A Living Sacrifice: Restoring the Hebraic Perspective of Christian Worship

Abstract

This thesis examines the current discussion regarding the definition and role of worship in the lives of Protestant Christians. A survey of worship literature and experiential observations reveals that the modern identity of worship is fragmented and inconclusive. The study seeks to identify what is missing and offer an applicable solution. These problems stem from two conditions. The first is that worshipers attribute greater value to personal preference than to defining a common denominator of Scripture-based purpose. This choice sacrifices unity within the Church body in favor of self-fulfilling experiences. The second is an incomplete and thus incorrect use of Biblical texts for applicable theological guidance. Current worship studies and services highlight primarily the Christ-centered teachings of the New Testament while failing to give full attention to the influential Jewish perspective and history of the early Christian writers. This depth of comprehension could be gained if Christian worship adhered more closely to a study of all Biblical texts, before and after the life of Jesus. Instead, these gaps in knowledge produce a culture of Christian worship that is less informed, less effective, and less unified than it could be.

This thesis offers a solution. First, it demonstrates the Jewish nature of early Christianity's worship culture. Next, it delves into the texts of the Old Testament to define a perspective of worship maintained by the Hebrew worshipers of God. This perspective unites both Testaments since it is introduced in the Jewish texts of the Old and maintained throughout the emergence of Christianity in the New. Last, this work proposes a framework of application that enables modern Christian worshipers to retain their Jewish inheritance while engaging in worship as followers of Jesus Christ. This missing perspective has the potential to restore greater unity to the Church body as it encourages its members to live continually as sacrificial worshipers in God's presence.