Acceptable Worship
Devotions for Growing Christians
Acceptable Worship
Is one form of worship better than another? Most Christians have opinions on this topic, even if they don’t realize it! Whether it be musical styles, worship postures, stage lighting, or anything else, we all have some preconceived notions of what we feel are “more proper” ways to worship the Lord. So what’s the answer here? Is the Lord happy with any form of worship?
It may come as surprise to some, but the Bible teaches that God is not looking for just any worshipers, or any expression of worship. John 4:23-24 informs us that true worshipers of God must worship the Father “in spirit and truth.” That’s what is acceptable to the one true God.
Unacceptable Worship
Before we expand on acceptable worship, let’s look at some Old Testament examples of worship that was not acceptable to God. The worship of false gods was obviously unacceptable, but worship of the true God was offered in unacceptable ways.
Wrong offering
In our first example, Cain's worship was unacceptable because he brought the wrong offering. Genesis 4:3-5 say that Cain presented crops as a gift to the Lord. Meanwhile, his brother Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel’s gift, but not Cain’s.
Hebrews 11 tells us that Abel's worship was made “by faith,” so God had communicated that sacrifice was the acceptable means of worship. Cain brought an offering of his own choosing, and then was angry when God wouldn't accept it!
According to Jude 11, some people today "have gone the way of Cain." Their worship is unacceptable because they insist on doing things their own way. Offering our own good works to God as a means of our salvation, for example, is bringing the wrong offering to the Lord. This is unacceptable worship, regardless of how noble or sacrificial those actions may be.
Wrong procedure
In Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu offered the "wrong kind of fire” to the Lord. As a result, they "died there before the Lord." Their worship was unacceptable because they didn’t follow the procedure for worship that God had given in His Law. Scripture doesn’t provide details on exactly what they did wrong, but they attempted to worship God in a way that was out-of-line with God's given approach.
Worship that’s not Christ-centered is the "wrong fire." The worship of Unitarians or Jehovah Witnesses, for example, is unacceptable to God because the doctrines of these groups deny the deity of Jesus Christ. They dishonor the very One who must be the focus of our worship.
Wrong role
Uzziah was a good king of Judah, but he wrongly went into the Temple and offered incense in an attempt to worship the Lord (2 Chronicles 26:16). In his pride, Uzziah took a role that was not his. According to God’s Law, only priests were allowed to enter the Temple. Uzziah was not a priest. Even though he was the King of Judah, he usurped the God-given role of a priest, so his “worship” was unacceptable. God judged him severely because he should have known better.
Assuming a role that God has not given to us is just as serious today. Similarly, creating roles that are not biblical isn’t approved, either. Creating distinctions between clergy and laity in worship is not implied in the New Testament. Drawing dividing lines in the "holy priesthood" of all believers may be as serious a mistake as the sin of prideful Uzziah. Unlike Old Testament times, all Christians today are “his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, we offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” (1 Peter 2:5).
Acceptable Worship
We may wonder why God wasn’t more accommodating is some of those examples. However, the fact that some forms of worship were unacceptable doesn’t mean that there can be no variety in our worship of God. Old Testament believers had very little freedom within the restrictions that God had set up. So what does the New Testament teach us about acceptable worship? Believers today have more freedom of worship, but there are still limitations. In John 4:23, the Lord Jesus said that acceptable worship before God has three characteristics: “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.”
Worship of the Father
“…true worshipers will worship the Father…” Although God revealed Himself in the Old Testament as Father in the sense of the Creator and Preserver of His people, the concept of God as our personal Father was not revealed. (See Malachi 2:10, for example.) With the coming of Jesus, an intimate relationship between God and the believer was revealed and established.
True worshipers recognize, respect and enjoy this amazing relationship with their heavenly Father. Visualizing God as some kind of impersonal and distant being is not a characteristic of acceptable worship. We bring great joy to our Father by recognizing His intimate personal presence. Those are the kind of worshipers He seeks!
Worship in spirit
A second characteristic is worship that’s "in spirit." This worship isn’t limited by special locations or rituals and ceremonies, but worshiping God “in spirit” doesn’t mean we should abandon our church buildings or organized gatherings either. It mean that worship shouldn’t depend on these things, or be defined by them. Because God is spirit, true worship must be in the sphere of the spirit (v24).
Jesus mentioned this in His conversation with the Samaritan woman where He contrasted “worship in spirit” with external geographical locations. The Jews worshiped in Jerusalem in accordance with the Law. The Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim, according to their traditions (vs 21-22). With the coming of Christ and His sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell the hearts of believers, true worship would be centered in the hearts of believers anywhere in the world.
It’s important to note that although "in spirit" worship is from the heart, it’s not characterized by mere emotions or feelings. "In spirit" worship is characterized by actions, thoughts, and desires of hearts that have been made alive by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. All Christians should be characterized by true worship - every day and in every situation.
Worship in truth
Finally, acceptable worship must be "in truth" – that is, in accordance with what God has revealed to be truth in His Word. False worship is not only worship of false gods, but also “worship” of the true God that’s not in line with the truth of God's Word. Remember our Old Testament examples. They sought to worship the true God with what seemed to be sincere intentions. But their worship was unacceptable because it was not done "in truth."
The Samaritan woman of John 4 came from a community of sincere worshipers, but their worship on Mount Gerizim included a number of unscriptural additions. Jesus said that the Samaritans didn't know what they worshiped, because their worship was not aligned with God's revealed truth (v22).
Is our worship of God "in truth?” Have we closely examined all the lyrics of the worship songs that we sing on Sunday mornings, for example, to make sure they fully line up with the truth presented in Scripture? Just because a song mentions Jesus and has some “feel-good” phrases, doesn’t mean it’s biblically true. Let’s be careful about this, especially in the realm of today’s modern worship songs.
Worshiping in truth also involves a thankful response to God that is scripturally intelligent. For example, thanking the Father for dying for our sins is not intelligent worship. God, the Father, did not die on the cross. God’s son Jesus, died for our sins. Likewise, praising Jesus for giving up some of His deity to become a Man is not "in truth" worship. When He took on humanity, the eternal Son of God did not cease being God in any way.
Yes, God sees our hearts and He can overlook our theological shortcomings as we grow in the faith. But we should strive to increase our biblical knowledge, so we will be able to worship "in truth." Acceptable worship is characterized by love, joy, praise and thanks, but it is also characterized by knowledge of truth.
God is overjoyed when we lift up our loving, grateful worship to Him. He’s actively looking for worshipers, and He’s seeking people who will worship Him as Father, in spirit, and in truth. Do we qualify as true worshipers?
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2021, Ron Reid)