Final: His Alone

God's worship is His own.

So-called "worship wars" have beset the Church like scarlet fever. They are both highly-contagious and deadly. In light of this widespread tension and the various branches of response, churches have developed a new rule of thumb: "Each to his own." Thus, churches harp on what they offer that is distinct from other services. However, Scripture does not call for visible dissension to be the defining feature of a corporate worship gathering. Instead, something higher than human perspective unites believers in worship.

Worship is not just what seems right. Many churches encourage believers to attend a church that portrays God, man, and the Bible in a way which is accurate to their own expectations of Christianity. In the end, the manner in which ministers or parishioners would prefer to view God or His worship is insignificant. Lewis writes, "Indeed, how we think of Him is of no importance except in so far as it is related to how He thinks of us" (Weight of Glory 6). Human standards are not the true standards for corporate worship.

Worship is not just what feels good. Often, churches encourage believers to shop for a service that most appeals to their taste. The astounding flaw in such thinking is obvious: by encouraging a believer to find a church that meets his needs, one is assuming that the believer is already fully aware of the extent and nature of his own needs! This is not only incredibly short-sighted, but defeats the very nature (in a didactic sense) of church itself. On this topic, Lewis writes, "By ceasing for a moment to consider my own wants I have begun to learn better what I really wanted (Weight of Glory 6-7).

However, if no human standards will suffice to determine the nature of worship, what will? Some may argue that, until God Himself speaks on this matter, churches should continue to do worship in a way which seems right and feels good. But, God has already spoken! The Bible contains divine revelation, full of principles intended to govern corporate worship. Those who exalt the Bible as the only authority and the primary source on worship comprehend this truth: 

"The key benefit of the regulative principle is that it helps to assure that God–not man–is the supreme authority for how corporate worship is to be conducted, by assuring that the Bible, God's own special revelation (and not our own opinions, tastes, likes, and theories), is the prime factor in our conduct of and approach to corporate worship" (GPTG 24).

The very requirement of Scripture, that Scripture must dictate how worship is to proceed, if met, can be viewed as part and parcel of the spirit of worship. Meeting Scripture's requirements necessitates great humility, reverence, and response. It requires believers to debase their own, immediate interests in favor of God's. Ironically, through this response, their needs will ultimately be revealed and met.

God deserves more than the church has to offer. He stands upon the little things in worship, and often requires things for no perceptible reason other than "that they are revealed in His Word" (GW 17). In the end, God will be sanctified. For those who seek His face, it is only a matter of giving God's worship back to God. It is His own.