S.

Brmmer
T. Hutchison
Theology of Worship
4-12-16
Philosophy of Worship
To effectively articulate a biblical philosophy of worship, several questions must be
answered: what is worship? What does it look like? Where does it happen?
This paper will attempt to briefly answer these questions, as a full discussion of every
point would be too extensive for its scope.
To begin, biblical worship is a much broader idea than most modern Christians think.
When the word worship is mentioned during a church service, it is usually synonymous with
music in the average congregants viewpointbut this is not the case by far. To give a specific
definition, biblical worship is the outward obedience of a regenerate heart that is following after
Jesus Christ, done both in community with other believers and privately in ones own life.
In the very beginning of time, this was evidenced by the commands God gave to Adam,
from working six days and resting the seventh to tending and ruling over the earth. Perhaps
counterintuitively, resting is a form of biblical worship, as it is commanded by God Himself
throughout several places in Scripture (cf. Exodus 20:10-11, Genesis 2:2-3). When Israel was
disobedient and idolatrousparticularly in the prophetic booksone thing that God consistently
found fault with her for was the forgoing of the Sabbath rest (cf. Exodus 20:10-11, Nehemiah
12:13-22, Ezekiel 20:12-13, 15-16).
More than anything else, biblical worship is an attitude, in addition to something that is
done; but it does have several generalized characteristics and themes throughout Scripture. I have
conveniently labeled each with an R word, for the sake of memory:
Worship reminds us of our place in the universewho God is and who we are before
Him
Additionally, worship reminds us of Gods character and power, and the hope that we
have in Him (Psalm 42)
Worship helps to recognize the ways that God works in our lives, providentially and
otherwise (Phil 2:13)
Worship is something that should repeat multiple times a week and even multiple times a
day (Psalm 145:1-3)
Worship is a way to remember the mighty works of Godin our lives, through Jesus
sacrifice, and in the accounts we read in Scripture (Psalm 42)

 Worship restates what we believe about God, and also restates His character and majesty
through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16)
Worship reawakens our passion to serve Him and to seek to know Him more (Psalm
116:12-18)
Worship responds to who God is and how He has shown us grace and mercy, both in our
lives and in the lives of our fellow believers
Worship reveals our heartswhat we believe about God, and who we truly are as sinners
saved by grace (Psalm 139:23-24)
Of monumental importance to any philosophy of worship are prayer and Scripture. Both
are vital elements of a dynamic relationship with God; and neither is emphasized in the modern
church as much as it should be. Jesus Himself sets a very good example of using both in His
daily life throughout the GospelsHe instructs His disciples to pray in secret and then models
this, spending many hours alone in prayer on several occasions (Matthew 14: 22-23, Mark 1:3537, Mark 6:46-47). To counteract the falsehood of the Pharisees, Jesus also instructs His disciples
on how to pray, resulting in the famous passage known as The Lords Prayer.
As far as Scripture goes, Jesus demonstrates an exceptional knowledge of the Old
Testament, as well as its proper application. He quotes from it frequently, using it to do battle
with the devil during His temptation in the wilderness, and continually finds fault with the
Pharisees and religious leaders for not truly understanding the Law of Moses, teaching its true
meanings and application whenever He can. In addition, the gospel of Matthew goes to great
lengths in order to demonstrate how Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises
(Matthew 12:14-21, elsewhere).
These points are all well and good so far, but they also raise another question: is music
important to worship at all?
The answer is a resounding yes. Though music is not the only facet of biblical worship, it
is nevertheless an important one. This is particularly evident in the Psalms, where the psalmist is
frequently seen pouring his heart out to God (cf. Psalm 22, 42, 88), before ultimately reminding
himself of Gods faithfulness to him in the past and worshipping through his hardships. Music
engages the emotions in a way that other media cannot, and the psalmists make full use of this to
authentically engage life in the good times and the bad times. However, coupled with that
authenticity is an acknowledgement of the reality of God. Even in the psalms of lament, where
the psalmist often begins by questioning God, all save one conclude with praising God.
Throughout Scripture, believers are commanded to give praise to God and worship Him through

song, using whatever they have around them. In the church, this achieves the dual purpose of
glorifying God and edifying fellow believers (cf. Psalm 150, Colossians 3:16).
One final, crucial component of a philosophy of worship is providing a reason to
worship. Believers in Christ have many reasons to worship the Almighty God of the universe,
but one that must not be forgotten is that as believers, there is ultimate hope in resurrection. Jesus
was raised to life (1 Corinthians 15:3-5), and if He was raised, then there is hope that others may
also be raised to life.
Not only does resurrection provide a reason to worship, but several passages throughout
the book of Revelation give very descriptive examples of what worship before Gods throne is
truly like. Revelation 7:9-12 gives an incredible example of all of heavens creatures
worshipping in community, and Revelation 22:1-5 provides a glimpse into creation as it should
be, as it will be when all is made new.
This is the sort of thing that the church needs to be reminded of. All present sufferings
pale in comparison to the ultimate reality of heavens grandeur and glory. In addition, the glory
of heaven puts materialism to death by comparison. If the church was truly able to turn its eyes
upon Jesus, away from the things of this world, how much of an impact could it make for Him?