Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship

318 Pages·2002·50.32 MB·English

by  David G. Peterson

a BIBLIcal tHeolof;Y
of WORSHIP
DaVID peteRsON
~
IVP Academic
An Imprint of InterVarsily Press
Downers Grove, illinois
engaging with GodTit&CR.fm Page 3 Thursday, November 20, 2014 10:45 AM
InterVarsity Press
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© David Peterson, 1992
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®.
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Cover photograph: SuperStock/Glow Imagess
ISBN 978-0-8308-9885-5 (digital
ISBN 978-0-8308-2697-1 (print)
Contents
Foreword by I. Howard Marshall 9
Abbreviations II
Introduction 15
1. Engaging with God in the Old Testament 23
Worship and revelation 24
Worship and redemption 26
Worship and the cult 30
Worship and the sacrificial system 36
Worship and the Jerusalem temple 42
Worship and the future of God's people 45
Conclusion 48
2. Honouring, serving and respecting God 55
Worship as homage or grateful submission 57
Worship as service 64
Worship as reverence or respect 70
Conclusion 72
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3. Jesus and the new temple
80
Matthew's perspective 81
John's perspective 93
Conclusion 101
4. Jesus and the new covenant 108
The worship ofJ esus 109
Jesus and the Law of Moses 113
The gospels and Jesus' death 117
Conclusion 129
5. Temple and community in the Acts of the
Apostles 136
The earliest disciples and the temple 137
The inclusion of the Gentiles 144
Homage and service under the new covenant 147
The character and function of early Christian
gatherings 152
Conclusion 159
6. Paul and the service of the gospel 166
Worship as the consecrated lifestyle of the converted 167
Acceptable worship and the sacrifice of Christ 169
Gospel ministry as a specific expression of Christian
worship 179
Sacrifice, faith and the Spirit 182
Conclusion 187
7. Serving God in the assembly of his people
194
Meeting God when the church gathers 195
The church as the temple of the Holy Spirit 200
Edification and the gathering of the church 206
The Lord's Supper at Corinth 215
Conclusion: Worship in church and in the world 219
8. The book of Hebrews and the worship of
Jesus
228
The definitive worship ofJ esus 229
Worship as homage to God's Son 237
The participation of believers in the worship ofJ esus 238
The congregational gathering in Hebrews 247
Maintaining the hope we profess 252
Conclusion 253
9. Worship in the Revelation to John
261
The seductive power of false religion 262
The call to worship the true God 266
Worship in the heavenly realm 270
The link between heaven and earth 275
Conclusion 278
10. Worship and the gospel - a summary
283
Epilogue
289
Index of Scripture references 294
Index of subjects 309
Index of modern authors 314

Foreword
Christians are adept at the loose use of language. What exactly
does 'bless' mean? And what is the purpose and character of the
type of Christian meeting that we call a 'service'? In this book
David Peterson addresses himself to the latter of these two
questions and he does a notable service for his readers. He
rightly recognizes that to call a Christian meeting 'worship' gives
a one-sided impression of an occasion on which we do some
thing, and that we need to realize more and more that it should
be an 'engagement' with God, in which he acts towards us and
we act towards him - in the context of a fellowship or mutual
bond between the various people taking part.
All this is dealt with in a manner that is biblical, comprehen
sive, practical and simple. That is to say, the author cuts back
through the undergrowth of our inherited traditions to the clar
ity and straightforwardness of the biblical teaching and lets it
challenge us. He gives an overview of Scripture teaching as a
whole, which brings out the varying accents of its different parts
and which will provide a valuable aid for the more academic
study of the topic: the book reflects a thorough knowledge of the
scholarly literature on every page. He writes, however, with a
practical bent to help Christians today to retrieve the richness of
biblical worship, so that the church can be built up and become
more faithful to its intended pattern. And, despite the scholar
ship behind it, all this is done with a beautiful simplicity and
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ENGAGING WITH GOD
clarity that makes the book readily available to a wide circle of
readers.
Here, then, is the guide to the biblical teaching on worship
which has long been needed. It needs no recommendation from
me, for its virtues are manifest, but I am glad to introduce the
author to a wider public. David Peterson is a lecturer at Moore
Theological College in Sydney, Australia, and already the
author of a major work on Hebrews and Perfection (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1982). This new book will further
enhance his reputation as a fine scholar with a lively concern for
the life of God's people.
I. Howard Marshall
10