Worship, patterns

What is acceptable worship? This article is the second in a two-part series.

A failure to understand the real distinction between the Old and New Covenants underlies a host of religious errors.

In the past we have published several articles dealing with the innovation of using mechanical instruments of music in Christian worship. These essays have generated a flood of critical responses. We have categorized these defensive arguments, and in this article we offer our rebuttal.

A sincere Christian wants to know: “Why don’t churches of Christ use instruments of music in their worship?” The issue comes down to the matter of authority. Take a look at this theme with us in this week’s Question and Answer.

Is the “silence of the Scripures” authoritative. The Bible itself states that it is.

It is surely an oddity of modern liberalism within the body of Christ that some would appeal to the authority of Bible precedent to establish the premise that one needs no authority for what he practices in religion. This article addresses some of these current efforts.

What is acceptable worship? This article is the first in a two-part series.

Discover the significance of worship in the Bible, its historical context, and principles for true worship. Learn how to honor God through biblical practices.

What is “will-worship”? Why did Paul, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, condemn it? Study carefully this article.

Does clapping with singing aid our worship with inconsequential zest or is it an addition to what has been commanded in scripture?

Jesus declared that “worship” must be consistent with revealed “truth” (John 4:24), namely God’s word (John 17:17). This includes the musical engagement of the church.

Must the Bible explicitly condemn something to make it wrong?

Sabbatarians contend that all of the Ten Commandments are binding today, including the requirement to “keep the Sabbath day holy.” They allege that if one argues that the Ten Commandments were abolished when Christ died, this would license all sorts of evil today. Is this argument sound? Wayne Jackson addresses this in this Q&A segment.

In response to a recent article in which we argued that instrumental music in Christian worship is without divine authority, a critic replied by suggesting that we practice many things in Christianity that are bereft of authority. One example he cited was the use of Bible translations. In this week’s Penpoints, we refute this baseless quibble.

Does the Bible specifically address the issue of the growing practice of “worship-drama”?

References to “worship” are common in both the O.T. and the N.T. The Hebrew term shachah (about 100 times) refers to “bowing” before an object of religious devotion. Similarly, proskuneo (59 times)...

The Greek word psallo is found five times in the N.T. It is rendered by the English terms “sing” (Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Jas. 5:13), and “make melody” (Eph. 5:19). In the era of classical Greek (...

The word “kingdom” (basileia) is a noun that generally refers to a territory over which a king rules. Three senses are prominent in the theology of the N.T. 
• Jesus uses the term to denote the rei...

The most popular Greek word for “authority” is exousia (sometimes translated as “power”). The term, with various usages, is found 102 times in the New Testament. The word, together with some parall...