Indicatives before Imperatives

Gospel, Grace

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 20, No. 8 ( August 2025) Throughout the Bible, the indicatives of grace always precede the imperatives of law and obligation. (James B. Torrance, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace, 70) Divine indicatives give rise to divine imperatives. This is the Bible’s underlying grammar. Grace, in this sense, always gives rise to obligation, duty, and law. (Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ, 168) In the Bible, the form […]

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The Worship Trajectory and Goal of the Entire Bible (Part 2: New Testament)

Centrality of Worship, Christ and Worship, Church, Gospel, Lifestyle Worship, New Testament, Revelation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 16, No. 8 (September 2021) Scott W. Hahn, in his excellent article “Canon, Cult and Covenant:The Promise of Liturgical Hermeneutics” (in Canon andBiblical Interpretation, ed. Craig G. Bartholomew, Scott Hahn,Robin Parry, Christopher Seitz, Al Wolters [Zondervan, 2006]),has given a fascinating overview of the entire spectrum of biblicalrevelation as centered in and heading towards worship. In fact,he shows how each major movement in the scriptural recordculminates in worship. Last

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The Importance of Worship in the Church

Christ and Worship, Church, Communion, Death of Christ, Edification, Glory of God, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Praise

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 15, No. 1 (January 2020) Among (undoubtedly) others, the following are some of the key purposes of corporate worship: 1. Worship in the church honors the Father. This is the ultimate purpose of corporate worship, an end in itself. It serves no higher purpose than this; it is a means to no other end. (“Worship is the only Christian activity that is an end in itself,” John

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ETERNAL PRAISE: Reflections from Revelation (5)

Centrality of Worship, Creation, Fall, Gospel, Redemption, Revelation

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 13, No. 9 (September 2018) ETERNAL PRAISE AND HUMAN HISTORY(Revelation 4 & 5) (part 2) EVERYBODY WORSHIPS It has often been pointed out that the problem is not that there are people in this world who do not worship; rather the problem is that so many people worship the wrong thing. Everybody worships. Everything gives their heart loyalty to something or someone. Depending on where you come

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The Reformation of Worship

Christ and Worship, Church, Gospel, Music, New Testament, Reformation, Salvation, Word and Worship

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 11, No. 10 (October 2016) We usually think of the Reformation of the 15th Century in terms of doctrinal renewal. The Reformers were not seeking to bring new or original truths to the Church; rather they were zealous to bring back to the Church the biblical/apostolic teaching concerning salvation, which had been largely lost to the Church. Hence their emphasis on justification by grace alone, through faith

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Important New Testament Worship Passages (Part 11)

Christ and Worship, False Worship/Idolatry, Gospel, Praise, Revelation and Response, Salvation, Word and Worship

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 9, No. 4  (April 2014) 14. Turning from False to True Worship (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10) Too often we talk about the gospel only in negative terms: that is, how it saves us (and gloriously so!) from sin, death and hell. But it is important to realize and to emphasize that we are not just saved from something, but also to something: to a personal relationship with our

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Important New Testament Worship Passages (Part 6)

Creation, Glory of God, Gospel, New Testament, Revelation and Response, Romans

WORSHIP NOTES Volume 8, No. 10  (October 2013) 5. PAUL AS THEOLOGIAN AND WORSHIPER (Romans 11:33-36) Paul’s explanation of the ramifications of the fall (1:18-32; see last month’s Worship Notes) and the ensuing blackness of sin that has engulfed the human race (3:9-18,23) makes the gospel shine all the more brightly as he expounds on it in the ensuing chapters. He shows how the gospel is indeed “the power of

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