What of New Testament Worship?

By Daniel Thompson

There are few doctrines in the New Testament that give us as much surprise as the doctrine of worship. One might even say we are stunned. Although there are references to worship in the Gospels, the book of Acts and Revelation, the New Testament Epistles -- the doctrinal/explanatory part of the New Testament - -is completely silent as to worship. This is all the more incredible when we consider: First, 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 is an extensive treatment of church life and interaction with no mention of worship. Second, 1 Timothy was an epistle written to make known "how thou [Timothy] might behave thyself in the house of God." Surely one would expect a reference to worship here, yet there is none. Third, our Lord tells the Samaritan woman that "the hour is coming ... and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him" (Jn 4:21-23). With such a definitive statement of future devotion, it is inconceivable that worship would be passed over completely in the instructional part of the New Covenant, the Epistles, yet this is exactly what we find.

A quick examination of "worship" in the Gospels and Acts finds worship of individuals to Christ, deceitful or false worship and, with reference to Acts, worship directed towards Jerusalem. But there is no direction as to Christian worship. This leads us to one of two possibilities; either the church was to continue Old Testament worship (or the "synagogue" worship developed in post- exilic Israel, ca. B.C. 200), or we might be looking in the wrong place for our direction regarding New Testament worship.

The difficulties with the first option are that the issues of "place," "time," "sacrifice," and such terminology in the law which formed the essential ingredients of Old Covenant worship ceased to have meaning because God has established a New Covenant. Now, under the New Covenant, a holy place is where two or three are gathered (Mt 18:20); time is always special, such that God calls upon us to redeem it (Eph 5:16; Col 4:5); and our sacrifices are ourselves (Rom 12:1), giving (Phil 4:17), and praise (Heb 13:15).