Theology of Worship Part 6: Worship in the New Testament, The Better Way and Living-Sacrificial System

Act of Worship

Worship in the New Testament immensely contrasts worship in the Old Testament. Due to the New Covenant as the final realization of God’s covenant of grace, practical application for God’s people in worship has shifted greatly. For one, Gentiles are now grafted into the body of God’s people (Rom 11:19). What used to be an issue of genetics is now an issue of adoption (Rom 8:15). Thus, Christian worship has changed in manifold ways.

Since the early church, believers have met weekly on Sunday largely due to the Resurrection occurring on the first day of the week. Moreover, the canon of Scripture has been completed and has been held as authoritative throughout church history. The worship gathering now centers around the word of God, for the biblical text is not only as if God said it but rather because he said it. Modern worship can and should take its example from the early church, as the Apostles set the example for believers in the centuries that would follow. One of the greatest differences between Old Testament worship and New Testament worship, however, is that the church is called to be the church rather than merely attend church. Jesus fulfilled the law, which allows God’s people to boldly approach him in worship.

Worship in the New Testament creates an improved situation for the people of God in both practice and spiritual reality. Worship is a reflection of what occurs in the hearts of God’s people and an overflow of that spiritual reality. These elements will be examined in considering worship of the New Testament.