TAM Initiative

Soundbytes 2 — Worship: Essence and Form

If we are to untie this cord that associates worship and praise with music specifically, or even with a specific musical style, it is important to establish definitions for each of the terms mentioned. So, let’s first reflect on the term “worship,” and try to see what relationship exists between it and music.

In the Old Testament, more than one Hebrew word is used to express the meanings of the term worship. They mainly describe outward gestures of prostration before a superior, as well as the idea of service and obedience. The New Testament often expresses the meaning of worship through the word προσκυνεω (proskuneo), which refers to the act of kissing and bowing down in deep reverence. The number of existing definitions that attempt to succinctly explain what worship means is enormous, but in essence, attentive scholars identify its meaning in a holistic way — that is, that worship is practiced in every area and at every time of life, and is not limited to a ritual we call a worship service. The renowned pastor and author John Piper offers the following definition of the term: “The essence of worship . . . is the inward act of treasuring God in one’s heart. The outward forms of worship are acts done to demonstrate or reflect how much the heart treasures God.”[1]

“In the book Christian Worship: Its Theology and Practice,[2] the authors Franklin Segler and Randall Bradley trace the act of worship from its beginning in the Old Testament, and reveal an evolution from a very simple form to the elaborate rituals of the Temple. One of the human traps that many Bible readers fall into is interpreting an act described in the Bible as prescriptive (a formula to be followed with strict exactness) rather than as descriptive (merely a narrative of a specific situation), as is often the case. The act of bowing down identified the attitude of worship for the ancient reader of these texts. However, although this posture is still used from time to time, acts of worship in our day are much more emphatically ‘tied’ to forms of singing, as well as to raising hands, closing one’s eyes, or even to the specific portion of the service when songs are being sung repetitively. If we were to interpret the biblical words as prescriptive, these forms or expressions that we use would be incorrect, since true worship would only exist if we physically prostrated ourselves!!”

I agree with John Piper, among countless other biblical interpreters, who draws a distinction between forms of worship and worship itself. The Lord Jesus’ statement to the Samaritan woman, found in John 4:23, says that true worshipers will worship the Father “in spirit and in truth.” Christ also affirms, contradicting the prevailing opinion among the Jews, that this worship would no longer be tied to a location, even one that had previously been chosen by God Himself! He is not speaking of forms of expression, but referring to its essence, its root, and its authenticity.

Let’s worship the Father! Let’s give our lives with sincere hearts, treasuring Who He is in His essence, and what that means for our lives. This worship will tale place when we walk with God, whatever activity we may be engaged in — “whatsoever you do, do all to the glory (doxa) of God.” When we walk, drive, work, or have fun, we can worship the Father. When we pray, bow down, read His Word, meditate on it so that it may be manifested in our lives, and even when we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs — through all of these and other forms, we give glory and honor (aka. ‘worship’) to the Father on the basis of these two foundations: spirit and truth!

[1] John Piper, quoted by Ron Man in Worship Notes, under the heading “Quotables,” Volume 3, Number 7, July 2008.

[2] Franklin M. Segler and Randall Bradley, rev. Understanding, Preparing for, and Practicing Christian Worship, 3rd ed. (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006).