SHOULD WE WORSHIP JESUS?

by Ivan Maddox

West End Bible Fellowship

Atlanta, GA


Are we, as Christians, supposed to worship God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, alone? Where does Jesus fit into our worship?

To understand where Jesus Christ is supposed to fit in our worship, we need to understand clearly the relationship between Jesus Christ and God. The best picture I've seen in scripture of what God did in exalting Christ to His own right hand is Pharaoh's exaltation of Joseph to his right hand. Pharaoh exalted Joseph over everyone in his kingdom (except Pharaoh), and gave him his signet ring (the authority to make laws). If anyone came to Pharaoh with a problem, Pharaoh sent him to Joseph: you couldn't go over Joseph's head to Pharaoh. Yet there was only one Pharaoh -- and Joseph wasn't him! Joseph never forgot this. If you read the record of how Joseph conducted business, he was always careful to know and do Pharaoh's will. Even when he wanted to invite his family to Egypt -- and even though he had the authority and right to do so -- he went to Pharaoh first and cleared everything with him before taking any action on this. All Egypt was subject to Joseph, but Joseph walked in subjection to Pharaoh, even though he had been made lord over all.

Any Egyptian who bowed down to Joseph AS PHARAOH would have been guilty of high treason, and would probably have been executed. At the same time, the position Joseph had been exalted to required that he be bowed down to as Pharaoh's representative and right hand man. Anyone who dishonored Joseph dishonored Pharaoh.

There are at least two different Greek words used for worship. PROSKUNEO literally means "to bow the knee." We bow the knee in worship to God, but it is also appropriate to bow the knee in worship to Jesus (the King of Kings), as well as to kings. (Nebuchadnezzar did this to Daniel on one occasion, and burned incense to him!)

LATREUO means "to give religious worship to." It is never, to my knowledge, used in scripture in reference to the worship of Jesus.  It is used instead for the worship that is due to God as God.

You can see this balance between the worship of God and the worship of Jesus played out in Revelation 4 and 5.

Revelation 4 describes the worship given to God alone.

  • Revelation 4:8-11.

    8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

    9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

    10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

    11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

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    • God is worshipped as the creator. No one is worshipped with Him here, and
    no one else is included with Him as creator.

    In Revelations 5, Jesus is worshipped, not as the creator, but as the one
    who redeemed men TO GOD.

  • Revelations 5:8-12.

    8   And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
    9   And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
    10   And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
    11   And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
    12   Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

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    • Finally, at the end of the chapter, God and Christ are worshipped together, but as two distinctly different beings.

  • Revelations 5:13-14.

    13   And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
    14   And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

    •

    • And to these heavenly creatures’ words of worship, both to God and to the Lamb, I say, Amen and Amen.

    Jesus Christ is absolutely supposed to be an object of our worship. But we are to worship him for who he is, and what he did. We are not to confuse him with the Father in our worship. The Father alone is to be worshipped as God.