Worship is possible only because God acts first. We do not approach him on the basis of sincerity, emotional intensity, or liturgical precision, but because guilt has been removed and sin atoned for. Under the new covenant, we come not with a coal from the altar but through the finished work of Christ, who has opened the way into God’s presence by his blood. This truth guards us from making worship about ourselves. Francis Chan recounts a story of a churchgoer who told a pastor, “I didn’t really like the worship today,” to which the pastor replied, “That’s all right—we weren’t worshiping you.” While humorous, the point is serious. Worship is not primarily about what we receive but about whom we adore. We worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), according to God’s self-revelation, not our preferences.
