Worship
Category
Christian Life & Growth
Biblical Definition
The reverent honoring and adoring of God for who He is and what He has done, expressed inwardly and outwardly in truth and obedience.
Origin(s)
Hebrew: שָׁחָה; Greek: προσκυνέω
Transliteration
šāḥâ; proskyneō
Literal meaning
to bow down; to prostrate oneself, do homage
Key Scripture(s)
Psalm 95:6; John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1; Philippians 3:3; Revelation 4:10-11
Theological Significance
Worship is the fitting response of creatures and redeemed sinners to the living God. Scripture presents it as both gathered and whole-life devotion, shaped by God's self-revelation rather than human preference.
Common Misunderstanding(s)
Worship is not limited to music or emotion. Biblically it involves reverence, truth, obedience, and the offering of the whole person to God.
Practical Application
A right understanding of worship reorders the affections, deepens reverence, and calls believers to live every part of life before God's face.