The Worship of the Son of God

Does the Son of God Receive Worship? When Satan offered Christ the kingdoms of the whole world, saying, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me[,] [t]hen saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:9-10; cf. Luke 4:7-8). Worship is only to be directed to the true God, Jehovah. To worship any created being is abominable idolatry. An examination of the words for worship in the New Testament demonstrate that the Lord Jesus Christ received worship, just as the Father did. This is clear and powerful evidence for His true Deity. Satan asked for Christ’s worship in Matthew 4:9-10 employing the standard Greek word for worship,1 which appears 60 times2 in the New Testament. His request was scornfully rejected, the Lord Jesus affirming that God is the One who deserves worship. The New Testament indicates that when people worshipped idols, God judged them severely (Acts 7:43), promising those who worship false gods the lake of fire (Revelation 14:9-11; 21:8). When Cornelius met the apostle Peter, “and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him[,] [then] Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man” (Acts 10:25-26). Peter did not receive worship—he was but a man, a created being. The apostle John, overwhelmed at the glory presented to him in the book of Revelation, records, “I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. . . . I fell at [the] feet [of the angel that had given him the vision] to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God” (Revelation 22:8-9; 19:10)....