Open Theological Modular Course on Biblical Worship

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

John 4:24

The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all; is just, good and does good to all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped 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.

Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to him alone; not to angels, saints, or any other creatures; and since the fall, not without a mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone. (1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith cp. 22 - Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day, par. 1 & 2) 

The historic confession above highlights the Regulative Principle of Worship with this statement “the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men.” Since corporate worship is one of the primary tasks of the gathered church, God, who is the sole object of worship has the right to say and command the way to worship Him that is pleasing to His sight.

The LORD has blessed the Theological Modular Course of Salitran Covenant Bible Church led by Pastor Jeremiah Jangad when he completed a seven-week lesson on Biblical worship. The open course provides a biblical, robust and foundational theology on Biblical worship. So, we invite you to study this serious topic.

Since the main recipient of this lecture are Filipinos, the recorded videos are bilingual (English and Tagalog). Here are some highlights of the lessons with links to the videos from Covenant Reformed Seminary of Asia.

Lesson 1: LECTURES ON NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP (Introductory Lesson) – The worship of God is a universal duty. The fundamental premise of worship is that God’s favor is extended only to those who come to Him through the person and work of Christ. True worship is directed to God alone and the only acceptable means of worship are those established by God. So we are not free to worship God in the way that we desire. Our way of worship is regulated by God alone.

Lesson 2: WORSHIP IN THE OLD TESTAMENT – This lecture focuses on the application of the precepts of the law within the historical narratives of the Old Testament. It establishes the fact that the moral law began with commandments regarding worship that assert the perpetual obligation of mankind to worship God according to His Word alone. It also refutes worshipping God with and through graven images, based on God’s revelation of Himself to the nation of Israel. The worship of God must not be corrupted through imitation of heathen practices.

Lesson 3: THE GOD-ORDAINED TEMPLE WORSHIP & ISRAEL’S APOSTASY – This lecture is about the designation of a fixed place of worship and the building of the tabernacle worship according to the divine blueprint. Again, men are not free to invent ways to do it but to do all things according to the pattern shown to them. So, convenience, pragmatism, and doing what seems right in our own eyes should not be the motive in worship to avoid God’s judgment as seen in the history of Israel.

Lesson 4: WORSHIP IN THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH – This lecture shows the departure of some of the kings of Judah from Rehoboam to Manasseh who did not walk like David, who was commendable in his zeal for the true worship of God.

Lesson 5: WORSHIP IN THE PERIOD OF CAPTIVITY – The period of captivity shows that the true people of God kept themselves from idolatry to maintain the true worship of God. This is the perpetual testimony of God’s people to the purity of worship, and to submit to God’s authority despite challenges and unlawful demands. They obeyed God rather than men.

Lesson 6: WORSHIP IN THE NEW TESTAMENT – In this lecture, we turn to the essence of true worship: “in spirit and in truth”, the implications of the death of Christ to the worship of God’s people, and the apostolic practice and teaching concerning worship. Indeed, the New Testament is clear that God is the only proper recipient of worship.

Lesson 7: FLAWED WORSHIP STYLES (Final Session) – The last lesson gives us the six flawed worship styles (personal-pleasure, worldly-idiom, aesthetic, ecstatic, informal, and shallow worship). This lecture also exposed us to the sad reality that modern worship is designed to close the gap between the church and the world to make one more acceptable to the other. However, to make the church resemble the world is to make it the enemy of God. We must face the impossibility of the churches’ survival once their highest occupation is sick. We must never dismiss or surrender the principles of worship: it must be offered in spirit and in truth, it must be directed from understanding and it must be kept distinct from godless worldly culture.

May the LORD bless you in your study of the lectures above. As we worship the LORD on the next Lord’s day, may we truly worship Him in Spirit and truth. Mark Jones sees the need for our dependence on God in accomplishing this humbling and great task, he writes, “The Father, who gives the Spirit to his Son (Acts 2:33), entrusts Christ with the Spirit to create true worshipers, who will worship in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who brings glory to Christ, enables us to also bring glory to Christ in our… act of worship.” (Mark Jones, God is. ch. 3)

If worship is our greatest duty as God’s people then we cannot deny the seriousness of this task. We must reform our worship. This may be a hard task because the world has influenced the church so much that she can no longer be distinguished from its worldliness. But the true church, the bride and body of Christ will persevere to honor her Redeemer according to His Word, and she will worship none but God alone in Christ by the Spirit’s power.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

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Note: Cover photo by Lars_Nissen from Pixabay.com