of worship that one does not often practice in his church. Rather than letting pride take over, a true worshiper will let God take over and respond to Him as He moves.
A second attitude that hinders worship is what Sorge calls “reverse hedonism”, or the philosophy of “if it feels good, do it” (102). This attitude goes hand-in-hand with pride. Christians are not free to worship when they feel, how they feel. They are not supposed to worship simply when they feel like it, but rather when God feels like it. A true worshiper will be in humble submission to His will, and respond to Him accordingly.
The last wrong attitude in worship is mere lip service. It is very easy for Christians to become too familiar and comfortable with songs or orders of worship and rather than put their whole hearts, souls, and minds into worshiping God, they simply go through the motions. God addressed this same problem in Amos 5. The Israelites had become too complacent in their worship of God. They followed all the commands of worship set forth to Moses. They followed all the feasts and fasts; however, they did so feebly and unwillingly. He responded by saying: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them” (Amos 5:21-22). God’s response to His people’s self-satisfaction was a warning that He would disregard their half-hearted worship altogether. This lip service is not enough for the Almighty; He demands wholehearted worship from His people. The people of God had forgotten what Samuel speaks of God in 1 Samuel 15:22: “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Worship is not a matter of strict obedience to a set of laws; the essence of the matter is how the worshiper worships, halfheartedly (which is unacceptable) or wholeheartedly (which is what the Lord desires).
Therefore, true worship can be defined as intimate communion and interaction between the heart, soul and mind of man and the Spirit of God. This interaction must be in accordance with God's will set forth in the scriptures. A true worshiper will have the right attitudes and actions in worship. However, a true worshiper will worship not only individually, but also corporately. Therefore, is there any basis in scripture for corporate worship? If so, what kinds and types of worship are scriptural and acceptable? What physical actions, if any, should take place in corporate worship? Should hymns be sung, or are newer praise and worship songs acceptable? All these questions remain to be resolved.
First, there is scriptural basis for corporate worship. There is no doctrine standing against this fact, which is deeply rooted in God’s word. The Israelites gathered every Sabbath to worship God together. Many Christians throughout history have argued that one can worship God just as well in His creation, or by oneself, as in church on Sunday mornings. While this is true on a personal, one-on-one level with God, there is a different facet to worship that must be understood. Worship does not only take place on a one-to-one level, but also on a community level. For example, seven times Moses requested that Pharaoh let the Israelites go into the desert to worship corporately. Psalm 102:22 speaks of a time “when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.” In Acts 13, the disciples gather together to worship and the Holy Spirit sets aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. These are all examples of corporate worship. God’s people have always worshiped corporately, as well as personally. Jesus says in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” God obviously places great emphasis on corporate worship. God moves greatly through corporate worship, and commands it of his people.
A first reason for this community worship is that it creates unity among the body to gather together for the purpose of worshiping together. Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” Although there may be doctrinal differences between believers, they can all still come together for worship. In fact, the worship of God is one thing all Christians do have in common. God greatly desires unity in His body. Jesus prays in John 17:23, “May they be brought to complete unity…”; similarly, Paul writes in Romans 15:5, “May God…give you a spirit of unity among yourselves…” Throughout scripture it is obvious that unity is a necessary ingredient for the body of Christ to function properly.
A second reason for corporate worship is, as Sorge writes, the “opportunity to minister to one another” (115). Along with the community of corporate worship, there is a ministry of corporate worship. A corporately worshiping body of believers is much more effective than several solitary believers worshiping alone. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The Holy Spirit did not come to earth until all the disciples were gathered together (Acts 2:1). Likewise, the Holy Spirit is more likely to move in a powerful way if He can move among a group of worshipers. God commands corporate worship for legitimate reasons.
Therefore, what should take place when a body of God’s people joins together in order to worship? This is the point on which many divisions of Christ’s body part ways. While the liturgical churches (Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Catholic, among others) have a set order of worship each time they meet, the less traditional churches may differ in their order of worship from week to week. Which position is right? What does the Bible say regarding this issue? Paul tells the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” Paul clearly states that
music is part of a corporate gathering of believers.
This music serves a twofold purpose. First, of course is to worship God, which is making music to the Lord. However, another reason is to speak to the other believers worshiping there. Paul says to do this through psalms – which are the psalms from the Old Testament - hymns, which are traditional songs written by and for use in the church – and spiritual songs. It is most difficult to give a definition or parameter to the term spiritual songs; however, these are most likely times of spontaneous praise and worship, along with times of personal reflection and communication with God outside an established set of words, such as in a song. In today’s terms, these three items would be the use of scriptures, hymns and praise and worship songs, and times of “free praise”.
The debate has arisen in the church over the past few hundred years over whether or not to include instruments in worship. While there remains no doubt as to the place of music in worship, the negative side of the argument (namely the Church of Christ faction) cites the fact that the New Testament does not mention the use of instruments in worship. Kevin Cauley’s argument, representative of nearly all proponents of anti-instrumentalism, is that the New Testament does not specify instruments for worship. However, Paul reminds us “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, to rebuke this teaching, Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord…in His sanctuary…with the sound of trumpet, with the harp and lyre, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals…” This is just one among many verses (many of them in the Psalms) that are clearly evidence for the use of instruments in the temple of God for worship. No scripture specifically gives the message of not using instruments to praise and worship God; however, there are several instances where this kind of worship is commanded. Therefore, one must conclude that corporate worship of God with the use of instruments is both scriptural and acceptable.
As a rule, traditional churches hold to their own traditional hymnodies – while denying any newer worship songs. For example, the Baptist sub-denominations have several different hymnals they each use, and while there is some dispute over which hymnals are “right”, the general doctrine is that all music for corporate worship must come from these hymnals. In contrast, many of the less traditional churches, particularly those not affiliated with any specific denomination, do not even address hymns in their doctrines, and often do not incorporate the traditional hymns of the Christian faith into their worship services. This has sparked great controversy between churches today.
So then, the problem arises of styles: tradition versus what is “hot”, hymns versus choruses, or, basically, old versus new. The foundational principle to understand in this case is that nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is the way that it has always been done. However, those traditions with great history and purposeful foundation for their objectives should without a doubt be respected and used under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is different or new; there must always be a basis, or a reason for something to be a part of a worship service. Nothing should occur for the sake of occurring. None of the great traditions or laws given to the Israelites was given just for them to have traditions and laws to follow; God always had a reason for His commands. Whether it was the symbolism commanded of the Israelites in sacrifices (which pointed to the Messiah), or whether it was the command of God to ceremonially wash before eating, there was always a purpose. Similarly, there should always be a reason for what is done in worship services honoring the Father today. Dr. Barry Liesch - a longtime worship pastor in California - writes, “We are dependent on God, not forms” (21). The style of music does not define worship; following God’s lead in expressing one’s love to Him does. That being understood, the problem of musical styles can be addressed.
First, hymns should be used in the church for several reasons, the foremost being that they carry an enormous amount of rich history, truth, and doctrine from the days of the Reformation. The original purpose of many hymns was to teach scriptural truths to the body of Christ. During the times of the Reformation period, people were generally uneducated, and therefore, illiterate. Because of this fact, it became hard for church leaders to teach their congregations from the Bible. As a result, church leaders such as Martin Luther began writing hymns to use as teaching tools. In fact, some hymns, such as Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, were taken directly from scripture. The reasoning behind this was that songs were easy to remember, and could be learned verbally rather than being read. Consequently, great hymns of the past hold and speak deep truths from scripture. However, as Liesch writes, “Our young people are committed Christians, but when it comes to their knowledge of hymnody – they are ignorant!” (21) Hymns are the foundation of all of today’s worship music; without this foundation, the songs of today would fall. Hymns are time-tested reminders of the church’s learning and development, and are still effective for teaching and worshiping today. The words of some of these songs are just as true and relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago. For this reason, hymns should be used in the church.
Some hymns, however, are no longer relevant, or perhaps never were. Some hymns seem to ramble on about several different points with no real theme, thought, or conclusion. Most are written in older language, making them harder to understand and sing from the heart. Most hymns are more intellectual, leaving little room for the communication of emotion. Several hymns are impersonal, not allowing for personalized praise and worship. Most are musically old, and as the church has had access to more technology in the past few years and has opened the doors for more musical creativity, it becomes harder to use these hymns in their original forms. For all these reasons, hymns do not seem to be enough for most churches today. Exclusively used, hymns are acceptable and usable for worship, but seem to fall short in some areas.
On the other hand, praise and worship songs, or choruses, are worded more contemporarily, and thus are easier to identify with for most people. Several times the psalmist encourages his readers to “sing a new song”; if God’s mercies are made new every morning, then should there not be room for new expressions of gratitude? Worship choruses can communicate to people just as hymns did in their original time: clearly and contemporarily. Praise and worship songs have their place in the church for worship as well.
Nevertheless, there are some objections to these songs. They tend to be repetitive and short. Several of these songs are shallow, not holding deep, theological truths like so many of the hymns. These songs have not been tested by time, and therefore, their worth has not been challenged and proven. However, tradition is a never-ending process (Liesch 30). Soon several of today’s contemporary songs will be considered outdated. The focus should move beyond the style of the music to the point of worship. If a song is scripturally accurate, communicates praise and adoration for God, communicates scriptural truths, and is useful for ministering to one another within the body, then it can be acceptable for worship. Until the body of Christ stops worshiping worship forms and styles and starts worshiping God as He desires, these arguments will continue and will never be resolved. In this case, true worship lies somewhere in between the practices of traditional churches and freer churches.
Furthermore, the worshiper’s body is a medium for worshiping God. The very definition of the word that is translated as “worship” in the New Testament is “to bow down”. Several so-called conservative churches hold to unwritten "standards of worship" that deny most freedom to be demonstrative in worship (McMinn 93). Conversely, several churches allow pure emotion or pure foolishness to drive expressiveness into the realm of ridiculous. Not every time someone worships the Lord will God lead him to express himself in the same way; not every time will God lead him not to be physically expressive.
Don McMinn gives two main reasons for lack of expression in churches that are more conservative. The first is that the church’s heritage teaches that being demonstrative in church is improper (93). Many Christians have been taught not to do anything in church that might make a scene. Their view of the presence of God is one of reverence, meaning quietness, stiffness, and being reserved. Secondly, these people determine appropriateness based upon this heritage rather than scripture. Any Christian who took it upon himself to study God’s word in this area would find that the Bible supports physical expressiveness in worship. However, tradition kicks in and will not allow that person to let go of his inherited inhibitions and freely worship the Lord. He can give no basis for his beliefs, except that he was just taught not to do that. A brief overview of scriptural expression in worship will show the truth.
The first physical expression is the lifting of hands. There are several reasons for lifting of hands, and several scriptures giving the foundation for this practice. Psalm 28:2 says, “Hear my cry…as I lift up my hands”. McMinn writes, “The raising of hands is the international sign of surrender” (98). Christians should lift hands to symbolize surrender to God. Psalm 88:9 says, “I spread my hands out to You every day”. Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, “one holds out his hands to receive God’s grace” (123). However, it is more than just His grace; it is also his blessings, and His perfect plan, that raising of hands can signify. The extension of an open hand also suggests honesty and innocence (Gordon and Borror 123). Paul expresses his desire for “all men to lift up holy hands in prayer” (1 Timothy 2:8). McMinn proposes that hands can symbolize the condition of one’s heart, whether innocent or guilty (98). Lastly, the lifting of hands can be symbolic of victory and celebration; just as a national championship basketball team lifts their hands in triumphant celebration, so can the Christian living in God’s grace.
A second form of expression is applause. Clapping is always an action of appreciation or affirmation of someone or something. Sometimes the best that a Christian can do is to appreciate God and reaffirm His goodness. Among several other verses, Psalm 47:1 speaks of this: “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Applauding God and His work as a congregation achieves the goal of extolling Him and recognizing His place over all. Applauding the Lord can be an acceptable form of worship. However, Richard Walters, a columnist for a Baptist newsletter writes, “I believe there are severe dangers in this alien practice.” This same “alien practice” is the type of worship commanded of God’s people! Perhaps Mr. Walters is not a Christian, if God’s word is “alien” to Him. His reasons for not applauding in a worship service are that it brings attention to the instrumentalists and preachers rather than God, and that individuals similar to himself receive a “meatless bone” which “cannot strengthen [his] life.” If worship is focused on God, then what relevance does the “meatless bone” argument have in this case? Mr. Walters’s two reasons are mutually exclusive; they cannot both be true. In addition, if God commands clapping, as He does, then how can it be focused on performance? This is not a problem of the action, but rather of the actor. True forms of corporate worship do indeed include applause.
Another physical articulation of worship is kneeling or bowing; even lying prostrate, face down on the ground. This posture is one of submission to the Lordship of Christ. Philippians 2:10 tells Christians that merely at the statement of the name of Jesus, every single knee will bow to his authority. Because of the humility involved in this act, it becomes difficult for stubborn, sinful man to carry this out. However, submission to Christ is a key element of worship, which is why a true worshiper must follow Psalm 95:6, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
Lastly, and perhaps the most taboo, is dancing before the Lord. Dancing before God is actually in the Bible, but it would never happen in many churches today. However, 2 Samuel 6 tells the story of David dancing before the Lord so joyfully and vigorously that he embarrassed his wife. When she confronted him about it, he simply said, “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22). Expression in worship is often a dignity issue. Christians refuse to follow God’s call to be expressive simply out of fear of others’ opinions. This is not the attitude of a true worshiper, but of a self-centered worshiper.
Physical expression in worship can be a beautiful way to honor God. However, as Jack Hayford writes, “it only takes one or two people in a group who flail their arms mindlessly during every song” to cause a disturbance (133). True worship is not a show before other people, but before God. Physical worshipful expression should only be led by Him, and in the context of scripture. Only then can physical expression be a beautiful piece of true worship.
Finally, the order of worship becomes an issue. If a worship service is all about God, should man be able to plan a service and try to fit God into it? Or should there be no order at all, just openness for God to do what He wants? While God should be free to do whatever he wants in His service, he is still “a God of order” (1 Corinthians 14:33). However, should this order be to the extreme of Presbyterian liturgy, which is planned even to the point of what times people are supposed to stand or respond to God in confession? Or should that be the Spirit’s prerogative to lead the worshiper into that form of worship? Since worship is the worshiper responding to God, a service must leave room for God to move in His chosen way. This does not mean that there should be no semblance of order whatsoever; this would lead to chaos. Rather, there should be flexibility in the planning of the service to let God move how He sees fit.
Therefore, true worship is defined as communion between God and man. It requires all of man – his heart, mind, soul, and strength – to take place. A true worshiper will follow God’s commands, because God desires obedience as the highest form of worship. Worship is always God-centered and God-led; nothing in worship can be done out of selfish desires or ambition. The scriptures specifically command corporate worship, and one medium for this worship is music. Instruments are acceptable and desirable in musical worship, as are different styles of music. Physical expression will take place as a mirror of the inward heart and desires of a worshiper. Above all, worship is the chief purpose of man, and he must strive for excellence to honor God through his worship. While this is not an exhaustive dissertation of all forms of worship, it does present a skeleton for biblical worship, desired by the Creator for the benefit of His people. This structure has been suppressed in traditionalist conservative churches. It is time that Christians embrace and rejoice in the worship to which God has called them. “A time has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23) May all of God’s children seek to be these kinds of worshipers.
Works Cited
Allen, Ronald and Gordon Borror. Worship: Rediscovering the
Missing Jewel. Portland: Multnomah Press. 1982.
Caulley, Kevin. “Should We Use Instrumental Music in Worship?”.
www.preachersfiles.com/cauley/bible_lessons/instrumental.htm.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Systematic Theology. Dallas: Dallas
Seminary Press. 1969.
Hayford, Jack. Worship His Majesty. Dallas: Word
Publishing. 1987.
Holy Bible, The, New International Version. Colorado
Springs: International Bible Society. 1984.
Liesch, Barry. The New Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
1996.
McMinn, Don. The Practice of Praise. Oklahoma
City: Word Music. 1992.
Redman, Matt. The Unquenchable Worshipper. Ventura: Regal
Books. 2001.
Seay, Davin. "Is Worship a Lifestyle?" Worship Leader
Magazine. Sept/Oct 2003. pp 20-21.
Sorge, Bob. Exploring Worship. Canandaigua: Bob Sorge.
1987.
Torrey, R.A. What the Bible Teaches. Grand Rapids: Baker
Book House. 1933.
Tozer, A.W. The Pursuit of God. Camp Hill: Christian
Publications. 1993.
Walters, Richard. “Hand Clapping in Worship Service”.
www.baptistpillar.com/bd0363.htm
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan. 2002.
For several decades, the war on worship has waged on in the American churches. The debate ranges from physical expressions of worship to styles of music to be used in the church; from the argument about whether or not to use instruments in the church to the debate regarding the structure of a "worship" service. While the Bible does not say, "Thou shalt sing hymns every Sunday" or "Thou shalt not play the drums in the House of God", it does have much to say about worship. Moreover, while some "restrictions" on worship may not be totally scriptural, some "freedoms" in worship may not be completely biblical, either. Only through an investigation into the Bible in its entire context can this conflict be resolved.
The truest forms and doctrines of worship come not from new, charismatic church doctrine; nor do they stem from conservative, traditional doctrine. True, pure worship can be found in the churches that encourage worship in the light of God’s Word, not in the light of church doctrine. Traditions have suppressed the movement of God in overly conservative churches; lack of foundation has destroyed order and created confusion in extremely charismatic churches. The truest forms of worship found in God’s infallible word lie somewhere along the less conservative lines than today’s extreme traditionalists (namely older denominations as Baptists, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc.).
The key to remember is that worship is not a doctrinal or denominational issue; it is rather a biblical issue. The Bible tells Christians what God’s desires are, not denominational creeds; the scriptures are the infallible word of God, not the official Baptist doctrine. Only if these doctrines agree with the Bible as a whole and within context of itself as a whole are they even worth recognizing. Another key is that not all churches under the “traditional” banner deny freedom in worship; similarly, not all “charismatic” churches abandon traditions rooted in God’s commands for worship. Finally, unity between all believers is a desirable trait. These points being understood, an investigation into worship can begin.
The first question to be resolved is what is worship? In his book What the Bible Teaches, R.A. Torrey proposes that worship is "the soul bowing itself in adoring contemplation before the object worshipped" (472). His evidence for this can be found in verses such as 2 Chronicles 7:3 - "…they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped…" - and Exodus 4:31 - "…And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped." Torrey writes, "Reading the Bible…is not worship…Praying is not worship…Singing is not necessarily worship…The root of the Hebrew word translated 'worship' in the Old Testament means 'to bow down'"(472). So the first aspect of worship is reverence and bowing down. This is evident throughout the entire Old Testament.
According to several authors and theologians, many people have confused worship with praise. Lewis Chafer writes, "Praise…has the same root as price, meaning to ascribe value and worth to another" (252). In Psalm 22:22, David says to God, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you." In Philippians 1:11, Paul speaks of his desire for the Philippians to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes from through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." In these two verses, praise is used as giving glory and credit to God for what He has done.
The main difference between praise and worship is the personality of the action. Bob Sorge writes, "praise can sometimes be distant, but worship is usually intimate." (68) Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, "To worship someone or something is to attribute supreme worth or to declare supreme value to that one or that thing." (17) While praise is proclaiming God's worth to everyone, worship is proclaiming God's worth to Him. Worship is always communication with God; praise is the outward celebration of one's communion with God. Sorge goes on to say, "praise is always seen or heard; worship is not always evident to an observer." (68) While praise is always going to be an outward outpouring of joy and reverence for God, the intense intimacy of worship allows for personal worship that is not evident to others. "Worship is not a musical activity, but a function of the heart"; it is "often characterized by a quiet and unassumed basking in God's presence" (Sorge 68). While praise is an act of the flesh, worship is an act of the spirit, an intimate unity between a person's spirit and God's.
Oftentimes, the phrase "Worship is a lifestyle" is used by pastors and Christian leaders to emphasize a habit of worship. However, Davin Seay writes, what does the term lifestyle mean? He quotes Reverend Maggi Dawn as saying, "The word 'lifestyle' connotes a choice…But worship is not an option. It is a command of God." This is true. It is not for people to choose whether to worship God or not. Worship involves sacrifice; rather than choosing to stay in one's comfort zone, worship breaks that zone and makes God the absolute center of everything that is done. However, by "lifestyle", would someone mean that everything they do reflects the aspect of that routine? While one's entire life should revolve around bringing pleasure to God, is worship the entire life, or can it be boiled down to times of worship on a consistent basis? Seay quotes Samuel Balentine as saying: "[The Sabbath] is a time set apart from ordinary days." God says to keep the Sabbath holy and separate. This shows that some time should be especially set apart for time with God. Therefore, worship has to be an instance, and exact point in time, or an action, rather than a period of time, or a "lifestyle" in this sense. However, a true worshiper's life will make obvious the time spent with God. In essence, worship is an action that should be habitual, while obedience is a choice of a lifestyle, or how to live.
How does God expect His followers to worship? In John 4:23, Jesus says "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." There has been much speculation and study into what "in spirit and in truth" exactly means. If these are the worshipers God desires, all who aspire to worship Him should follow these guidelines. So what is worship in spirit and in truth?
First, Jesus was showing that worship would not put emphasis on the place (Jerusalem for the Jews, or Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans), but instead it was a function of the spirit of man reaching out to the Spirit of God (Sorge 79). Until the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus left, God's people did not have the Holy Spirit. While before Pentecost, one could commune with God's Spirit in true worship, now it is even deeper because all Christians have the Spirit of God with them. Under the rituals of the past, the Jews had lost sight of true worship. In Isaiah 29:13, God says of His people, "These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." God's people had lost sight of true worship and had chosen simply to go through the motions. Jesus knew this and was emphasizing to this woman that soon the Mosaic sacrifice rituals would pass away, and worship would take place between God's spirit and man's spirit. "Worship in spirit", therefore, is emphasizing communion with God rather than empty rituals.
Worship in truth has three facets to it. As Sorge clarifies, "When Jesus spoke of worshiping in truth, he meant that worship involves the mind." This, he says, is the difference between "intelligent" and "ignorant" worship (80). Many people carry around the misconception that when they attend the "worship service" at their local church on Sunday morning, that God will come and move and when he does, it will be based upon the great feeling that comes in worship. Worship, they fail to recognize, requires great mental application. Jesus commands Christians to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind". This command does not become limited to only one's heart and soul in worship, but worshipers worship God in their minds. This means that whatever worship takes place must be done with intellectual intelligence. Worshipers must understand all that is going on and only worship in the truth.
A second component of worship in truth is worship with honesty. According to Allen and Borror, "The real factor in worship is a heart desire for God…" (24) One should not come before God and offer hypocritical or false worship. God is not pleased with forms of worship that are actually hypocritical in nature; He wants worshipers to come before Him with hearts that are pure and true (Sorge 82). Sometimes Christians need "to realize we have a form of godliness but have long since lost the power thereof" (Allen and Borror 25). It is one thing to appear that everything is under control; it is quite another to be truly seeking God. The reason true worship does not take place in churches is that is does not take place in the everyday lives of churchgoers (Allen and Borror 24). Mouth worship is false, but heart worship will reveal itself in every portion of the worshiper's life. To worship in truth, one must be following God's commands.
Finally, worship in truth deals with worship in accordance to God's word and His nature. While many today would quickly lump Jesus, Hare Krishna, Allah, and even themselves into the same "deity", there is no doubt that there are great differences. The God of the Bible, Yahweh, in three persons, is inherently different than other gods. Sincerity in worship does not make up for worshiping without truth. Consider the Muslims, arguably the most sincere religious group in the world; however, they do not worship Jesus, but Allah, who is an entirely different entity. Therefore, there are irreconcilable differences, and their worship, no matter how sincere, cannot be accepted by God because it is not in accordance to His Word or His nature. Likewise, all worship must be in accordance to Scripture; if it is not, it is not true worship and is unacceptable.
The effects of worship in spirit and in truth will be myriad and noticeable. Time truly spent with God will show. Davin Seay quotes Dr. Randy Rowland as saying, "…worship demands an investment of the whole person and the whole life." This means that a true worshiper will have obvious effects of being with God. One cannot spend significant amounts of intimate time with anyone - much less the omnipotent God - and not be changed. The time set apart for God will make a great difference. It is a cyclical process. When one worships, he becomes closer to and more like God, therefore making him a better and more complete worshiper. True worship affects the worshiper's life.
Therefore, worship is the communication and intimacy between the spirit of a person and the Spirit of Almighty God. This worship is always going to be out of reverence and love, out of humility and bowing down. Worship involves man's adoration and contemplation of God. Worship and praise, while similar in origin and meaning, are two separate acts. True worship occurs in spirit and in truth. Worship in spirit is communion between Christians and the Holy Spirit, who guides and directs them. Worship in truth is worship of the mind along with the heart and soul. It is sincere and honest worship of one who understands and obeys God's laws and desires genuinely to know Him more. Finally, it is in accordance to God's word and will.
The next question to be resolved is what kind of people worship. Now that true worship can be understood, true worshipers can be defined. The scriptures give very specific attitudes and attributes that true worshipers act out in their worship. If worship is completely focused on God instead of self, then a true worshiper will be consumed with what God wants from His worshipers.
The first thing to understand is that God’s desire is the worship of every man and woman. The creation of humankind was for relationship with God. Before the creation of man, God said, “‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26). This is proof of special creation of man. This special creation was for communion with Almighty God. Genesis 3:8 speaks of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. The assumption that can be made is that God's walking in the garden with Adam and Eve was an everyday occurrence. This personal relationship with God is the reason for the creation of man.
Something else to understand is that worship is a command rather than a request. God says to His people in Exodus 20:3-5, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol…You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” God did not request the worship of His people – He commanded it. God demanded that His people give Him their unadulterated love and attention. To be a child of God necessitates worship of Him alone. Therefore, since God desires all people to be His children, God desires and expects the worship of every person.
So then, what kind of people are true worshipers? Rick Warren writes, “The heart of worship is surrender” (77). The very first attribute of a true worshiper is that of being unselfishly surrendered to God’s will. No one can worship when focused on himself. A true worshiper will be focused on God and doing what He wants. In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Paul uses the word sacrifice to describe a worshiper. This is evidence of God’s desire for unselfish worshipers.
A true worshiper will be, as Matt Redman writes, “unquenchable” (18). Redman cites as an example Habakkuk, who “decided he would respond to God’s worth, no matter how bleak a season he found himself in” (19). Habakkuk 3:17-18 says
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in God my Savior.
Habakkuk was not limiting his worship of God to times of great comfort and rejoicing. He was not an easily quenched worshiper, but instead worshiped God at all times. This embodies the idea of being an unquenchable worshiper.
Another characteristic of a true worshiper is that of being ruined. No sinful man can worship the Father in spirit and in truth until he realizes his sin and the separation from God, which exists as a result of that sin. When Isaiah saw God in all His glory, he responded by confessing his sin. He says to God in Isaiah 6:5, “‘Woe to me…I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah realized that his sin permeated every facet of his life. He knew that since he was spiritually dead, his physical eyes could not view the Lord. Isaiah was broken before the Lord; only then did God proceed to cleanse Isaiah and allow him to worship. Likewise, a true worshiper does not enter the throne room of God with an air of arrogance, but rather “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). A true worshiper understands that he is doing God no big favor by worshiping Him, but that it is an honor and privilege to worship the Almighty.
The true worshiper will not worship only in song or in church once a week, because he understands that worship is so much more than singing a few songs or listening to a sermon. A true worshiper will be obedient to God’s commands because he understands the importance of obedience. One John 2:6 says, “Whoever claims to live in [God] must walk as Jesus did.” In order to worship personally, obedience to God’s commands is vital. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” In order to worship, one must love God and desire to spend time with Him. Those who love God will obey His commands; therefore, a true worshiper will be obedient to what God’s word says.
Matt Redman writes that a true worshiper will be willing to go unnoticed (84). By unnoticed, he means unnoticed by people, not unnoticed by God. God sees everything that happens to everyone. However, in Matthew 6, Jesus warns, “‘Be careful not to do your “acts of righteousness” before men…’” (verse 1). Again, in verse 6, He says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Jesus teaches that acts of worship should be done before God, not before men. Jesus expects worshipers to have the faith to believe that their worship is seen and that God will reward them for their worship in secret. The temptation is always present to put on big acts of “worship” for everyone to see. A true worshiper worships the same in secret as he does in front of thousands of other people. There is also an expectation implied by Jesus when He says, “When you pray”, or “When you fast” (Matthew 6:16). Therefore, a true worshiper will do these acts, but is content in worship that goes unnoticed by man.
A true worshiper will also be able to relate to God. A.W. Tozer writes, “…for millions of Christians, God is no more real than He is to the non-Christian. They go through life trying to love and be loyal to a mere principle” (48). Instead of worshiping someone that they know and love, someone they can talk to and have communion with, these Christians worship a standard or an idea. A true worshiper will by definition know God intimately and personally. A true worshiper will not have to hold to an opaque opinion or ideal because he will worship Whom he knows.
One last aspect of a true worshiper is that of purity. A true worshiper will not try to enter the presence of God with the guilt of sin in his heart. The true worshiper understands what God commands in 1 Peter 1:16: “Be holy, as I [God] am holy.” The true worshiper will set himself apart from the world and will lead a pure life. He will also understand that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The guilt of sin has been taken away, and the true worshiper can worship freely and purely. The true worshiper also understands that he must deal with his sin before entering God’s presence to worship. He understands the principle that Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore, if you are offering a gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there at the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” A true worshiper will not try to offer God the sacrifice of praise until he is completely blameless before God. He makes sure his purity and then will offer God acceptable worship.
These are all attitudes of a true worshiper; however, there are several attitudes that hinder true worship. These attitudes are brought about by man’s sinful nature, attack on Christians’ minds, and Christians’ complacency. The first of these attitudes is pride. Sorge writes, “Pride has ruined far more worship services than all the forces of hell combined” (101). Pride keeps Christians from responding to God the way He wants them to. Because the very nature of worship is God-centered and God-focused, pride can destroy intimate worship from the foundation up. Rather than be prideful or selfish, a true worshiper should follow the Holy Spirit’s lead in worship and follow what God wants. Sometimes that may entail leaving one’s “comfort zone” or doing something that is not socially acceptable, such as a physical act of worship that one does not often practice in his church. Rather than letting pride take over, a true worshiper will let God take over and respond to Him as He moves.
A second attitude that hinders worship is what Sorge calls “reverse hedonism”, or the philosophy of “if it feels good, do it” (102). This attitude goes hand-in-hand with pride. Christians are not free to worship when they feel, how they feel. They are not supposed to worship simply when they feel like it, but rather when God feels like it. A true worshiper will be in humble submission to His will, and respond to Him accordingly.
The last wrong attitude in worship is mere lip service. It is very easy for Christians to become too familiar and comfortable with songs or orders of worship and rather than put their whole hearts, souls, and minds into worshiping God, they simply go through the motions. God addressed this same problem in Amos 5. The Israelites had become too complacent in their worship of God. They followed all the commands of worship set forth to Moses. They followed all the feasts and fasts; however, they did so feebly and unwillingly. He responded by saying: “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them” (Amos 5:21-22). God’s response to His people’s self-satisfaction was a warning that He would disregard their half-hearted worship altogether. This lip service is not enough for the Almighty; He demands wholehearted worship from His people. The people of God had forgotten what Samuel speaks of God in 1 Samuel 15:22: “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Worship is not a matter of strict obedience to a set of laws; the essence of the matter is how the worshiper worships, halfheartedly (which is unacceptable) or wholeheartedly (which is what the Lord desires).
Therefore, true worship can be defined as intimate communion and interaction between the heart, soul and mind of man and the Spirit of God. This interaction must be in accordance with God's will set forth in the scriptures. A true worshiper will have the right attitudes and actions in worship. However, a true worshiper will worship not only individually, but also corporately. Therefore, is there any basis in scripture for corporate worship? If so, what kinds and types of worship are scriptural and acceptable? What physical actions, if any, should take place in corporate worship? Should hymns be sung, or are newer praise and worship songs acceptable? All these questions remain to be resolved.
First, there is scriptural basis for corporate worship. There is no doctrine standing against this fact, which is deeply rooted in God’s word. The Israelites gathered every Sabbath to worship God together. Many Christians throughout history have argued that one can worship God just as well in His creation, or by oneself, as in church on Sunday mornings. While this is true on a personal, one-on-one level with God, there is a different facet to worship that must be understood. Worship does not only take place on a one-to-one level, but also on a community level. For example, seven times Moses requested that Pharaoh let the Israelites go into the desert to worship corporately. Psalm 102:22 speaks of a time “when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.” In Acts 13, the disciples gather together to worship and the Holy Spirit sets aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. These are all examples of corporate worship. God’s people have always worshiped corporately, as well as personally. Jesus says in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them.” God obviously places great emphasis on corporate worship. God moves greatly through corporate worship, and commands it of his people.
A first reason for this community worship is that it creates unity among the body to gather together for the purpose of worshiping together. Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.” Although there may be doctrinal differences between believers, they can all still come together for worship. In fact, the worship of God is one thing all Christians do have in common. God greatly desires unity in His body. Jesus prays in John 17:23, “May they be brought to complete unity…”; similarly, Paul writes in Romans 15:5, “May God…give you a spirit of unity among yourselves…” Throughout scripture it is obvious that unity is a necessary ingredient for the body of Christ to function properly.
A second reason for corporate worship is, as Sorge writes, the “opportunity to minister to one another” (115). Along with the community of corporate worship, there is a ministry of corporate worship. A corporately worshiping body of believers is much more effective than several solitary believers worshiping alone. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The Holy Spirit did not come to earth until all the disciples were gathered together (Acts 2:1). Likewise, the Holy Spirit is more likely to move in a powerful way if He can move among a group of worshipers. God commands corporate worship for legitimate reasons.
Therefore, what should take place when a body of God’s people joins together in order to worship? This is the point on which many divisions of Christ’s body part ways. While the liturgical churches (Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Catholic, among others) have a set order of worship each time they meet, the less traditional churches may differ in their order of worship from week to week. Which position is right? What does the Bible say regarding this issue? Paul tells the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 5:19, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” Paul clearly states that
music is part of a corporate gathering of believers.
This music serves a twofold purpose. First, of course is to worship God, which is making music to the Lord. However, another reason is to speak to the other believers worshiping there. Paul says to do this through psalms – which are the psalms from the Old Testament - hymns, which are traditional songs written by and for use in the church – and spiritual songs. It is most difficult to give a definition or parameter to the term spiritual songs; however, these are most likely times of spontaneous praise and worship, along with times of personal reflection and communication with God outside an established set of words, such as in a song. In today’s terms, these three items would be the use of scriptures, hymns and praise and worship songs, and times of “free praise”.
The debate has arisen in the church over the past few hundred years over whether or not to include instruments in worship. While there remains no doubt as to the place of music in worship, the negative side of the argument (namely the Church of Christ faction) cites the fact that the New Testament does not mention the use of instruments in worship. Kevin Cauley’s argument, representative of nearly all proponents of anti-instrumentalism, is that the New Testament does not specify instruments for worship. However, Paul reminds us “All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, to rebuke this teaching, Psalm 150 says, “Praise the Lord…in His sanctuary…with the sound of trumpet, with the harp and lyre, with the strings and flute, with the clash of cymbals…” This is just one among many verses (many of them in the Psalms) that are clearly evidence for the use of instruments in the temple of God for worship. No scripture specifically gives the message of not using instruments to praise and worship God; however, there are several instances where this kind of worship is commanded. Therefore, one must conclude that corporate worship of God with the use of instruments is both scriptural and acceptable.
As a rule, traditional churches hold to their own traditional hymnodies – while denying any newer worship songs. For example, the Baptist sub-denominations have several different hymnals they each use, and while there is some dispute over which hymnals are “right”, the general doctrine is that all music for corporate worship must come from these hymnals. In contrast, many of the less traditional churches, particularly those not affiliated with any specific denomination, do not even address hymns in their doctrines, and often do not incorporate the traditional hymns of the Christian faith into their worship services. This has sparked great controversy between churches today.
So then, the problem arises of styles: tradition versus what is “hot”, hymns versus choruses, or, basically, old versus new. The foundational principle to understand in this case is that nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is the way that it has always been done. However, those traditions with great history and purposeful foundation for their objectives should without a doubt be respected and used under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, nothing in worship should ever be done simply because it is different or new; there must always be a basis, or a reason for something to be a part of a worship service. Nothing should occur for the sake of occurring. None of the great traditions or laws given to the Israelites was given just for them to have traditions and laws to follow; God always had a reason for His commands. Whether it was the symbolism commanded of the Israelites in sacrifices (which pointed to the Messiah), or whether it was the command of God to ceremonially wash before eating, there was always a purpose. Similarly, there should always be a reason for what is done in worship services honoring the Father today. Dr. Barry Liesch - a longtime worship pastor in California - writes, “We are dependent on God, not forms” (21). The style of music does not define worship; following God’s lead in expressing one’s love to Him does. That being understood, the problem of musical styles can be addressed.
First, hymns should be used in the church for several reasons, the foremost being that they carry an enormous amount of rich history, truth, and doctrine from the days of the Reformation. The original purpose of many hymns was to teach scriptural truths to the body of Christ. During the times of the Reformation period, people were generally uneducated, and therefore, illiterate. Because of this fact, it became hard for church leaders to teach their congregations from the Bible. As a result, church leaders such as Martin Luther began writing hymns to use as teaching tools. In fact, some hymns, such as Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, were taken directly from scripture. The reasoning behind this was that songs were easy to remember, and could be learned verbally rather than being read. Consequently, great hymns of the past hold and speak deep truths from scripture. However, as Liesch writes, “Our young people are committed Christians, but when it comes to their knowledge of hymnody – they are ignorant!” (21) Hymns are the foundation of all of today’s worship music; without this foundation, the songs of today would fall. Hymns are time-tested reminders of the church’s learning and development, and are still effective for teaching and worshiping today. The words of some of these songs are just as true and relevant today as they were hundreds of years ago. For this reason, hymns should be used in the church.
Some hymns, however, are no longer relevant, or perhaps never were. Some hymns seem to ramble on about several different points with no real theme, thought, or conclusion. Most are written in older language, making them harder to understand and sing from the heart. Most hymns are more intellectual, leaving little room for the communication of emotion. Several hymns are impersonal, not allowing for personalized praise and worship. Most are musically old, and as the church has had access to more technology in the past few years and has opened the doors for more musical creativity, it becomes harder to use these hymns in their original forms. For all these reasons, hymns do not seem to be enough for most churches today. Exclusively used, hymns are acceptable and usable for worship, but seem to fall short in some areas.
On the other hand, praise and worship songs, or choruses, are worded more contemporarily, and thus are easier to identify with for most people. Several times the psalmist encourages his readers to “sing a new song”; if God’s mercies are made new every morning, then should there not be room for new expressions of gratitude? Worship choruses can communicate to people just as hymns did in their original time: clearly and contemporarily. Praise and worship songs have their place in the church for worship as well.
Nevertheless, there are some objections to these songs. They tend to be repetitive and short. Several of these songs are shallow, not holding deep, theological truths like so many of the hymns. These songs have not been tested by time, and therefore, their worth has not been challenged and proven. However, tradition is a never-ending process (Liesch 30). Soon several of today’s contemporary songs will be considered outdated. The focus should move beyond the style of the music to the point of worship. If a song is scripturally accurate, communicates praise and adoration for God, communicates scriptural truths, and is useful for ministering to one another within the body, then it can be acceptable for worship. Until the body of Christ stops worshiping worship forms and styles and starts worshiping God as He desires, these arguments will continue and will never be resolved. In this case, true worship lies somewhere in between the practices of traditional churches and freer churches.
Furthermore, the worshiper’s body is a medium for worshiping God. The very definition of the word that is translated as “worship” in the New Testament is “to bow down”. Several so-called conservative churches hold to unwritten "standards of worship" that deny most freedom to be demonstrative in worship (McMinn 93). Conversely, several churches allow pure emotion or pure foolishness to drive expressiveness into the realm of ridiculous. Not every time someone worships the Lord will God lead him to express himself in the same way; not every time will God lead him not to be physically expressive.
Don McMinn gives two main reasons for lack of expression in churches that are more conservative. The first is that the church’s heritage teaches that being demonstrative in church is improper (93). Many Christians have been taught not to do anything in church that might make a scene. Their view of the presence of God is one of reverence, meaning quietness, stiffness, and being reserved. Secondly, these people determine appropriateness based upon this heritage rather than scripture. Any Christian who took it upon himself to study God’s word in this area would find that the Bible supports physical expressiveness in worship. However, tradition kicks in and will not allow that person to let go of his inherited inhibitions and freely worship the Lord. He can give no basis for his beliefs, except that he was just taught not to do that. A brief overview of scriptural expression in worship will show the truth.
The first physical expression is the lifting of hands. There are several reasons for lifting of hands, and several scriptures giving the foundation for this practice. Psalm 28:2 says, “Hear my cry…as I lift up my hands”. McMinn writes, “The raising of hands is the international sign of surrender” (98). Christians should lift hands to symbolize surrender to God. Psalm 88:9 says, “I spread my hands out to You every day”. Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror write, “one holds out his hands to receive God’s grace” (123). However, it is more than just His grace; it is also his blessings, and His perfect plan, that raising of hands can signify. The extension of an open hand also suggests honesty and innocence (Gordon and Borror 123). Paul expresses his desire for “all men to lift up holy hands in prayer” (1 Timothy 2:8). McMinn proposes that hands can symbolize the condition of one’s heart, whether innocent or guilty (98). Lastly, the lifting of hands can be symbolic of victory and celebration; just as a national championship basketball team lifts their hands in triumphant celebration, so can the Christian living in God’s grace.
A second form of expression is applause. Clapping is always an action of appreciation or affirmation of someone or something. Sometimes the best that a Christian can do is to appreciate God and reaffirm His goodness. Among several other verses, Psalm 47:1 speaks of this: “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Applauding God and His work as a congregation achieves the goal of extolling Him and recognizing His place over all. Applauding the Lord can be an acceptable form of worship. However, Richard Walters, a columnist for a Baptist newsletter writes, “I believe there are severe dangers in this alien practice.” This same “alien practice” is the type of worship commanded of God’s people! Perhaps Mr. Walters is not a Christian, if God’s word is “alien” to Him. His reasons for not applauding in a worship service are that it brings attention to the instrumentalists and preachers rather than God, and that individuals similar to himself receive a “meatless bone” which “cannot strengthen [his] life.” If worship is focused on God, then what relevance does the “meatless bone” argument have in this case? Mr. Walters’s two reasons are mutually exclusive; they cannot both be true. In addition, if God commands clapping, as He does, then how can it be focused on performance? This is not a problem of the action, but rather of the actor. True forms of corporate worship do indeed include applause.
Another physical articulation of worship is kneeling or bowing; even lying prostrate, face down on the ground. This posture is one of submission to the Lordship of Christ. Philippians 2:10 tells Christians that merely at the statement of the name of Jesus, every single knee will bow to his authority. Because of the humility involved in this act, it becomes difficult for stubborn, sinful man to carry this out. However, submission to Christ is a key element of worship, which is why a true worshiper must follow Psalm 95:6, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
Lastly, and perhaps the most taboo, is dancing before the Lord. Dancing before God is actually in the Bible, but it would never happen in many churches today. However, 2 Samuel 6 tells the story of David dancing before the Lord so joyfully and vigorously that he embarrassed his wife. When she confronted him about it, he simply said, “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes” (2 Samuel 6:22). Expression in worship is often a dignity issue. Christians refuse to follow God’s call to be expressive simply out of fear of others’ opinions. This is not the attitude of a true worshiper, but of a self-centered worshiper.
Physical expression in worship can be a beautiful way to honor God. However, as Jack Hayford writes, “it only takes one or two people in a group who flail their arms mindlessly during every song” to cause a disturbance (133). True worship is not a show before other people, but before God. Physical worshipful expression should only be led by Him, and in the context of scripture. Only then can physical expression be a beautiful piece of true worship.
Finally, the order of worship becomes an issue. If a worship service is all about God, should man be able to plan a service and try to fit God into it? Or should there be no order at all, just openness for God to do what He wants? While God should be free to do whatever he wants in His service, he is still “a God of order” (1 Corinthians 14:33). However, should this order be to the extreme of Presbyterian liturgy, which is planned even to the point of what times people are supposed to stand or respond to God in confession? Or should that be the Spirit’s prerogative to lead the worshiper into that form of worship? Since worship is the worshiper responding to God, a service must leave room for God to move in His chosen way. This does not mean that there should be no semblance of order whatsoever; this would lead to chaos. Rather, there should be flexibility in the planning of the service to let God move how He sees fit.
Therefore, true worship is defined as communion between God and man. It requires all of man – his heart, mind, soul, and strength – to take place. A true worshiper will follow God’s commands, because God desires obedience as the highest form of worship. Worship is always God-centered and God-led; nothing in worship can be done out of selfish desires or ambition. The scriptures specifically command corporate worship, and one medium for this worship is music. Instruments are acceptable and desirable in musical worship, as are different styles of music. Physical expression will take place as a mirror of the inward heart and desires of a worshiper. Above all, worship is the chief purpose of man, and he must strive for excellence to honor God through his worship. While this is not an exhaustive dissertation of all forms of worship, it does present a skeleton for biblical worship, desired by the Creator for the benefit of His people. This structure has been suppressed in traditionalist conservative churches. It is time that Christians embrace and rejoice in the worship to which God has called them. “A time has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23) May all of God’s children seek to be these kinds of worshipers.
Works Cited
Allen, Ronald and Gordon Borror. Worship: Rediscovering the
Missing Jewel. Portland: Multnomah Press. 1982.
Caulley, Kevin. “Should We Use Instrumental Music in Worship?”.
www.preachersfiles.com/cauley/bible_lessons/instrumental.htm.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Systematic Theology. Dallas: Dallas
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Hayford, Jack. Worship His Majesty. Dallas: Word
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Holy Bible, The, New International Version. Colorado
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Liesch, Barry. The New Worship. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
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McMinn, Don. The Practice of Praise. Oklahoma
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Redman, Matt. The Unquenchable Worshipper. Ventura: Regal
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Seay, Davin. "Is Worship a Lifestyle?" Worship Leader
Magazine. Sept/Oct 2003. pp 20-21.
Sorge, Bob. Exploring Worship. Canandaigua: Bob Sorge.
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Torrey, R.A. What the Bible Teaches. Grand Rapids: Baker
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Tozer, A.W. The Pursuit of God. Camp Hill: Christian
Publications. 1993.
Walters, Richard. “Hand Clapping in Worship Service”.
www.baptistpillar.com/bd0363.htm
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Grand
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