Worship is the deep love and respect shown to someone we revere, especially in regards to a divine being. In the Bible, worship is required of each and every one who professes to know God. Worship is similar to worshiping or paying homage.
Most versions of the New Testament do not use the word worship in reference to our worship of God, but instead translate the Greek word proskuneó as “worship.” Proskuneó means “to bow to or revere”; the root of the word means “to kiss”, so the idea of proskuneó is “to kiss the ground in reverence before someone”.
When the wise men arrived in Jerusalem and inquired about the whereabouts of the newborn King, they said to Herod: “Where is the king of the Jews who has been born? We saw his star when he went out and we came to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). The word translated “worship” is the word proskuneó, which communicates an adoration and reverence for the Son of God.
The refrain of the Christmas hymn “Come, all faithful ones” urges us to follow the example of the wise men with a triple iteration:
“Come, let us worship him;
Come, let us adore him;
Come, let us worship him, Christ, the Lord!”
The word in the Old Testament that most often refers to worship is the Hebrew word shachah, which is also translated as “worship.” Offering such worship to idols is forbidden ( Psalm 97:7 ; Leviticus 26:1 ). God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24), as a loving husband is jealous of his girlfriend’s affection for other men. The Lord made us for Him and wants all of our adoring worship to be reserved for Him alone. Jesus said the Father is looking for those who will worship Him as we were designed to. Jesus said that “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, because the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is spirit; and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24). The word for “worship” in those verses can also be translated “worship.”
Worship differs from praise, although the two are related. Worship should be reserved for God alone ( Luke 4:8 ). Praise can be part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise. Worship goes to the heart of who we are. To truly worship God, we must put aside our self-worship. We must be willing to humble ourselves before God, surrender every part of our lives to his control, and worship him for who he is, not just what he has done. Hebrews 12:28–29 reminds us of Deuteronomy 4:24: “Let us be thankful, and so acceptably worship God with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” That consuming fire strips us of pride and timidity. Truly worshiping means that we lose ourselves in the worship of another. Our only thought is the majesty and glory of Him whom we worship.
When we worship the Lord, our daily activities become acts of worship. Only when our deepest adoration is reserved for our Savior will all other loves take their rightful place. We can love our families and friends better when our adoring worship belongs to the Lord alone.