Editor’s Note: This article is part 2 of an ongoing series by Pastor Jim Kang on corporate worship. Click the following link to find the previous article: part 1. 

by Pastor Jim Kang

Who should worship God?

The answer: all of God’s creations!

But there is a problem. In fact, a big problem. Presently all creation is tainted with sin and experience the consequence of sin. This is what Paul means in Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”

This is doubly true of man. The whole mankind is presently experiencing the consequence of sin, such as, either sinning to fellow man or others are sinning against him. Most of all, due to sin man is in the state of rebellion against God and refuses to submit to God’s authority and his rulership. As a result, man worships not his creator, but himself. If not, he worships someone else or something else.

It is true that we are created to worship God and to enjoy God. That is the implication from Genesis 1 and 2 before the fall. But something happened in Genesis 3, namely man chose to disobey and sin against God. So, what hinders us presently to worship God is the natural disposition of our sin. As a result, God is not the sole object of our worth, passion, affections, prize, priority, treasure, but now God is replaced with something else, someone else, or our self. That is why, at this very moment, if you are not worshiping the true and the living God, it is inevitable that you are either worshiping yourself, someone else, or something else. Everyone worships. But the question is, who do you worship?

If it is not God, it is your career. It could be material things. It could be relationship. For some they worship their parents. For some they worship their children or grandchildren. So the key question is, who do you worship? Or what do you worship? To whom or to what do you place your passion, affection, and priority?

The answer to that question has consequence. And its consequence is a matter of life and death. Perhaps nothing is more clearly stated by God than what he said in Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Certainly the consequence is not only true in the OT with the people of Israel, but also with us.

In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, who is God talking to? He isn’t talking to pagans! He isn’t talking to individuals who worship other gods, who worship their own ideologies, other people or things. Rather, God is talking to a particular group of people that he chose to redeem from the evil tyranny. God is talking to a particular group of people that he chose to redeem from their own self destruction and ultimately from God himself. Hence, God is giving this command to choose life to a particular group, namely the redeemed community. The implication is, even with God’s redeemed group, not everyone chooses life or chooses to worship God alone. This command carries a twofold purpose: 1) to encourage those who are walking in obedience to God to continue in their perseverance, and 2) to warn those who are not walking in the light. And this command still stands today.

So, the answer to who should worship God is God’s redeemed people. In fact, only God’s redeemed and spiritually regenerate people can worship God because the people who are not born-again are not bent to worship God naturally.

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

So, all you saints of the Lord, come let us worship and bow down to our creator and redeemer.