Introduction to Worship

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     Were these glittering vestments and soaring columns so absolutely essential to the cult of the manger-born God?- Israel Tangwill in "Italian Fantasies."

     Man is a "worshiping animal." This is the verdict of the philosophers. The implication is that while there are many things man shares in common with other animate beings, in this respect he is in a class apart from the rest. Since animate creatures respond to needs and seek gratification for them, we must conclude, if this evaluation is correct, that man cannot be satisfied by indulging in food, drink and sexual relationships. There is a hunger which bread cannot assuage, a thirst which water cannot quench, and a longing which physical intimacy leaves unabated. Jesus put it very simply: "Man does not live by bread alone."

     Theodore Parker, in "A Lesson for the Day" said, "Yet, if he would, man cannot live all to this world. If not religious he will be superstitious. If he worship not the true God he will have his idols."

     There is a difference between worship and religion. The first belongs to man because he is man; the second belongs to him because he is fallen man. Religion literally means "to bind back," and if man had never separated himself from God by sin, he would have needed no religion. Like the clothes which cover our bodies, religion which covers our spirits, is a badge of our shame. Instead of being proud of either we should be humbled by the thought of how naked we would be without them. Worship belongs to man because of his nearness to God, religion because of his distance from God. Worship is the longing cry to God across the chasm which sin created, religion is the bridge which spans that gulf. For that reason, worship must always be essentially internal, while religion, like any other bridge, will be external.

     The problem of dealing with "worship" in a Biblical context is intensified by the fact that so many different original terms have been rendered by the word, and the distinctions are thereby either blurred or lost. Perhaps it will enhance our understanding of, and simplify our approach to the meaning if we begin with the English word and determine its significance. The Anglo-Saxon ancestor of our term was weorthscipe, and even the casual reader can see enfolded in it the word "worth." Literally it means to attach worth or value, and thus, to regard as worthy. By extension, it easily came to mean to pay homage, to revere.

     Worship seeks to express itself openly, but the discriminating student will detect the difference between the form in which it is expressed and the worship itself, just as there is a distinction to be made between love and its expression. Worship

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is not necessarily restricted to a divine being, for man attaches great worth to many things. He may revere that which created him, or that which was created. But it is axiomatic that the more man worships the more he becomes like the object of his devotion. The character of that object, or the character which he attaches to it, whether genuine or unreal, will mould his own character and be reflected in his conduct and attitudes.

     To avoid becoming unduly tedious we will come directly to some of the terms used in the new covenant scriptures which are rendered "worship," especially in the King James Version. We crave your patient consideration of these.

     1. The first is doxa, which is translated "worship" only in Luke 14:10. Jesus observed how those invited to a feast hurried to secure seats near the head of the table to make it appear they were special dignitaries. Since a certain protocol was followed in assignment of places, he urged those who were invited to take the remotest places. The one who invited them would publicly insist that they "go up higher," and the conclusion is, "Then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee."

     The word doxa is from dokeo, to seem, and literally means "an opinion or estimate." It is found in our words orthodoxy, right opinions; and heterodoxy, other opinions. Eventually it came to refer to the honor or glory which resulted from a proper estimate or opinion. Thus it is rendered glory 133 times, honor 6, glorious 6, praise 4, dignity 2, worship 1. It is obvious that it means "honor" in Luke 14:10.

     2. Another interesting word rendered "worship" only once (Acts 17:25) is therapeuo. Paul affirmed to the Athenian philosophers that God did not dwell in temples of human construction, "neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything." We get our word "therapy" from the original which is translated heal 38 times, cure 5. The heathen believed that their gods were actually sustained by the offerings presented at the cult temples and they were regular in their provision of food and delicacies, for a hungry god was an angry god. By contrast, the God that made the world and all things therein does not dwell in earthly temples, requires nothing from man, but rather "giveth to all life, and breath, and all things." We do not supply the needs of God because he has no needs. The word "served" is a better rendering in this case.

     3. Another interesting term, although a little farfetched in this article is neokoros, which occurs only once in the sacred scriptures although it is used by Josephus in a different sense. In Acts 19:35, the townclerk of Ephesus, seeking to quell a riot by the guild of silversmiths, said, "The city of the Ephesians is a worshiper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter." The word for "worshiper" is neokoros, which means "temple-keeper." This was an honorary title awarded to certain cities which thereby became the official centers for the cults formed around certain pagan deities. Ephesus was the recognized guardian or protector of Artemis, or Diana. "Worshiper" does not convey the right idea.

     4. There is the word eusebeo which Paul uses in Acts 17:23, "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." This term occurs in only one other place, I Timothy 5:4, where children and grandchildren are told "to show piety at home and requite (repay or recompense) their parents." It means to show respect or reverence for any who are deserving, and especially in a practical fashion. The people of Athens, according to their custom and understanding, had demonstrated a pious regard for "the unknown god" in the only manner they could, by dedicating an altar on which to offer him gifts and sacrifices. Paul commends them for their piety but proceeds to show that their demonstration is based upon ignorance of the nature of the God who made the world, and all things therein. He supplies for them the information required to properly appreciate the nature of God.

     5. Again, there is the word latreuo,

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which means "to serve." It is translated serve 16 times, worship 3, service 1, worshiper 1. In Philippians 3:3, Paul writes, "For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit." The English Version has it, "we whose worship is spiritual." In Acts 7:42 it is used of the worship of the planets. "Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven." In Acts 24:14 Paul employs it for the worship of God. "After the way which they call heresy (sect), so worship I the God of my fathers." In both of these last two the Revised Version has "serve."

     That there is a distinction between this word and the one most frequently translated worship is evident from their usage in the same context. "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:10). "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator" (Romans 1:25). But the fact that the word latreuo is translated worship shows the close relationship to worship and service. However, a word of warning is needed. Nowhere does the word of God speak of a "worship service." The saints did not "attend services." The word serve was related to actual work performed, for latreuo is from latris, a hired servant, and one does not hire a servant to merely go as an occasional spectator to watch a performance. There is a difference between serving and observing.

     6. Now we come to the word which is most important of all in this study. It is proskuneo, and it is translated worship 58 times. It is never rendered by any other word at all. It is at once obvious that here is the principal word for "worship" and a failure to understand its implications will mean that we have completely failed in grasping our subject. It is a combined form from pros, towards, and kuneo, to kiss; and literally means to kiss the hand towards, that is, as an indication of homage, adoration, or respect. Thus it can be used for making obeisance to one in honor of his person; to prostrate oneself in reverence. It is an indication or demonstration of the attitude which one feels toward another who is worthy of great respect. It is recognition of worth-ship, or worthiness.

     Perhaps we can best understand it by recounting those who are said to have worshiped. The astrologers who came to Jerusalem said, "We have seen his star in the east, and we are come to worship him" (Matt. 2:2). It is not in vain that the classic painting of their visit is called "The Adoration of the Magi." "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child...and fell down and worshiped him" (verse 11). "And behold, there came a leper and worshiped him" (Matt. 8:2). "Behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshiped him" (Matt 9:18). "Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him" (Matt. 14:33). "Then came she and worshiped him, saying, "Lord help me" (Matt. 15:25). There is no need for multiplying these citations. In every instance there is simply a recognition of the power and presence of Jesus with reverence.

     1. Of all the words translated "worship" not one is ever applied to anything we do when we assemble on the Lord's Day.

     2. The expression "the worship" is not in the new covenant scriptures and the very idea represented in our use of it is foreign to those scriptures.

     3. The term "acts of worship" is not in the Bible. The very thought of "five acts of worship" is absurd and ridiculous in the light of the teaching of the Word.

     4. Christianity has no sacred places. It has no sacred days. It has no sacred rituals. There are no holy places, seasons or

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liturgies, in a special sense, for those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord.

     Indeed it was just these truths about Christianity which made it distinctive as "the way." It was loss of these truths which has bound it in fetters and made it grind in the prison-house of theology, as the blind Samson was shorn of his strength when "he wist not that the Spirit had departed from him." Nothing is more frightening than the fact that we have fragmented and compartmented our lives into some areas that are "spiritual" and others that are "secular." The very purpose of the teaching of Jesus was to show that every facet and feature of life was to be worship rendered to God.

     James S. McEwen, M. A., B. D., in "A Theological Word Book of the Bible" says: "A further consequence of Jesus' teaching is that the barrier between sacred and secular, worship and daily living crumbles away. Since worship means the service of God, and this in turn implies loving one's neighbor, it follows that every kindly act performed in this spirit and intention is an act of worship (Matt. 25:34-40; James 1:27)."

     The implications of this are startling when brought to bear upon our traditions. Few who have been reared in those traditions will dare to think seriously about these implications. Many will become incensed at the questioning of that which has been regarded as "scriptural" simply because it is commonplace and accepted. However, we cannot really be loyal to Jesus by sweeping these things under our ecclesiastical rugs or by returning our heads to the sand in our theological deserts in the hope that they will go away.

     This is the only time the word proskunetes, worshiper, occurs in the scriptures. It is preceded by alethinos, true. In his concordance, Cremer says of this word "Alethinos defines the relation of the conception to the thing to which it corresponds-genuine." The true worshiper, then, is the person who grasps the truth that since God is Spirit, the only genuine worship is spiritual, and cannot be confined to places and things, which are temporal. Places become holy not because they are places but simply because believers are there; things become holy not because they are things but because they are used by believers. All things and all places are holy when the true wor-

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shiper touches them, but the sanctity is not in the places or things.

     William Barclay aptly states it thus: "The true, the genuine worship is when man, through his spirit, attains to friendship and intimacy with God. True and genuine worship is not to come to a certain place; it is not to go through a certain ritual or liturgy; it is not even to bring certain gifts. True worship is when the spirit, the immortal and invisible part of man, speaks to and meets with God, who is immortal and invisible."

     This encourages us to mention what is probably a perversion of a favorite funeral text--John 14:2,3. "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." It is generally thought that Jesus was here speaking of the eternal abode after his second coming, but the entire context is against such an interpretation of his words.

     It is obvious that if heaven is a state of being with God, Jesus did not have to go and get it ready, for he declared that he would say to the righteous, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34). The "place" is where Jesus receives us unto himself and where we abide with him. And the key is in the word "mansions." These are many, that is there is one for each individual. The word for "mansions" is mone and it occurs but twice. Both times are in this speech. It means "place of abode" and in God's house (estate or economy) there is a place for all, but that place had to be prepared, and it required that Jesus go away to prepare it.

     Thus he said, "I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you...At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." He then declared that, "He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." Upon being asked how he would come and manifest himself, Jesus made a significant reply, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him) and make our abode with him" (verse 23). Note that he does not say in this instance, "We will abide with him," but rather "make our abode with him." The word "abode" is mone, the word for "mansions" in verse 2, and these are its only appearances in the scriptures. The place prepared where God dwells is the human heart and he dwells in us in and through the Holy Spirit.

     Jesus said, "It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (16:7). "And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (14:16-18). The many mansions are the many hearts which have his commandments, keep them and love him.

     God's only sanctuary since the cross is the human heart. The only acceptable meeting place for worship with God is worship itself. There is no sacred law, no sacred furniture, no sacred garments, no sacred building, sprinkled with the blood of dedication. Ours is "a new and living way," in which we "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" (Hebrews 10:25). "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

     The sanctuary of God is always where his covenant is kept. In the days before the true tabernacle was pitched, the tablets of stone were kept in a sacred chest or coffer, first in a tent, later in a magnificent temple. But the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. The new covenant is not inscribed on tablets of stone, nor written

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with pen. and ink. It is a spiritual covenant and must be kept in an abode of the Spirit. "And as for you, it is plain that you are a letter that has come from Christ, given to us to deliver; a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, written not on stone tablets but on the pages of the human heart...Such qualification as we have comes from God; it is he who has qualified us to dispense his new covenant--a covenant not expressed in a written document, but in a spiritual bond; for the written law condemns to death, but the Spirit gives life."

     A knowledge of these truths always makes me smile inwardly, in spite of my sadness when men show me through their piles of brick and stone, while they glow with pride. We enter through the nave arcade, we see the apse, and then I am conducted into "the sanctuary." The voice is lowered because of the dim light filtered through art windows. I am shown the matching aisle carpets and pew cushions and am taken to the front where "the communion table" and pulpit furniture received a special dedication at a recent meeting which was like "a high holy day." Frequently I receive programs of elaborate dedication ceremonies. The only thing that impresses me is how far from Christianity and how close to Judaism most of my brothers are even yet.

     When will we learn, that only the sprinkling of blood can consecrate and that God no longer consecrates gold and silver and stones graven by art and man's device? Franklin W. Young of Princeton University, in his article titled, "The Theological Content of New Testament Worship" writes: "It is an historical fact that the New Testament Church had no holy place, spatially located, which could be designated as the place where God, in some special sense, was present to his people." A bit farther on the same author aptly declares, "The phrase 'going to church,' is an impossible linguistic construction in the New Testament."

     Dr. Young is correct. We do not "go to church." It is the church which does the going. If those who go were not the church before they left home they will not be the church after they get where they are going, regardless of what is said or done when they arrive. Our speech betrays us. We hear a great deal today about "churchly" things and one can hardly pick up religious literature without reading about "churchly structure." This is the language of ecclesiasticism, not of the Holy Spirit. Our tongues are still confounded by our modern Babels.

     Just as absurd is "the call to worship" which consists of intoning in the sepulchral pulpit accent--the holy voice--"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go up to the house of the Lord." What is a call to worship among those who worship in spirit and in truth? Can we turn worship on and off like the timer on an automatic oven? When does the true worshiper stop worshiping so that he has to be started again. If he is not a true worshiper, is he worshiping or merely going through certain mechanical motions after the call is given? I can understand why a muezzin in a minaret would call the Muslims to prayer, but does Christianity have its muezzins and minarets?

     When David wrote Psalm 122, Jerusalem was the holy city of God. One had to go up to the house of God. But today we are the house of God in Christ. "You are God's field, God's building" (I Cor. 3:9). "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you" (I Cor. 3:16). "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you) which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (I Cor. 6:19,20). God only has one house on earth and you cannot go up to it if you are already in it and an integral part of it. Our brothers who talk about going up to the house of God are still moping in Judaism. They are living B. C. lives in an A. D. world. They are sitting on the premises instead of standing on the promises.

     This much will serve as an introduction to what we shall further say about

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the Christian concept of worship in our issue next month. Let us close our first installment by pointing out that true worship is the tuning of the heart to throb in harmony with the pulsation of the infinite. Certainly it is proper for God's family to gather about the thanksgiving table to show that they do remember him, but the place where they gather is not holy because it is a place. The holy place is the heart of a Christian who is risen with Christ; the most holy place is the risen Christ. To be in him is to be in God's holy of holies where the Father meets his priests before the mercy seat.

     Failure to realize this makes us mistake rushing about for reverencing God, attending meetings for attaining maturity in faith, and confusing mobility of the body for nobility of spirit. Because we have been taught, at least by implication, that the first and greatest commandment is loyalty to the Establishment, many of us "go to church" so much we do not have time to serve God.

     Editor's Note. This is one of a series of articles being presented during 1966 under the personal heading "Deep Roots." At the close of this year these will be bound in book form under the same title. Because of its importance advance orders are being accepted now for delivery on March 1, 1967, at the pre-publication price of $2.49 per copy payable on delivery.