Scripture teaches us who is to be worshiped. It is God alone. No one is his rival. He was before all things and has ultimate power. Far beyond our comprehension, God stands alone as supreme. Even the religious people of Jesus’ day knew this and had problems with Jesus accepting the worship that only God is due. The Sovereign Creator is to be worshiped because of who he is.
Once that is established in our minds, we come to the “how” of the worship of someone so awesome. Is it by singing a few songs each Sunday morning? Is there more to worship? These questions can be answered by looking at the word “worship” in the original language of the New Testament. In the Greek, there are a number of words for the English word “worship”. We will look at the two most over-reaching expressions: “proskyneo” and “latreuo”.
Worship can certainly include the times that we spend together singing. The word “proskyneo” means to express profound reverence. The wise men worshiped Jesus in this way (Matthew 2:11). The idea is to bow in the presence of one who is great. Jesus Christ is certainly worthy of “proskyneo”, so when Christians gather together, we focus on his majesty and become low. To worship God in this way is to see his worth. We worship by humbling ourselves.
Satan tempted Jesus to “proskyneo” him, but Jesus reminded him that only God is due this worship (Luke 4:7,8). A blind man that Jesus healed also “proskyneo” Jesus (John 9:38) Whether he sang a song or not, this man recognized who Jesus was and gave worship to his healer. Are we always worshiping when we sing? I hope so. God is infinitely worthy of worship. Our part is to recognize who he is, and “proskyneo” him.
“Latreuo” is found in its noun form in Romans 12:1. The meaning of this word is to render service to God. True worship of God is acted out in our lifestyle. No matter what we do, it is to be to the praise of his glory. We worship him by trusting him, loving him, and placing total faith in him.
When questioned by the attorney Tertullus about his teachings, Paul descibed his Christian walk as the way he worshiped God (Acts 24:14). He also stated in 2 Timothy 1:3 that he served God with a clear conscience. Paul taught on the lifestyle of worship again in Philippians 3:3, where we are to “latreuo” in the Spirit of God. We don’t want to be like the unbelieving who “latreuo” the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25).
Within our lifestyle of worship, we find countless opportunities to reverence God. Conversely, we can reverence him by living for him. We appreciate your Comments
