Worship is the whole point of everything.
Been reading a quite bit on worship lately (which I will explain later), but I found this quote particularly poignant:
“Redemption is the means; worship is the goal. In one sense, worship is the whole point of everything. It is the purpose of history, the goal of the whole Christian story. Worship is not one segment of the Christian life among others. Worship is the entire Christian life, seen as a priestly offering to God. And when we meet together as a church, our time of worship is not merely a preliminary to something else; rather, it is the whole point of our existence as the body of Christ.”
- John Frame, Worship in Spirit and Truth (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1996), 11.
Tags: Christian Life, John Frame, worship
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April 13, 2008 at 9:19 pm
This book by Frame is really good. There are so many great insights. I read it for my Regulative vs. Normative Principle paper last semester.
April 13, 2008 at 10:30 pm
That is a good book on worship. Thanks for the quote.
April 13, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Yeah, I’ve been reading Frame, Carson, and Peterson this past week. I like the way Frame’s book is laid out.
This quote reminds me a lot of what Piper says at the beginning of his book, Let the Nations Be Glad (missions exists because worship doesn’t . . . worship is both the fuel and goal of missions, etc.).
April 13, 2008 at 11:52 pm
The entire aspect of “Worship” has been heavy on my heart lately. Thank you for this post. Sorry to see so few comments.
As always, keeping you and your family in pray.
April 14, 2008 at 8:20 am
Frame, Carson, and Peterson? You taking a class with Professor Chip Stam? Those are all helpful books. Peterson was like light on a dark day when I first read it. I think Carson’s first chapter of Worship By The Book may be the best 50 pages on worship.
There is a wonderful Biblical Theology of Worship that is an excellent book to read after Peterson’s offering written by Noel Due entitled “Created for Worship: From Geneses to Revelation to You.” It’s a fantastic walk through scripture that shows how Christ is the center of our Worship throughout the biblical narrative. It really compliments Peterson. It’s definately worth the money and the time.
April 14, 2008 at 2:20 pm
All excellent books and authors. I would also add “Unceasing Worship” by Harold Best to the mix. It is so revolutionary to see worship for what it is, rather than a music set during a church service, or a particular style of music.
April 14, 2008 at 7:13 pm
i agree, Best is the…well, he’s the…His books are great. Unceasing is great.
He also wrote a wonderful volume in the early to mid 90′s called “Music through the Eyes of Faith” where he addresses the issue of music specifically and makes a wonderful arguement against the sacramentalization of music in our evangelical churches. I had grown up with such a wide chasm between sacred and secular as far as music “styles” and “forms” go. This volume was so very helpful in helping me to see these artificial lines and how to keep myself from making idols out of both music and my personal preferences, which is a danger for many worshipers today.
April 15, 2008 at 7:00 am
Yeah, that’s a wonderful book as well. I guess I need to get another … I’d let my brother borrow it about a year ago. When I recently asked for it back, the lack of comprehension in his eyes told me that he’s probably not read the book, and that he has no idea where it is or what I’m talking about. Yikes.
April 16, 2008 at 9:21 pm
So, are we to worship God as we prefer to worship God or as God prefers to be worshipped? What does the Bible say about how God prefers to be worshipped?
God bless…
+Timothy
April 20, 2008 at 6:26 am
Thanks for this quote, greatly stirred my soul this morning.