WORSHIP

References to "worship" are common in both the O.T. and the N.T. The Hebrew term shachah (about 100 times) refers to "bowing" before an object of religious devotion. Similarly, proskuneo (59 times) in the N.T. means to prostrate oneself, do obeisance. Worship can be offered to the true God (Gen. 22:1-5), or it may be vainly rendered to a false god (Ex. 20:4-6; 2 Kgs. 10:19). In order for worship to be acceptable, several divine criteria must be satisfied. (a) Worship must be submitted to deity alone (Mt. 4:10); neither angels (Rev. 19:10) nor ordinary men (Acts 10:25-26) are worthy of worship. Because God is a "spirit" being (Jn. 4:24), humans are not permitted to worship him by the use of material objects, e.g., images (Dt. 4:12; 15-18). The fact that Christ was worshipped, and that he accepted such adoration, is an unanswerable argument for his deity (Mt. 8:2; 9:18; 14:33). (b) Worship to God must be rendered with utmost sincerity (Josh. 24:14; Jn. 4:24), not hypocritically (Mt. 15:7-9), for the purpose of show (Mt. 6:1ff), or arrogantly (Lk. 18:10ff). (c) Worship must follow a prescribed procedure, that of "truth" (Jn. 4:24), which means in accordance with God's word (Jn. 17:17). Ignorant worship will not be accepted (Acts 17:23). On the Lord's day, Christians worship by observing the Lord's supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:20ff), singing (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), praying (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:15), teaching the gospel (Acts 2:42; Rom. 15:16), and contributing from their weekly incomes (1 Cor. 16:2).