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Commentary on "Worship and Song and Praise"
Day 1: Sabbath, July 30, 2011 - Introduction
Overview
Know: Review the themes of worship present in David’s psalms, as well as in the songs of Revelation.
Feel: Cultivate a sense of penitence in order to be filled with the joy of Christ’s deliverance.
Do: Offer praise and glory to God and recount what He has done for us. [Teacher’s Quarterly, Page 67]
“Thus it must be with us, as well, especially if we constantly remember that the first angel’s message is a call to worship. What does it mean “to worship”? How do we do it? Why do we do it? What role does music play in worship? What distinguishes true worship from false worship?” [Teacher’s Quarterly, Page 65]
Problems
This week’s lesson begins with a typical SDA position. If the First Angel in Revelation calls us to worship, then, by hook or by crook, we’re going to worship. We’ll figure out how, why, when and where to do it. We’ll figure out the role of music within it. And we’ll make certain we don’t do it falsely.
Notice the “Feel” learning objective quoted above. This is another typical position, and it is completely consistent with every legalistic approach to God. I’ll paraphrase it this way: You are called to behave. You are going to blow it. So, you’d better figure out a way to repent, early and often, in order to keep God from getting angry with you.
Let me suggest an alternative approach. Worship is, first and foremost, a response to God. It is the unquenchable, unmitigated result of salvation. It has little to do with church, although it can be expressed there. It has little to do with music, although it can be expressed that way. It is nothing more, and nothing less, than offering oneself to Him as a living sacrifice (see Romans 12:1-2) to use as He sees fit.
This alternative working definition is free of the “shoulds” and “musts” of legalism. It fits within the Old and New Covenants, allowing for the differences between them and celebrating both for what they were (Old) and are (New).
Summary
- The SDA motivation to worship, like their motivation to everything else, is predicated on behavioral conformance to a standard. In their case, the standard is the Ten Commandments, along with hundreds of other corollaries. This outside-in (or behavior modification) approach is doomed to failure.
- By contrast, true worship is an inside-out affair. In our day, living under the New Covenant, it is the direct result of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is the product of total forgiveness, eternal life and a renewed mind. It is what overflows from us as the direct result of the Spirit’s work within.
Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised July 26, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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