Message #959

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ANALYSIS OF THE VARIOUS GREEK WORDS

TRANSLATED AS WORSHIP

A study of the Greek nouns and verbs translated worship in the New Testament should assist individuals in their search to understand the biblical concept of worship. Believers must learn to reevaluate and reinterpret what has been handed down to them concerning the subject of worship. Nevertheless, the traditions of the church make it difficult, if not impossible, for many to read the Bible on this subject. In fact, a high percentage of the Christian’s theology has been passed on to them by teachers who learned them many years earlier. A consideration of the verbs and nouns in the teachings of Jesus and His chosen envoys will assist one’s understanding of worship.

Today, worship is generally identified as liturgy or ritual. In other words, worship is what one participates in on Sunday morning or Sunday evening. If one does not engage in a prearranged set of acts—singing, praying, preaching, communing, and giving—then one has not worshipped, according to many Christians. Such things as love, service, outreach, and fellowship are seldom associated with spiritual worship.

Since the Holy Spirit employs a number of words to convey what worship is, then an analysis of each word should help to shed the extra baggage attached to the English word worship.[2] In the New Testament, five verbs and three nouns radiate some light concerning worship. The verbs are: sevbomai (sebomai), sebavzomai (sebazomai), latreuvw (latreuw), eujsebevw (eusebew), and proskunevw (proskunew). The nouns are: sevbasma (sebasma), ejqeloqrhskeiva (et&elot&rhskeia), and qrhskeiva (t&rhskeia). The objective of this essay is to identify the various Greek words in their Classical Greek background, the Septuagint Greek usage, and the New Testament practice.

http://www.freedominchrist.net/sermons/worship/chapter%2010--worship--an%20analysis%20of%20the%20various%20greek%20words--part%201%20of%202.htm