Jesus
says in John 4:24, "God is a spirit and they that worship
Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." We must worship
God in truth. Since His word is truth, we must worship Him according
to His word. Here the Lord is telling us that everything we do
in worship, we must have God's divine approval. God has specified
in the Bible the acceptable way He is to be worshipped. He is
not to be worshipped according to the evil and vain imaginations
and devices of men. Whatever that is not commanded in scripture
in our worship to God is forbidden if we are to worship God in
truth. We dare not substitute what we want for what God has commanded
if we want to please Him and go to Heaven.
There are many who think it really doesn’t matter what
we believe or do in religion, just as long as we are sincere
and follow our conscience. But if it doesn’t really matter
what you believe, then it doesn’t matter if you even
believe at all. This is absurd. This philosophy exalts our
conscience above the word of God. This makes our conscience
our only guide and ignores what God says in the Bible. This
philosophy originated with man and not with God. This is telling
God we are going to worship Him the way we choose and we don’t
really care what He has to say. Every man then becomes his
own authority thereby eliminating the authority of God, the
Bible. This attitude must greatly hurt the one who gave His
life for us.
Many people want to do what they think best and what seems
right to them. We are warned not to do this in Proverbs 14:12, "There
is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way
of death." According to what God says we can loose our
soul by doing what seems right in our own eyes. God’s
word is no longer our guide, but it has been replaced with
creed books, disciplines, manuals, confessions, etc. Men want
to do things their way and as it seems right in their own eyes.
The philosophy of doing what seems right in our eyes has vastly
altered the way people attempt to worship God. They rationalize
that God will accept it. People can rationalize away just about
anything they want if they work at it hard and long enough,
and because of this people worship God in ignorance. Just as
the apostle Paul told the Athenians in Acts 17:23 (KJV), "Whom
therefore ye ignorantly worship."
The average person in religious matters takes many things
for granted. He finds religious groups practicing something
and he decides what the majority does must be right and acceptable
to God. The Bible says the majority of people are going to
be eternally lost. Jesus says in Matthew 7:l3-14, "Enter
by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way
that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by
it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which
leads to life, and there are few who find it." So we don’t
want to depend on the majority to determine what is right for
us and follow them. If we do we will also end up being lost
in the eternal fires of Hell.
Many people never stop to ask, is it scriptural and is this
what God wants? They believe that just any kind of worship
they give will be acceptable to God. There are a lot of false
teachings today that are being passed off as the truth. The
main reason for all the religious division that we see in the
world today is man will not accept God’s word as final
authority. Man is going to do it his own way. The Bible contains
our only instructions on how to please God so we can go to
heaven.
God has always told man how He is to be worshipped. He will
only accept that which is in harmony with His prescribed will.
God instructs us how to worship Him acceptably through His
word in the Bible. In Ephesians 5:17 we read, "Therefore
do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord
is." It is wise to know what the will of the Lord is so
we can do it and be pleasing to Him.
In every age God has specified how He is to be worshipped.
He says to us in 2 Peter 1:3, "As His divine power has
given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through
the knowledge of Him who called us." God in the New Testament
has given to us all things we need to know that pertain to
life and godliness so we can worship Him acceptably, in spirit
and in truth. God has always made it plain and emphatic that
the only worship that is acceptable to Him is only that which
is in accordance with His will.
s of mysticism also gives little
regard to what God says in the Bible.
Our worship to God requires commitment on our part. People
had rather worship Christ as a babe in a manger than Christ
as their crucified savior. Their worshipping Christ as a babe
in a manger requires no commitment on their part. They feel
they can put Him in a box and live the rest of the year as
they please. But worshipping Christ as our crucified savior
requires commitment, a complete change of our life, and a willingness
to do all that He says. Jesus says in Matthew 10:37, "He
who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.
And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy
of Me." God and Christ must be first in our lives, and
this requires that we be committed to them.