We all have a common question at some point in life, “Who am I?”

I believe even the smartest and wisest people in the world will not be able to fully explain and comprehend the origin of their existence.

Parents would have difficulties in answering their children’s questions, “Dad/Mom, where am I from? How can I exist? Why do I exist?” Have your children ever asked you such a question?

The ultimate answer to these life’s existential questions must be provided by the Life Giver. In other words, the creation/creature’s true identity must be revealed by the Creator.

And this is exactly the simple reason for why we worship God—to find our true identity, meaning, and purpose, so that we may become a union with Him.

Worship can be defined as “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.” In worship, we acknowledge our limitations, weaknesses, and even our “nothingness” in comparison to the Almighty. In worship, we realize that we need the One who is sufficient, and we are aware of the brevity and frailty of this earthly life, which gives us gratitude and humility.

Now, we will move from that simple reason to more elaborated answers as to why we worship God.

We worship God because we are created to worship

Humans are a sexual, social, and spiritual being. We are created by God with the basic desire for an intimacy, that is a profound and reverential relationship. Deep down, not only we long to know and honor ourselves, but also to commune with others and, ultimately, with the One who created us and put this desire in our hearts. However, sin broke this relationship, so we need to be reconciled with our selves, with our neighbours, and with our Creator. We never fail to worship—if we do not worship God, we will worship something or someone else [that is why idolatry is an enmity against the One true God]. We are worshippers—our professions, achievements, and orientations are not our identity—and it is only proper that we must worship the One who is perfect, eternal, and loving.

We worship God because of who He is

God is the focus of our worship. He alone is worthy of our worship. Worshipping God for who He is means honoring and adoring God for His nature (i.e., His characters or attributes that make Him God). God is all-powerful, all-present, all-knowing. He is holy and just. He is our Creator (the Author of Life), sovereign Lord, and Savior. He is eternal, infinite, and incomprehensible. This is why all the knowledge of God must be revealed by Him in the first place. In other words, humanity can never come to know Him without His revelation. I believe all that is necessary has been revealed to us, but even so, our knowledge of Him in this earthly life remains too little. Thank God, we don’t have to figure everything out [as it is impossible anyway], because God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as the perfect revelation to humanity of His love, that brings us salvation as we trust in Him.

We worship God because of what He has done

There is no one like God. Worshipping God for what He has done means honoring and adoring God for His work. God is still at work today, but His most prominent works have been demonstrated in His work of creation and His work of redemption. He created the universe and all things—from the biggest to the smallest, from the most visible to the least visible—in it. He redeemed His people from the bondage of sin(s) [it is noteworthy that the singular ‘sin’ refers to the deliberate act of rejecting Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior, while the plural ‘sins’ referring to the deliberate acts of rebelling against His commands and commandments]. Both God’s creative and redemptive works have been accomplished through Jesus Christ—the former work brings life into existence and the latter work brings eternal life to those who believe in Him. God’s work today is being done through His Spirit—His work of sanctification and restoration—as He sanctifies us into Christ’s image and restores all things for His glory.

Vancouver, March 27, 2022

P.S. This is my perspective as a Christian about why we worship God. Feel free to leave your comments or thoughts below if you’d like. In the next article, I will write about how we worship God (again, according to my Christian faith). Thank you for reading. Let us worship God with gratitude and humility.

Further readings:

Who Is the One True God?

What Does It Mean to Hunger for God?

What Is The True Meaning of Life?