Worship is the highest priority in all of life—for each believer, as well as every Christian congregation. And, all worship leadership must hold this biblical priority or risk impotence in all the worship leading they attempt.
The Word from God Himself makes the fiat declaration about worship: human life should be lived with worshiping God as its central focus.
Under assignment from God, Moses relays God’s first command, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3). Later, Moses calls out to God’s People, “Hear O Israel, Yahweh is God; Yahweh alone!” (Deuteronomy 5:4, author’s rendering). Moses immediately follows with, “Love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This is worship and it is God’s desire to be first priority in the lives of his best creation, man and woman.
The Psalmist, King David, repeatedly proclaims the same message: 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. (Ps 86:9-10)
The prophet Isaiah proclaims: This is what the Lord says — Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God (Isa 44:6).
Worship of God is the central priority in The New Testament Jesus, God in human flesh, implies no less when declaring the primary reality of life: “I tell you, if these (followers) were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19: 40, RSV).
All of Christ’s Apostle’s send the same message. The Apostle Peter instructs the believers in Rome: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Peter is saying that Jews and Gentiles alike have been called back to God; and called first and foremost for the purpose of His worship.
The writer of the New Testament Letter of Hebrews pens the following: Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
The Apostle John finishes the New Testament cannon declaring that in the New Jerusalem, “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will servingly-worship him . . .” on into the everlasting (Revelation 22:3).
Who is God?
If worship is to be central in all Church life and focus, then the question, “Who is God” must also be addressed. Four major theological realities must be articulated: 1) God is supreme, 2) God is creator, 3) God is holy, and God is hesed-love.[1]
First, God is supreme. God is not a created being. He is eternally existent, all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscience), all wise. (omnisapient), and everywhere present (omnipresent) at all times). The Scriptures are clear that there are simply no other gods.
God was makes an absolutely clear that He IS the supreme and only God.
“Hear, O Israel: Yahweh is God; Yahweh alone” (Deuteronomy 6:44).
The Hebrew language, especially in its historical context, is clear, precise, unequivocal. The Bible declares no other god exists. The implication is that other spirits, other alleged gods simply are not gods at all. There is only the One, True GOD. Period.[2]
Second, God is holy. He is completely ‘other-than’ and ‘unique from’ His creation. His ‘otherness’ or His being ‘unique from’ and ‘above’ His creation is especially seen in His divine moral purity and beauty.” God’s nature and person is completely separated from sin and evil. He is absolutely devoted to His own divine perfect honor and glory.[3]
It is almost impossible to adequately ‘explain’ God’s “holiness” because His reality here is so great. The Hebrew term for ‘holy’ is ‘qadowsh.’ Some theologians translate this term ‘pure.’ Its larger meaning includes absolute purity. In Scripture, writes Dr. Ron Allen, ‘holy’ is “. . . ‘to be different,’ ‘to be other,’ ‘to be distant.’ Of course, God is pure! But in His holiness, He is absolutely unique. There is nothing in the entire universe that may be compared to Him.”[4]
‘Qadowsh’ presents the “BIG-NESS” of God, the “weightiness” of God, the “awesome substance and moral beauty” of God; and thus His absolute “otherness.” He is not a ‘creature.’ He is completely and eternally unique. He alone is GOD.[5]
Third, God is The Creator. The Bible starts with the reality that the uncreated God—who was already existing, before time and space existed—created all that is: all the cosmos; all time, space, spiritual and transcendent realities; all physical reality, life, truth, goodness and beauty; everything that is.[6]
Finally, God is Hesed-Love. God is both, ‘uniquely different from’ and ‘above’ His creation, and perfectly loving toward his creation. Moreover, God created humans for the specific purpose of companioning with Him, in perfect harmony and communion. This love is not simply “affection.” This is hesed-love. It involves compassion, longing, delight, pursuit, mercy, patience, forbearance, and unceasing-staying-power. This love is at the deepest level possible. So much so that, even though humans are frail and sinful, God chooses to pursue. It is this hesed-love that compels God to pursue human companionship,
The term hesed actually expresses the overwhelming capacity of God to show patient and passionate love toward His human creatures. Exodus 34:5-7 demonstrates this hesed-love capacity: 5 Then Yahweh came down in the cloud and stood there with him (Moses) and proclaimed his name, Yahweh. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ” Yahweh, Yahweh, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love (hesed) and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love (hesed) to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
Dr. Ron Allen gives good insight into the depths of this term hesed, especially referencing this passage. He writes: This is the term that is so rich in its biblical use that translators have difficulty expressing its meaning. It is rendered variously as “loving mercy,” “lovingkindness,” “merciful goodness,” “kindness,” “mercy,” “goodness,” “lasting love,” “loyal love,” “unfailing love, “ and others.[7]
Dr. Allen then goes on to note, “Bruce Waltke stressed years ago that the most felicitous rendering (of the term hesed) is ‘loyal love.’ This ties together the element of ‘love and mercy’ and ‘loyalty and steadfastness.’ This word hesed reveals the name, nature, and character of God in a most impressive way. He is everlastingly loyal to His covenant, to His people, to His promises.”[8]
God not only created humans. He created them in order to love them with a hesed-love, and to have them companion with Him. He did all of this through His mysterious wonder-filled will and wisdom.[9]
The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah demonstrates God’s hesed-love and desire for people to receive healing, repair and a new life when he proclaims in Isaiah 43:1-3: 1 But now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; . . .
Again, John the Apostle describes this kind of hesed-love when he writes: 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3:16-21). In summary, these are four basic realities of the nature of God. Our God is the one-and-only God who is supreme, creator, holy and hesed-love. They provide basis for our worship and love of Him as Sovereign Lord.
[1] There are many listings of God’s attributes. Wayne Grudem lists thirty-five attributes of God in his Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994)), see p. 1079.
[2] Other Scriptures that underscore the claims of one, true and living God: Exodus 3:13-15; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; Isaiah 44:6; 45:5, 22; Joel 2;27; Jeremiah 10;10; Mark 12:32.
[3] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994, 202.
[4] Allen, Ibid., 43-44.
[5] Scriptures that underscore God’s holiness: e.g. Exodus 15;11; Psalm 89:6-8; 113;5; Isaiah 40;25.
[6] Scriptures that underscore God as Creator: e.g. Genesis 1:1, 27-28; John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-17.
[7] Ibid., 49.
[8] Ibid., 49.
[9] Scripture that supports God’s Hesed-love: e.g. Gen 2:4-9 & 3:8a; Ps 139:13-14; John 1:10-14; Eph 2:1-10; Heb 1:1-3;1 Peter 2:9-10;1 John 4:9-12; and, Rev 3:20-21.