One interesting way to trace the development of doctrine, and get a feel for an era, is to look at its music. BBC Four has produced a series on Sacred Music which is well worth a watch, and it’s on the iPlayer.  The first is here and click on the More Sacred Music tab to see the rest.

James mentioned a collection of videos made by students of Calvin College in the US of a visit to London in 2008. They focus on the worship led emergent church movement and you can get to them via their channel on Youtube.

There was a short discussion about the meaning of the Greek latreia. The word is used in the following verses: John 16:2, Romans 9:4, 12:1; Hebrews 9:1,6. The verb latreuo appears in the following: Matt 4:10; Luke 1:74; 2:37; 4:8; Acts 7:7, 42; 24:14; 26:7; 27:23; Rom 1:9, 25; Phil 3:3; 2 Tim 1:3; Heb 8:5; 9:9, 14; 10:2; 12:28; 13:10; Rev 7:15; 22:3.

The word itself means service or worship with God in the context of liturgical services or of performing the rites in , for example, the Temple. Within classical greek the word means work for wages and develops from there into the idea of, to use technical language, the rendering of cultic service.

In the OT, the LXX uses the word to translate the Hebrew ‘abad’, which means to serve in a liturgical way. The NIDNTT, Hess suggests the word, in the OT, has meanings of “the service of God by the whole people and by the individual, both outwardly in the cultus and inwardly in the heart”.

In the NT, the word occurs 21 times and always carries the meaning of religious service, even to other gods.

The question yesterday, if I remember correctly, concerned Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect”. Does this verse suggest that our lives can be worship? In other words the manner in which live is worship.

My interpretation of this verse is that Paul is applying the sacrifice imagery of Temple worship to the human. We are to submit ourselves entirely to God in the way that a sacrificed animal was completely given over to God. We do not die (living sacrifice) but we are to live as if we were dead to the world and raised to Christ (cf. Romans 5).

The word Paul uses for worship (latreia) is, as you can see above, always used in terms of liturgical or ritual worship which is often Temple based. Christians do not sacrifice animals anymore, we sacrifice ourselves. That is our liturgical act of worship. I do not think the verse is talking about lifestyle.

Personally, I think we need to draw a distinction between worship of God and service to God. Both are needed, but are not the same.

Feel free to make comments below!