They are 2 distinct forms of giving glory to God. There is no clear definition of praise and worship but, they are different. We praise our children, colleagues and spouses but we do not worship them.
Praise is one of those terms that is used commonly in secular contexts. Praise can be define as “the act of making positive statements about a person, object or idea, either in public or privately.” For praise to be real we should use the greatest and the most outstanding attributes and actions of a person in a given context. False praise is not good. So, when we praise our children, the statements we make should accentuate the very best of their work, behavior, and speech, and so on. Similarly, we praise Jesus for his deep compassion, perfect love, and his remarkable power. To praise Jesus for having clean feet would not be appropriate, all things considered. We praise Jesus for his healing and miracles, but not for his carpentry.
If this definition is accepted, then many people who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Saviour might still praise him, even though they would refuse to worship him. They notice some aspect of his work, teaching or character, and consider it to be an example of the very best of what a man can attain. And, so they praise Jesus for it. Consequently, statements of praise of Jesus are Christological statements - a theological measure of the greatness of Jesus Christ. Muslims may praise Jesus as being a great prophet - but nothing more than this. Secular moralists may praise Jesus for his social awareness and teaching, but not much else. Atheists may praise the “team-building methods” of Jesus, but ridicule him for his messianic claims. Perhaps these things are legitimate statements of praise. However, only Christians can embrace the full extent of the greatness of Jesus Christ in their praise of him - his greatness displayed most conspicuously in his sinless life, sin-defeating death and death-defeating resurrection.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire