The English word “worship” means “worthship” (Harrison, ed., Baker’s Dictionary of Theology, Baker). Worship is recognizing the worth and value of God. It is ascribing to God “the worth of which He is worthy” (Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Baker).
When one worships God, he honors Him by giving Him supreme respect. The worshiper approaches and addresses God as He is worthy to be approached and addressed (Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, NavPress).
The most profound passage on worship in the New Testament is John 4:23-24. Here Jesus declared that true worship must be “in spirit and in truth.” What does it mean to worship in the way Jesus specified?
Worship is the response of the inner man. Jesus spoke of people who honored Him with their lips instead of their hearts and said this kind of worship was vain or empty (Matt. 15:8-9).
Worship is not merely a matter of outward form or of saying the right words. It has to do with a God-centered focus that flows from our spirits. The outward form of the ceremonial law in the Old Testament was not to be an end in itself (Hos. 6:6). Christ abolished the ceremonial law in order to promote the spirituality of true worship (Charnock, Existence and Attributes of God¸ Baker).
Worship needs to be in line with God’s truth. God has revealed Himself in creation, in the Bible, and in Christ. Worship is the desired response to this truth.
Jesus spoke of people who did not know what they worshiped (John 4:22). Paul spoke to a group in Athens who worshiped numerous deities, one of which was an unknown god (Acts 17:23). We are not to worship out of superstitious fear or ignorance; we are to worship in truth.
God’s revelation sets Him apart from the whole realm of creation. It is not appropriate to worship men (Acts 14:11-15) or angels (Rev. 22:8-9). God alone is to be worshiped (Exod. 20:5).
God has revealed His attributes, or distinguishing characteristics, in order to allow us to worship Him in truth. They reveal the fullness, depth, and variety of His nature. They answer the questions “What is God like?” and “How might we expect God to act?” In Scripture we find an inspired portrait of His character.
God is eternal or infinite (Ps. 90:2). While He created time and is Lord over history, He transcends both time and history and is not bound by them.
God is spirit (John 4:24) and is unlimited by a body as we know it. He is invisible; thus we do not get to know Him through the sense of sight.
God has revealed Himself in Jesus, though (Col. 1:15), and can be known by faith, which is the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). In fact, He can be known in such a personal way that we can learn to love this One whom we have never seen (1 Pet. 1:8) but whom one day we will see (1 John 3:2).
God is unchanging and unchangeable (Mal. 3:6). Unlike man, God has no need to mature in any quality so as to become more loving or more merciful. Likewise, His power or wisdom does not decrease. Because we can rest secure in His unchanging character, we know Him with a certainty inapplicable to mutable man.
He knows all things (Ps. 139:1-6) and is present everywhere (vss. 7-12). He knows how to put His perfect knowledge to the best use. He is not only wise; He is the source of all wisdom (Dan. 2:20; Rom. 16:27).
God is also the source of all power (Gen. 17:1) and all genuine love (1 John 4:8). He desires and delights in sacrificially giving His very Self to promote the highest good of those who hated Him (Rom. 5:6-8).
God is holy (Isa. 6:1-3); He is infinitely pure and exists apart from all sin. He possesses every moral excellence. No flaw or moral blemish is to be found in God’s character, and He can never approve of sin (Hab. 1:13) or encourage it (Jas. 1:13).
God is righteous. His righteousness was manifested in the death of Christ, the event that declared that sin must be judged (Rom. 3:25-26) and that provided a way for God to offer forgiveness to man (1 John 1:9). Not until the future day of wrath, however, will there be a full revelation of God’s righteous judgment (Rom. 2:5).
God is faithful and true (1 Cor. 1:9; Titus 1:2). Because He is sovereign over His creation, His purposes will be accomplished even in the midst of much rebellion (cf. 1 Chron. 29:11-14; Eph. 1:11).
God is also merciful (Eph. 2:4) and gracious (Heb. 4:16). Mercy speaks of His deep feeling for the helpless, afflicted, miserable, and distressed. He identifies with these people as He sends compassionate help. The grace of God is the source of His favor, shown through Christ, to those who deserve only His wrath.
God is good. He has an unchanging disposition of kindness, generosity, and holy pleasure in the joy of His people. Only God is infinitely, immutably, and perfectly good. He is the source of all goodness (Mark 10:18).
God’s judgment falls upon those who persistently reject His kindness (Rom. 2:4-5), but He is patient and desires the salvation of all (2 Pet. 3:9); He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11). Such is the biblical portrait of God, who is great (Isa. 40:12-31) and living (1 Thess. 1:9).
Identifying God’s attributes is an encouraging and helpful discipline as long as we realize it is only a starting place. Reading a list of theological words will never change our lives. If we take time to think through the implications revealed in these descriptive words, though, and believe the truths they express, our lives will be changed. Truths about God’s attributes can provide guidance in our conduct with others (Luke 6:35-38; Eph. 5:1) and provide a basis to petition God with confidence in time of need (Ps. 51:1; 86:4-5).
To begin your own study in this area, start with a sheet of paper for each of the key attributes. As you read your Bible, write down ideas and thoughts that come to your mind concerning the meaning and implications of the various attributes.
You may decide to concentrate first on one attribute, using a concordance to look up references to key words that reveal this attribute. Read Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy (Harper and Row) and Packer’s Knowing God (InterVarsity); then advance to Charnock’s Existence and Attributes of God. Amid all your reading, ask the Lord to keep the truth of His attributes before your mind daily.
I have found it helpful to include on my prayer lists different attributes of God for each day of the week. This helps to keep the truth before my mind so that I am more prone to relate it to my daily activities and concerns.
Such knowledge results in the joyous giving of oneself to God (Rom. 12:1). This submission overflows into acts of service that are part of a submissive lifestyle. Submissive obedience to God is an essential ingredient of worship.
One cannot entertain true thoughts about God in his spirit without being drawn to praise and adore Him for who He is. Prayer and thanksgiving are important elements in worshiping Him as the source of all we need (Phil. 1:3; Jas. 1:17). Confessing one’s sins is another part of worshipping God as the One to whom we are accountable in all our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
God not only seeks worshipers (John 4:23) but also enables us to worship Him. The control of the Spirit leads to worship, thanksgiving, and submission (Eph. 5:18-21). We cannot enthrone Jesus as our Lord apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). The Spirit of truth teaches us the truth about God (John 14:17).
The public worship of the church is designed by God to give the believer an opportunity to focus on Him and respond to Him. The reading of Scripture, the singing of hymns, and the preaching of sermons can stimulate worship although none of these activities makes worship automatic. The ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper provide special opportunities to worship. The key is focusing on and responding to God in the power of the Spirit. In all the public activities, God is always to be the Guest of honor.
Family and private worship are not substitutes for public worship; they are essential partners. Jesus left us an example of private worship (Luke 5:16). A.W. Tozer said, “If you will not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him on one day a week” (Blanchard, More Gathered Gold, Evangelical Press).
Why does God seek your worship today? It is certain that one day all will be compelled to acknowledge the truth about God (Phil. 2:10). God has commanded worship (Ps. 95:6; Matt. 4:10), and all His commands are for our good (Deut. 10:13).
If you were perfect in every way—in your motives, attributes, and actions—the greatest gift you could give someone would be to let him enjoy you for who you are. This is the gift that God offers to every person. While worship is an end in itself, it is also the greatest means for being transformed into the person we truly yearn to be (2 Cor. 3:18). As a teenager seeks to become like the athlete or the musician he idolizes, so the believer who worships God takes on the beauty of God’s moral attributes.
Worship is a great privilege. God liberates His people from bondage in order to know the freedom of worshiping Him (cf. Exod. 3:12). Satan lusts for worship (Matt. 4:9), and one day he will empower a world dictator who will demand the worship of all on earth (2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:8, 12). Recognizing the spiritual battle and the enormous spiritual consequences of your worship should move you to respond to God, who motivates you to seek His face (Ps. 27:8).