Worship #2

Why is Jesus Christ so central to Christian worship?

Only through Jesus can we 'offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God' 1 Pet 2:5. There is no other way we can approach God except through Jesus:
'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' John 14:6

This is because our sins separate us from God. They are a huge barrier and prevent us from pleasing God by our own efforts. Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, and then died as a sacrifice for us (Heb 9:26), to remove us from the wrath of God and reconcile us to Him (2 Cor 5:18-19). Therefore, if we come to Jesus and trust in Him, we can be redeemed out of bondage to sin and Satan (Heb 2:15), and be enabled to worship God and know Him personally.

Before Jesus came, God called a people to Himself (Israel), and gave them a means of worshipping Him. This is the old covenant, which includes the Law given to Moses (as recorded in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy) and the sacrificial system whereby the priests would offer up a bull or a ram as an atonement for the sins of the people.

This system is transformed by Jesus- He completely fulfilled the old covenant by
1. Keeping the Law perfectly (which no one else could ever do)
2. Being the one perfect sacrifice to atone for all sins past, present and future ('Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' John 1:29)
3. Being the ultimate great high priest who intercedes on behalf of His people and doesn't need to offer any sacrifices for Himself ('But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God... by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.' Hebrews 10:13-14)

The reason that Jesus was able to do this was because He was God incarnate. Colossians 2:9 says that the fullness of the Deity lives in Christ in bodily form. Philippians 2:9 says that 'At the Name of Jesus every knee should bow'. After seeing the resurrected Christ, His disciples worshipped Him (see John 20), and so contemporary Christians follow the example of the first generation of believers and worship Jesus without hesitation (Carson).