"So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, ‘Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD." Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.’" Acts 17:22-23

We were created to worship God. Worship comes from the word worth, so to worship God is to declare His worth or worthiness.

We worship Him because we owe our very existence to Him. God gave us life and when we rebelled against Him and incurred the penalty of death, He gave His only Son to pay our debt. Yes, He is worthy or our worship.

We can commit idolatry by worshiping someone or something in place of God. The Bible says that greed is idolatry, so the excessive love of money, things or power becomes a god to the person who places such worth in them. If we regard anything as having more value or worth than our Creator it becomes an idol and a god to us.

The Bible says that we are to worship our Creator and Him alone.

The first Commandment demands that we put God first in all things. Judaism and Christianity believe in the practice of monotheism, while most of the world’s religions have always practiced polytheism. Monotheism is the belief of worshiping one God while polytheism is the belief of worshiping many gods.

Most people today, even those professing Judaism and Christianity actually practice polytheism. No, they don’t recite prayers or hold festivals in the names of other gods, but they give equal worth to a variety of things. If God is not first, He is not worshiped.

Every person has their own favorite god and most have multiple idols in their lives. Jesus said that whoever does not value Him above all is not worthy of Him. It means that they have not placed His worth far above all else.

A god or an idol can be a person, family, job, wealth or power. But far and away the most worshiped object in most people’s lives can be seen in the mirror - self is usually who is exalted and worshiped. If a person values his own pleasure more than bringing pleasure to God by obeying Him, then they have seated themselves on the throne of their life.

When a person truly worships God they acknowledge that the throne belongs to Him and that He must rule and be obeyed. He is Lord and we are His servants. He is our Father and we are His children. He knows the way to life and righteousness and we must follow Him.

 

On Mars Hill in Athens, the Apostle declared that the "Unknown God" was the Creator who alone is God and who alone should be worshiped. Today there is another unknown god who is worshiped - whose worth and value is placed above everything else, and that god is self. Wherever self is served, the Creator God is not.