Deep Dive into Desiring God by John Piper - Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism

True worship is fundamentally the act of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth. This joyful reflection is governed by Christian Hedonism, the principle that God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. Authentic worship is thus not a disinterested performance of duty, which dishonors God, but a spontaneous overflow of delight. The real duty of worship is the inward command to delight in the Lord.

This worship must engage the whole person, integrating both the heart and the mind, as mandated by the call to worship “in spirit and truth.” Worship in spirit is the heartfelt, inward engagement of genuine affections—such as awe, joy, desire, and brokenness—quickened by the Holy Spirit, who acts as the fire that ignites the fuel of truth. Worship in truth requires these affections to be rooted in a true and sound apprehension of God, based on biblical doctrine. Separating these elements leads to the pitfalls of “dead orthodoxy” (truth without emotion) or “empty frenzy” (emotion without truth).

The primary enemy of true worship is the philosophical notion that seeking pleasure diminishes moral virtue. This misguided view encourages external formalism performed out of mere willpower, rendering worship vain and hypocritical when the heart is far from God. Worship shrivels when our desires for joy are too weak, causing us to settle for meager, short-lived worldly pleasures instead of the infinite satisfaction found in God. God is pleased with genuine, heart-based responses, which can include not only unencumbered joy but also deep longing or even spontaneous, repentant sorrow for one’s lack of love. This spiritual vitality is essential, as where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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