WORSHIP  (Definition) To reflect back to God his self-revealed worth.

The Bible never gives a formal definition of worship.  Look all throughout the Bible and you will not find anywhere where God says, “Worship is...”  There are plenty of descriptions of worship, but never a definition.  Over the years, many definitions have been thought up.  The best one I’ve found is the one above - Worship is to reflect back to God his self-revealed worth.  That means that God reveals himself to us and we respond back to him in worship.

So let’s start by seeing what various words for worship mean.  The word “worship” comes from the Middle English word Worthschipe, and refers to something that shows or possesses a state of worth.  Unlike praise, worship is a response to the being and nature of God, rather than to his works.  Using an everyday example, “praise” would be like boasting about the great things your spouse has accomplished.  “Worship” would resemble appreciating your spouse for who they are, such as loyal, compassionate, honest and encouraging.  Worship, then, centers on character traits, rather than deeds.  Both types of expressions are necessary; both are Biblical!  Christians worship God for Who he is, and praise him for what he has done.

The word “worship,” in the English Bible, attempts to translate one of two groups of Hebrew and Greek words.  Group one relates to acts of homage, from the Hebrew word shachah.  It means to prostrate, bow down, or stoop.  Similarly, the Greek word proskuneo means to do reverence, to prostrate, or to kiss towards.  Group two consists of words that primarily relate to labor or service.  The Hebrew word Abad means to serve or stand, and was generally used to refer to the work of the priests and Levites in their temple roles.  The Greek word Leitourgia, which is where we get the word liturgy from, refers to the service, work or ministry of worship (the work of the people).  It is what we do in worship.

There is a cycle that happens during worship.  It is a communication cycle, which theologians call the “dialogical process.”  Simply put, it consists of God revealing Himself to humans, and humans responding accordingly.  In other words, God shows and tells what He is like, and humans respond with, in the words of author and preacher A. W. Tozer, “astonished reverence, breathless adoration, awesome fascination, and lofty admiration.”   The human part of the dialogue (which is called “worship”) is to acknowledge and reflect the attributes of God back to Him.  This is much like the Moon, which has no light of its own, but simply reflects the light of the Sun.  You see, we reflect the light of The Son.

To understand worship, simply answer the question “How does the God of the Bible describe Himself?  As the Moon reflects the light of the Sun, Christians should mirror God’s attributes back to Him with “astonished reverence, breathless adoration, awesome fascination, and lofty admiration.”  Do this, and you will obey the greatest commandment, to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut 6:5-6).

[many thanks to Dr. Jim Altizer for being a great mentor on this topic]