It is without a doubt that music is valuable in worship. However, the presence or absence of music does not define worship. Neither is the tempo of music the determinant of worship. In Romans 12:1, the Bible defines what worship is supposed to entail: “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1). In this verse we are given three main components of worship. According to the Bible, these components constitute our spiritual service or act of worship (Romans 12:1). We may have the best music but if these components of worship are missing we deviate from what the Bible calls worship, and our music counts for nothing.
The first component of worship, according to Romans 12:1, is to offer your body as a living sacrifice to God. This speaks of a life totally surrendered to God. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says “And He (Christ) died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf”. When this becomes the life we live, we cease from living for ourselves and become consumed with obedience unto God. God’s footsteps become our path way (cf. Psalm 85:13), and His Word and will become what we live for. We crucify our flesh, deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). This is the life Paul spoke of when he said “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20). True worship begins with a life totally surrendered to God and lived for Him alone.
The second component of worship is to ensure that our sacrifice to God is holy. To be holy is to be set apart and separated unto God. Regarding this, the Scriptures gives this solemn admonition: Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?… Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). If we are going to be true worshippers of God, then God requires that we be set apart for Him by pursuing righteousness (cf. 2 Tim 2:22). As the Bile says, fresh water and salt water cannot come from the same spring (cf. James 3:11). Even so, we cannot live a double standard life and claim to be worshippers of God. We cannot offer our bodies unto God in songs of adoration and worship on Sundays and offer those same bodies with songs that feed our bodies lust and worldliness on other days. We cannot decide to live uprightly only when we meet with other believers and live like the world does when we are outside church. The Bible teaches that when we don’t separate ourselves from worldliness and sin we defile and contaminate our bodies and spirits (2 Corinthians 7:1). In this way, we make the sacrifice of ourselves unto God filthy and our worship of no account, irrespective of how well our music may sound.
The third component of worship is to offer our bodies as a sacrifice that pleases God. “But without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, if we are going to present our bodies to God in a way that pleases Him, then we must be people who live by faith. To have faith is simply to believe God, and therefore act on His Word; it is not one or the other but both (James 2). This is to trust God that He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. Faith is obedience unto God and is how we show our love for Him (John 14:15; Romans 1:5). Having faith is how we are commanded to live in this body; “…the life I now live in the body, I live by faith… (Galatians 2:20), and this is how Jesus practically lives in us while we cease to live (Galatians 2:20). The Bible says that whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar (1 John 5:10), and whatever is not from faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Therefore, to attempt to worship God while living in unbelief is to attempt to worship God while sinning. My brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be (cf. James 3:10). For our worship is suposed to please God but when we shrink back from faith God has no pleasure in us (Hebrews 10:38).
Therefore, seeing that we are not called to a song service but to worship God, let us devote ourselves to worship God according to how the Bible teaches us to worship. Let us present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing unto God. This is our spiritual service of worship.
-Kwadwo Omari, PhD
© December 11, 2018.