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THE LOSS OF REVERENCE IN CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
Christian worship has changed significantly over the years. Nevertheless, its vitality to Christian life has remained. In recent years (and decades), I contend that reverence in Christian worship has been lost. There are likely a number of contributing factors for this loss of reverence, which I believe stem from an overemphasis on consumerism, i.e. the church, to appeal to unbelievers, has created an atmosphere of worship, which takes a casual approach. I do not argue for legalism or for an impersonal relationship with God but rather for a realization of who God is and subsequently an appropriate response to him in worship. I intend here to discuss the dangers of Christian worship’s loss of reverence. In my observations, three primary results have occurred, which I will discuss not only as reality but also as a warning to the church so that the trend may be reversed.
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Diminishment of the Splendor of God
The increasing casual approach to worship in the church has surely contributed to a diminishment of the splendor of God. It is not as if God’s splendor itself has been diminished; rather, the realization of such splendor has been diminished and will continue to diminish if a casual attitude continues to compound. Consider Isaiah’s response to being in the presence of God during his vision in Isaiah 6. Moreover, consider Paul’s response to the presence of Christ and Moses at the burning bush. One might argue that these are extraordinary circumstances. While such a rebuttal would be accurate, it does not suffice, for, through the Holy Spirit, God’s presence is a reality of Christian worship, i.e. believers are always in the presence of God and certainly when they gather to worship him. Perhaps, the underlying issue then is not the absence of God’s presence but the lack of realization about it. These extraordinary circumstances in Scripture reveal people who responded drastically because they realized God’s presence. A casual approach to worship is not conducive to realizing the presence of God. A casual attitude is about selfish comfort, selfish desires, and selfish goals. If people are not careful, the casual approach to worship will diminish the realized splendor of God.
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Augmentation of Humankind
While the realization of God’s splendor is surely diminished as a result of casualness in worship, there also subsists an augmentation of selfishness and human glory. Humanity is not worthy to receive all praise and honor, as God is; thus, any augmentation of humankind is false. Because of humanity’s wretched depravity, no person (but Christ) deserves any glory whatsoever. One might contend that Christians are made holy in Christ; nonetheless, holiness is not achieved but is given and only by and in Christ. Believers should not, therefore, confuse holiness as a product of their own making but as God’s gift to his people. Humanity is fallen because of feeble attempts to steal glory from God, which never works. To approach Christian worship casually then is to not only diminish the reality of God’s glory but to also falsely grant glory to humans. A casual approach to worship is not an augmentation of humanity’s glory, for humanity truly does not possess any, but rather a false bequeathal of glory that never belongs to people but only to God. To worship God rightly is to realize his holiness and to understand that humankind does not even belong in the same universe with such splendor.
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Minimization of Sin
A casual approach to Christian worship also cultivates a minimization of sin. In the presence of God, Isaiah understood his wretchedness because he saw God’s holiness (Is 6:5). When believers see God for who he is, it should rightly cause them to subsequently see themselves for who they are: namely wretched and sinful people in need of a Savior. Additionally, seeing God for who he is and understanding the magnificence of God’s grace in Christ should cause the church to worship God simply for who he is and praise him for his undeserved mercy. As Isaiah realized his own unrighteousness in God’s presence, Christian worship should cause believers to do the same. A casual attitude in Christian worship yields a lack of understanding about who God is and, therefore, a minimization of sinfulness that exists in every human.
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Christians to Worship God Rightly, They Must First See God for Who He Is: Holy
Christian worship is a dialogue between God and his people; it is responsive in nature, i.e. God initiates his revelation and his people then respond. The first step, however, is God’s revelation. To worship rightly, Christians must first see God for who he is: namely holy. Without such revelation, a proper response is not possible. To cultivate that an atmosphere for such a revelation, reverence is necessary. A casual approach to worship should not exist in the church. One would not consider a meeting with someone of nobility to be a casual encounter. Why then should Christians consider worship gatherings a casual social meeting? Perhaps, the church, in the name of standing against legalism and stiffness, has created too casual of an environment for proper Christian worship and should return to the roots of God’s holiness and splendor. Worship is a privilege but is certainly not casual; therefore, the church’s attitude toward worship should be one of utmost reverence.
