"For the entire Law is fulfilled in in this one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."—Gal 5:14

Who are we singing for in the "worship service?"

Added on by Lucas Necessary.

I often hear people say, "We sing for God, not ourselves. In the worship service, He is the audience, not us!" This is usually coupled with a quote from Ephesians 5:19, and it's at least partially accurate. It errs in a couple of ways, but I'll address the deep, subtle, yet important misunderstanding of God at the end.

1st, there is no such thing as a "worship service," and the verses immediately prior to and after verse 19 speak of a "daily walk," and instruction that is for us "always," and 2nd, we are told, "speaking to one another in psalms...making melody with your heart to the Lord." Here, God identifies two audiences: us to one another, and us to Him.

The more subtle misunderstanding of this is that it sees God as requiring a "worship service" to appease Him, when God has mentioned our assembly as being for our own edification. In 1 Cor 14:26, He says, "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

Jesus had to correct a Jewish misconception that was very similar and He chided them saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:23-3:6) Likewise, the assembly is for the saints, not the saints for assembly. Edification and equipping of the saints for the work of service is the goal—making ourselves strong, spiritual warriors for Christ, not just rulekeepers of technicalities.