Worship is the pinnacle of Christian existence. Yet what makes worship truly Christian? The answer lies in worship’s dual foundation: God’s glory as motivation and God’s Word as guide. When believers see God’s splendor revealed in Scripture, they cannot help but worship. When that worship follows biblical patterns, it pleases the God who ordained it.

The History of Christian Worship

Early Foundations

Old Testament worship centered on God’s covenant faithfulness. Israel’s sacrifices, psalms, and festivals proclaimed Yahweh’s supreme worth (Exod 20:3–6; Ps 29:2). The temple liturgy demonstrated a crucial principle: God defines acceptable worship.

The New Testament focused worship as a spiritual reality. Paul called believers to offer themselves as “living sacrifices” (Rom 12:1). Christ became both the perfect sacrifice and the true temple, making worship possible through his mediation.

Patristic Development

For Augustine, worship was the soul’s return to its proper object. He wrote, “We are commanded to love him, not because he needs our love, but because in loving him we become what we were created to be” (City of God 14.28). The church fathers understood worship as response to divine revelation. They saw worship as earthly participation in heavenly realities, where human voices joined angelic voices praising God’s holiness.

Medieval Expansion

Thomas Aquinas developed worship theology systematically. He argued that worship renders God the honor due his infinite worth (Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 81, a. 1). Medieval worship grew elaborate, emphasizing the mysterious encounter with divine glory. Yet this period also introduced problems. Human traditions gradually obscured biblical simplicity. Worship became increasingly complex, distancing ordinary believers from direct encounter with God.

Reformation Recovery

The Reformation marked a decisive shift. Reformers like Calvin critiqued medieval practices for eclipsing God’s glory with human inventions. Calvin insisted: “God disapproves of all modes of worship not expressly sanctioned by his Word” (Institutes 1.12.3). This “regulative principle” demanded biblical warrant for worship elements. The Reformers sought worship that glorified God according to his revealed will, not human preferences.

Modern Developments

Herman Bavinck balanced Reformed emphasis on God’s transcendence with recognition of his immanence. He wrote: “Worship is the creature’s response to the Creator, who reveals himself in his Word and works” (Reformed Dogmatics 2:563). Contemporary scholars like D. A. Carson stress worship’s theocentric nature. Carson argues that biblical worship focuses on God’s redemptive acts in Christ (Worship by the Book, 31–32).

The Central Problem

Each historical period faced the same temptation: subordinating God’s will to human preference. Medieval elaboration, Reformation reaction, and modern innovation all struggle with this basic issue. A part of the solution is to remember worship must serve God’s glory as revealed in his Word.

Biblical Foundations

Psalm 96:7–9: The Call to Glorify God

“Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!”

The Hebrew verb yahab (“ascribe”) appears as an imperative, commanding universal recognition of God’s worth. The phrase “glory due his name” (kabod shemo) points to God’s intrinsic excellence, rooted in his character as creator and covenant Lord (Ps 96:4–6).

The call to “worship” (hawah) literally means “bow down,” signifying complete submission. The phrase “splendor of holiness” (hadarat qodesh) indicates that worship must reflect God’s majestic purity in both heart and form.

John Owen captured this truth: “To worship God is to ascribe to him the infinite excellency of his nature, which is the ground of all our delight in him” (The Glory of Christ, 45). Worship acknowledges God’s supreme worth, not human achievement.

John 4:23–24: The Nature of True Worship

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman reveals worship’s essential nature. The phrase en pneumati kai aletheia (“in spirit and truth”) defines acceptable worship.

Worship engages the whole person, and is offered to the Heavenly throne rather than confined to external rituals or sacred locations (John 4:21). Worship is aligned with God’s revealed will, found in Scripture and ultimately in Christ, the incarnate Word (John 1:14; 14:6). The verb “must” (dei) indicates divine necessity. Worship outside God’s truth remains unacceptable, regardless of human sincerity. Calvin commented: “God rejects all worship that is not framed according to the rule of his Word” (Commentary on John 4:23). Truth in worship is objective, grounded in Scripture’s testimony to God’s character and redemptive work.

Theological Synthesis

Christian worship requires both proper motivation and proper form. Motivation comes from seeing God’s glory; form comes from following God’s Word. This dual focus prevents two common errors: emotionally driven but unbiblical worship, and formally correct but heartless worship.

Motivated by God’s Glory

God’s glory provides worship’s ultimate purpose. C. S. Lewis observed: “In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him” (Reflections on the Psalms, 97). When believers see God’s majesty—his holiness, love, and grace in Christ—worship becomes inevitable.

This vision develops through Scripture meditation, where God’s glory appears most clearly (Isa 6:1–5; Rev 4:8–11). The Bible reveals God’s character and works, stirring hearts to adoration.

Shaped by God’s Word

Scripture regulates worship by defining its content and structure. The regulative principle ensures God-centered rather than human-centered worship. Biblical elements include preaching, prayer, singing, and sacraments (Acts 2:42; Col 3:16). David Peterson affirms: “Worship is the engagement with God on the terms that he proposes and in the way that he alone makes possible” (Engaging with God, 283).

Practical Applications

Cultivate Vision of God’s Glory: Begin worship with prayer and meditation on God’s attributes. Use passages like Psalm 145 or Revelation 5 to kindle awe and wonder.

Align Practice with Scripture: Evaluate worship elements against biblical commands. Ensure preaching proclaims Christ and singing edifies the church (1 Cor 14:26).

Balance Spirit and Truth: Encourage heartfelt devotion rooted in biblical truth. Avoid both cold formalism and ungrounded emotionalism.

Conclusion

Christian worship ascribes to God the glory due his name, motivated by his revealed majesty and shaped by his authoritative Word. From the psalmist’s call to worship in holiness to Jesus’ command for spirit and truth, Scripture reveals God’s desire for worshipers who honor him according to his revelation.

Augustine’s words ring true: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you” (Confessions 1.1). Let us worship with hearts aflame for God’s glory, guided by his Word, that our lives may reflect his infinite worth.

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Sources

Augustine. City of God. Translated by Henry Bettenson. Penguin Classics, 2003.

Augustine. Confessions. Translated by Henry Chadwick. Oxford University Press, 1991.

Bavinck, Herman. Reformed Dogmatics. Vol. 2. Baker Academic, 2004.

Calvin, John. Commentary on John. Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org.

Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translated by Henry Beveridge. Eerdmans, 1989.

Carson, D. A., editor. Worship by the Book. Zondervan, 2002.

Lewis, C. S. Reflections on the Psalms. Harcourt, 1958.

Owen, John. The Glory of Christ. Banner of Truth, 1994.

Peterson, David. Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. InterVarsity Press, 1992.

Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologiae. Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Benziger Bros., 1947.