“How Then Should We Worship?”
Many Christians in this generation of Reformed resurgence have returned to the faith once delivered to the saints as articulated in the grand articles of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. Having returned to the historic faith, we ask, How Then Should We Worship?
Holy, Holy, Holy
In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord sitting on a throne. The angels in His presence invoked this awesome and majestic God by calling him “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6:3). This God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is the God that we approach in worship. And this righteous God has created us to worship Him. In fact, it is the duty of all mankind to worship Him. We were created to be a worshiping people; But man has sought out many schemes (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Not only are we prone to worship false gods, but we are also prone to invent unauthorized worship. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ, God reveals to sinners how they can and ought to worship him after the fall. Indeed, the Father has sought out people who will worship him in Spirit and truth (John 4:23).
Does God Care How He is Worshiped?
In light of who God is, we should carefully consider how he has instructed us to approach him in worship. The Lord judges unauthorized worship in the Old Testament, such as Nadab and Abihu’s strange fire (Leviticus 10), Uzzah’s touching the Ark (2 Samuel 6:7), and King Uzziah’s burning incense (2 Chronicles 26:16). But has the Lord’s concern for the way he is worshiped changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament?
New Testament passages like Mark 7, John 4, Colossians 2, and others also teach us how God desires to be worshiped. Our Lord is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and He is zealous for His own worship. Since this is the case, should we – the New Covenant people of God – not also tremble to bring unauthorized worship before him?
How Should We Worship God?
Our confession states that “the acceptable way of worshiping the true God, is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshiped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures” (2LCF 22:1). While it is important for the church of God to know the elements and circumstances of worship, right worship must also be experiential and felt. How easy is it to “go through the motions” on the Lord’s Day without ascribing to God His proper praise. How can we be sure that we are offering God “pure worship” from the heart? It behooves all members of Christ’s church, and particularly His ministers, to worship God rightly in spirit and in truth. God not only cares about the way he is worshiped, but also the condition of our hearts before Him.
CBTS held its second annual theology conference in Louisville, KY on March 23-25th, 2023 on the subject of How Then Should we Worship? Conrad Mbewe, Sam Waldron, John Miller, Tom Nettles, Jim Savastio, and Scott Aniol spoke on the subject of Biblical Worship.
Conference Messages
How Then Should We Worship Conference Promotional Trailer
Why Do We Worship?
Jim Savastio
The Regulative Principle: Its Ground & Rationale
Sam Waldron
Worship on the
Mountain & in Jerusalem
Conrad Mbewe
Music on God’s Music: Forming Hearts of Praise with the Psalms
Scott Aniol
Praise is His Gracious Choice
Tom Nettles
Worship in Heaven & on the Earth
John Miller
The Required Parts of Worship
Conrad Mbewe, Sam Waldron, Scott Aniol, Tom Nettles, & John Miller
The Regulative Principle: Its Proofs
Sam Waldron
Worship in Spirit & in Truth
Conrad Mbewe
From Text to Expression: “Fittingness as a Guideline for Biblically-Regulated Worship Music”
Scott Aniol
The Kind of Worshipers the Father Seeks
Conrad Mbewe
