Resources/Articles
A "Form" of Worship We Should Not Give God
“This people honoreth Me with their lips;
but their heart is far from Me.
But in vain do they worship Me,
teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.”
Matthew 15:8-9
Formality is a peril of man’s worship. Trying to represent religious truths in a ritual and ceremony is condescending to God. The problem with many in worship is allowing ritualism to enslave us, and then believe our consciences are clear.
It distresses our Lord when the spirituality of a man’s religious is gone, but he keeps up his rituals. Sometimes, he will even become more exact in obeying rules and try to persuade himself that “formality” is the “reality” to worship and not spirituality. Worship becomes honor without heart. How dead can that religion be?
Worship is a holy activity from wise direction and order of one’s life. It is bearing honorable responsibilities given to us by God. It is taking part in spiritual activities. It is bringing the body into subjection. It is a life motivated by faith, joy, hope, and love. If our lives are of this nature, nothing will restrain us from expressing our religion. If your religion is as it should be, there will be a natural flow of honoring God in all areas of life.
Religion is a state of mind (heart). It is a spiritual relationship with God (John 4:23-24) into which every Christian is brought. It is a fastening of man’s love upon the One who has done so much for him. It is a fixation upon God first, and no other has priority but Him (Matthew 6:33). Religion is established upon a trust the soul has in the Creator to provide and sustain through good times and bad times. Religion is the sanctifying of our will’s choice to the choice of God’s will. Such a religion will offer worship full of glory and honor.
What produces a religion and worship in its truest form is sincerity. Sincerity is something Christ petitioned from His followers. Sincerity is what the psalmist prayed for, and the prophets exhorted often. Sincerity depends on whether the worshipper is true to himself. To God he must be true. He must be true to his fellow man. A man can only become a true worshipper by words and actions. Isaiah 1 speaks of God’s rebuke upon Judah for their “vain oblations,” “multitude of sacrifices,” “appearances,” and “calling of assemblies.” They were without sincerity. They were far from being true. The believed formality and ritual would be a good “cover” for their insincerity. God was not impressed with them. Neither will He be with such a disturbing “form” of worship form us. One thing we must conquer quickly is something which has become a vice in modern religion - doing greater, more elaborate things in worship to cover our indifferent and unconcerned hearts.
