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INTRODUCTION
Raised in a Baptist minister’s home, I became familiar with the church
and the things of God from an early age. Compounded with such an upbringing, I
also became familiar with modern worship lingo since I played the piano and
began leading music for churches when I was young. Like most believers in
Western society, however, my understanding of worship was not only flawed, it
was perpetuated by a society and even a Christian subculture that truly did not
understand biblical worship.
Years later a seminary professor suggested that believers must
rediscover the missing jewel: namely worship. For decades, worship has been
falsely understood, taught, and believed, which has caused the issue the spiral
further out of control. In this text, it will be made clear that worship is
primary and indeed the most important act in which the church participates.
Perhaps, unintentional, a glaring reason worship has become so misjudged by
Christians is its deceitful connection with music. While worship includes
music, music is not synonymous with worship. How many comments, however, have
been heard equating worship with music: “The worship (i.e. the music) was good
this morning” or a pastor instructing a so-called worship leader to close
worship via prayer before he preaches. Language must change to facilitate a
biblical idea of worship to the church.
This text engages in a concise biblical theology of worship in an
overarching manner. I believe that people remember nuggets of information
greater than deep analyses. This book then is a compilation of the most vital
nuggets of information regarding worship. It is my hope that those who
encounter my writing here discover a newfound understanding of biblical worship
and begin to ameliorate the worship gatherings and experiences of modern
churches by intentionally changing the culture. To do so, a deep awareness of
Scripture and theology surrounding worship must be acquired. Without conforming
to a specific claim or tradition, this text aims to achieve such a goal in a
broad way. This is a concise theology and understanding of practice regarding
Christian worship.
WORSHIP DEFINED
The subject of worship seems to be one of the most debated topics in churches in recent decades. I boldly suggest that such debates center around a misunderstanding of worship. In response, the church must rediscover the nature and essence of worship from a biblical perspective. Incorrect language has perpetuated a false understanding of worship and, thus, continues to be (often unknowingly) taught and discussed in improper and exceedingly convoluted terms. Much must change if Christians desire to not only understand biblical worship but also change the narrative and practice to that which honors God. To do so, God’s people should appropriately define worship and then act in accordance with such a definition, which requires comprehending the what, who, when, and why of worship.
What:
Worship Is Primary
John Piper suggests that missions is not the ultimate goal
of the church but worship is.[1] Often,
churches seem to place worship at a lower level of importance than other
elements (e.g. missions, evangelism, preaching). The attribution to such a sad
reality is a misunderstanding of worship. In its simplest form, I define
worship as a continuous act of offering glory to God. As simple as such a
definition might be, humanity has failed at worship because we have made feeble
attempts to steal glory that belongs only to the Lord.
Worship is primary and is, in fact, the ultimate goal of
the church. God is jealous and exceedingly about his own glory (Is 43:6-7).[2] Missions
exists because worship does not; sermons exist because worship does not;
evangelism exists because worship does not. Unfortunately, the modern church
seemingly does not understand who God is (i.e. his glory) and who humankind is
(falling abundantly short of God’s glory). Since worship is primary, believers
should realize its essence and shift to a framework where worship is primary
rather than secondary.
To achieve such a daunting task, Christians should
understand first what worship is. In both Greek and Hebrew, the words denoting
worship are not linked to music. These terms mean either 1) a posture or an
attitude or 2) a service rendered. Said another way, worship involves
individuals who realize that a worthy God has offered himself on behalf of an
unworthy people but respond first and foremost to who he is rather than what he
has done or may do, for God would ever be worthy of people’s praise even if he
had never done anything for them.
For worship to be primary, the false link to music must be
severed, which requires a shift in thought and subsequently a shift in
language. A biblical theology of worship understands that worship is action.
Moreover, worship is uniquely Christian, for worship of anything or anyone else
is idolatry. Believers must understand the what of worship prior to changing
its action.
I would suggest that anyone who walks into any modern
Christian church would quickly observe such a church’s priorities. Moreover,
when a church has the proper perspective on worship, all other aspects and
ministries are aligned correctly. Where worship is not primary is where
misunderstandings of how a church should operate are misguided. Christian
worship is the most crucial element of life. Where worship is not present, the
goal of the church has been lost. In corporate worship, all elements must be
included (e.g. the sacraments, the message or sermon, congregational singing,
etc.), for all combine to encompass the dialogue of worship. Personal worship
is then what is connected to the sending from corporate worship. Personal
worship should be a reflection of what has occurred in one’s heart and life
during corporate worship.
If worship is not primary, what is the goal of missions and of evangelism? If worship is not primary, the end has been lost so making it a means to an end is a feeble and futile attempt. Christians should understand that “worship is the reverential response of creation to the all-encompassing magnificence of God.”[3] Governing all acts in which the church participates in worship; guiding all perspectives in Christian thought is worship; and indeed, causing all believers to live radically disparate lives from that of the world is worship. Worship governs, and worship is primary.
Who: All That Have Breath
Are Created for Worship
In an all-encompassing guide to Christian worship (the where, why, how,
and who), Scripture contends that all who have breath qualify as a worshiper of
God (Ps 150:6). While English translations have rendered Psalm 150:6 to read,
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord,” a more accurate translation
of the text would read, “Let all breath praise the Lord.” An analytical mind
might immediately consider all breath to include the animals of nature, which
is not inaccurate, for other places in the Bible call beasts, cattle, creeping
things, flying birds (Ps 148:7-12), and the entirety of creation (Ps 19) to
declare the glory of God. Such an act is nothing short of worship to which God
has created everything.
What makes Christian worship unique, however, is that humankind
possesses an eternal spirit while creation does not. Psalm 8 even declares that
babies are created for the purpose of worship (Ps 8:2). While the who of
worship is abundantly evident then, a difficulty is that humanity does not
worship God by nature. In fact, humankind opposes God and is, by nature, an
enemy of him (Rom 5:6-10). For God-honoring worship to occur, therefore, a
radical change must take place. Such is the stalwart connection between
Christian worship and missions.
All believers are called to missional living (Matt 28:19-20), for
without missions, the overarching purpose of life (i.e. worship) may not be
achieved. One who understands the primary goal of the church, namely worship,
should be spurred to active engagement in missions; yet, even then, missions is
not the ultimate goal. When the ultimate goal of missions is merely
conversions, the higher purpose of life is missed. When the ultimate goal of
missions, however, is a declaration and spreading of the fame and glory of God,
the end is realized so that all missional efforts become a means to an end.
The who of worship is everyone. While not everyone will realize such an ultimate goal, all who have breath qualify and are called to worship of the living God. The church must get it right regarding worship, but for too long, other elements of Christian life have overtaken the church’s chief goal. The first answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism is that “man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”[4] The truth that worship is primary comprises a firm understanding that for it to be so requires satisfaction in God, for when one is satisfied in the Lord, the work for him (i.e. worship) is not an issue; people enjoy working for what or who they love. Such work is the epitome of worship. Thus, all who have breath qualify as worshipers of the living God and must find satisfaction in him to understand worship’s essence.
When: Always
Worship in heaven is ceaseless (Rev 4:9-11). God has invited his beloved
people to participate in such worship while on earth, for the day will come
when God’s people, eternally with him, participate as one body worshiping him
in an unending display of praise.[5]
As Psalm 150 commands, worship is to take place at all times and in manifold
ways (e.g. the use of various instruments, for various reasons, and in various
places). Dr. Robert Webber explains that worship is a verb.[6]
Thus, Christian worship should subsist continuously.
Worship is a dialogue: a call to God’s people and a response by his
people to who he is. This is true in both corporate and personal worship. As
such, worship might be considered prayer. Worship then is prayer, and prayer is
life. Brian Wren contends that “whoever sings to God in worship prays twice.”[7]
The aspect of unceasing worship is most relevant to personal worship, for although
impossible for believers to gather continuously and live productive lives in
the world to which they are called, the sending from corporate worship should
hold an unbreakable tie to personal worship. Upon God’s people corporately
participating in a holy dialogue between themselves (as a single body) and
their God and being changed by him, individuals are sent into the world to whom
they are called, which continues a process of unceasing worship.
Paul instructs believers to pray continuously (1 Thes 5:17), which is
the essence and medium of Christian worship: a continuous dialogue. When God’s
people understand worship, they understand that it does not stop with the
conclusion of a weekly worship gathering. In fact, God’s people worship when
they pray, when they hold gospel conversations in everyday life, when they help
someone in need, and even when they join in the pleasures of life. Since people
were created for worship, worship must not stop but, in fact, should continue
from a point of understanding who God and humanity is. “Worship is at once
about who we are, about who or what our god is and about how we choose to live.”[8]
Unceasing worship considers little sacred and secular divide asserted by societal and sub-societal norms, for all that God has created was done so with the purpose of worship in mind. While humanity has perverted what God has intended for good, Christians should recognize that God’s creation makes no such distinction, except that sin is considered to exist in the world. Nonetheless, ceaseless worship requires utilizing all tools at one’s disposal so that God is glorified through any means available. When believers leave the worship space of the weekly gathering, they must hold a fervent desire and conviction that personal worship continues. Worship is ceaseless, for God is worthy of an act unending and more.
How: Telling God’s Story
Christian worship, especially in a corporate context, tells and does
God’s story. Throughout history, the story begins and ends with God, and God
gave “creation an expression of his own image—the human being.”[9]
Made in the image of God, humanity is tasked with the purpose of declaring
God’s story: recounting his story in Scripture and church history, living
within the reality of God’s story in the present, and proclaiming the truth of
God’s story in the future. Moreover, all declarations of God’s story are
employed in the power of the Holy Spirit, through the mediator Jesus Christ,
and to the glory of the Father. In other words, worship is both triune and
christocentric.
To tell the story of God, the biblical narrative must be declared. A
church that does not proclaim the entirety of Scripture is a church that does
not understand the importance of the story. Believers certainly participate in
the story of God presently, but the portion of God’s story that is without
error is the Bible. Historically, the order of worship in the church has been a
fourfold model: Gathering, Word, Table, Sending.[10]
Such an order tells a story: specifically the gospel story where God gathers
his people, God declares the word (who he is), his people respond in communion
with him, and his people are sent to the world to continue declaring his glory.
While the fourfold order is not explicitly prescribed in Scripture, the fact
that it has been utilized more than any other throughout church history is
telling.
The story of God involves the past: where God’s people have been. Church
history is certainly crucial to such a component, but the story of God must be
found in the text of Scripture. For God’s people to understand where they are
and where they are going, it must be realized where they have been.
Additionally, a recounting of God’s past acts connects the people of God to
saints of the past since the people of God (past, present, and future) are a
part of one body.
The story of God also involves where God’s people are currently. Each
believer and indeed each church has a story and a unique identity in where they
are currently. Worship should consider such an aspect. Nothing new under the
sun exists (Ecc 1:9). Therefore, the marvelous acts of God, the struggles, and
the peace of God’s people in the past should be used to help the modern church
(Ps 46:1). God’s people have a unique story, which should be told and narrated
even in individual contexts.
The story of God also encompasses the future. God’s grace is for all
times and for all people; yet, it is the people of God who repletely understand
such truth, for they have experienced his grace and mercy beyond degree.
Understanding God’s story in the past should yield a realization of the glory
that belongs to the people of God as heirs in the future (Rom 8:17).
Worship tells the story of God: a story that not only has happened but is currently happening and will happen. This story is prevalent through the text of Scripture; yet, local churches should apply God’s story to the place they are in the present and understand that God has never failed them and never will. God is for his people (Rom 8:31) and will always watch over them. Possessing right doxology surely requires an understanding of God’s story.
A Shift to the Primary
To exemplify a correct view of how the church should operate, believers must first understand the primary nature of worship. In its essence, worship is the most crucial act in which the church engages. The primary nature of worship has been held by the church throughout history but is seemingly absent in many local congregations. Not linked solely to music, worship occupies all aspects of life. Even in corporate worship, although important, artistic endeavors do not form the entirety of the worship gathering. For a proper understanding of worship, believers should understand the what, who, when, and how of worship so that the full counsel (Acts 20:27) is declared and the people of God respond to it.
[1] John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy
of God in Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022), 7.
[2] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture
quotations are from the English Standard Version.
[3] Esau McCaulley, “Worship,” ed. Douglas Mangum
et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook,
Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
[4] Westminster
Assembly (1643-1652). The Assembly's Shorter Catechism, with the Scripture
Proofs in Reference: with an Appendix on the Systematick Attention of the Young
to Scriptural Knowledge, by Hervey Wilbur (Newburyport, MA: Wm. B. Allen
and Co., 1816), question 1.
[5] It should be noted that Scripture utilizes
the words, praise and worship, in disparate manners. Although used
interchangeably in discussions of Christian theology, the two must not be
confused or joined as one.
[6] Robert E.
Webber, Worship Is a Verb (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992),
2.
[7] Bian Wren, Praying
Twice: the Music and Words of Congregational Song (Louisville, KY:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), 1.
[8] Harold M. Best, Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship
and the Arts (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press), 17.
[9] Preben Vang and
Terry Carter, Telling God’s Story (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman
Publishers, 2006), 1.
[10] Robert E. Webber, Planning Blended Worship (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998), 21.
