The Foundation of Worship

Matthew 4:10, ...Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

God is to be worshipped and all others rejected. This worship is two fold in the believer's life, the inward worship and the external worship. You can not have one without the other, although it is often tried in many hearts. True worship has its flow from the inner man through the outward man. So internal worship calls for our uttermost attention, it being the heart of worship as the external worship would have no meaning.

If the heart is not engaged in worship, bodily exercise is of little advantage.

Since godliness is the foundation of true worship, what is godliness?

Godliness denotes that piety which, characterized by a Godward attitude, does that which is well-pleasing to Him. (Vine's Dict.)

We can learn a very valuable lesson from Peter concerning this matter. II Pet. 1:3, "According as his divine power hath given to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"

Life is listed before godliness and rightly so, as godliness comes from life, a life doesn't come from godliness, the life we have, we have in Christ Jesus. Gal. 2:20.

One cannot have any form of godliness unless that one has been born again of the Spirit of God. One can have the shape of a person, but if he is dead, then that cold body is not a person. We can have the shape or form of godliness, but if he is dead in trespasses and sins, that person is not godly even though that which he is doing may be right.

God is a Spirit (John 5:24) and He must be worshipped by the most noble part of man, that is, the spirit. Thus, our worship is to be of the heart, flowing outwardly through the external man. When we sing, it is to be done from the heart, the inner man, and they are to be spiritual songs.

When we pray, it is to be done from the heart, thus our hearts are to cry out to Him based on spiritual understanding

When we serve, it is to be done from the heart; having our minds set on spiritual truths.

Our obedience is to be done from the heart, flowing from the principle of love - without love we have no meaning for service.