"whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31)
So how exactly do you do that?
Perhaps its by constantly having God in mind as you munch on your fish fingers and thanking him for providing you with this food. Perhaps its not quite as 'spiritual' as that and simply enjoying munching on that marmite on toast as it fills a hole. But perhaps its not even as conscious an activity as that.
The sermon at church this evening was on Psalm 148 where the Sun and Moon are called on to Praise God.
Our pastor pointed out that given all creation is called to worship God, there is a problem with a definition of worship which limits it to human beings (e.g. Don Carson who defines worship as: "the proper response of all moral sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God", p.26, Worship by the Book).
But given that all creation should worship God, have you ever thought how the Sun and Moon worship God? I don't think I really have. I think I've always just skimmed over those statements as hyperbole, but you do come across it remarkably often in Scripture don't you? I can understand how the Sun and Moon witness to his magnificent creative power and so give him glory that way; but praise him? A bit too far perhaps?
It struck me this evening that the only way God can be praised by a lump of stone hanging in the vacuum of space is by it being what it is. It not only doesn't have intelligent thoughts, you couldn't even say it has feelings. It simply exists. It is what it was made to be.
I suppose our worship is the same really. Our worship is just living life as we were made to live life as human beings made in the image of God. God designed us to eat and drink to sustain ourselves, so we eat and drink and that is worship. Of course we are also made to be in relationship with him, to serve each other, etc. But the act of eating and drinking is pure worship in and of itself. It doesn't need anything else adding. Similarly, sleeping is worship, it doesn't become worship because its sleeping in order to do something in the morning. So having already eaten and worshipped God that way, in a couple of hours I'm going to go to sleep to worship God.
That all seems banal perhaps. But I think its actually quite important.
When I was preaching through 1 Corinthians recently it struck me how the context of 'doing all things to the glory of God' is often ignored. From chapter 8-10 it's all about doing all things that some might be saved. And so 'therefore' Paul says, do all things to God's glory. Paul chooses eating and drinking because those have been the issues of conscience that have been preventing the gospel spreading. So he says - make sure you eat and drink to God's glory (or in other words 'for the salvation of others').
ReplyDeleteLinks in too with your post on Rom 10 about how to 'obey the gospel' - you obey it by passing it on. Same thing here. How do you do things to God's glory (which is obviously His saving, spreading goodness)? Pass it on.
... I knew someone would come back to me on context. Caught out!
ReplyDeleteI knew that it was being ripped out of the context when people usually quote it, and I knew I was being complicit in that crime in this post. I thought about talking about the context but I couldn't be bothered with the time commitment... shame on me. I wanted to rush onto my point rather than let that pesky exegesis get in the way.
Shame on me. Not good. Not good at all.
now you come to think of it, "all things" is a pretty big deal for Paul, right?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=%22all+things%22&searchtype=all&version1=47&bookset=10
what is he referring to?
Blimey, you're right Chris. Esp in 1 Corinthians.
ReplyDelete1 Corinthians 13:7 is particularly mind-bending.
No quick thought comes to mind.
Too many things to think about on this blog and off-blog at the moment. And I'm supposed to be focusing on law this week. If anything comes to mind, let me know, I'd be interested.
At the risk of confusing our discussions - 1 Cor 13:5 is pretty interesting too:
ReplyDeleteLove is not self-seeking!