What is worship?
Quick Answer
Worship is the reverent response of the whole person to God - ascribing to Him the glory, honor, and praise due His name through adoration, prayer, obedience, and service.
Understanding Worship
Worship is the central purpose of human existence. The Hebrew word 'shachah' and Greek 'proskuneo' both convey bowing down in reverence. True worship involves the mind (understanding who God is), the heart (loving and delighting in Him), and the will (obeying and serving Him). While often associated with singing, worship encompasses all of life offered to God - prayer, giving, service, and daily work done for His glory. God seeks worshipers who worship 'in spirit and truth' (John 4:23-24) - worship that is Spirit-empowered, heartfelt, and aligned with God's revealed truth. Worship can be individual or corporate, spontaneous or structured. It is both the greatest privilege and the highest duty of created beings.
In the Old Testament
Israel's worship centered on the tabernacle and later the temple, with elaborate sacrificial rituals, festivals, and priestly service. The Psalms provide the songbook of Israel's worship - expressing praise, lament, thanksgiving, and petition. Worship involved physical postures (bowing, lifting hands), music (instruments and singing), and sacrifice. The prophets warned against empty ritual without heart devotion (Isaiah 1:11-17, Amos 5:21-24). The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) called Israel to wholehearted love of God - the essence of worship.
In the New Testament
Jesus taught that true worship is in 'spirit and truth' rather than tied to particular locations (John 4:21-24). His death fulfilled the sacrificial system, making believers themselves 'living sacrifices' (Romans 12:1). The early church gathered for worship featuring teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). Worship in Revelation provides a glimpse of heavenly worship - ceaseless praise around God's throne. The New Testament emphasizes that all of life is worship when lived for God's glory (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17).
Key Scripture References
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Read full commentary →Romans 12:1“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Read full commentary →Psalm 95:6“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”
Read full commentary →Revelation 4:11“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Read full commentary →Psalm 100:2-4“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God... Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise.”
Read full commentary →Hebrews 12:28“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
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