Romans: God is the Only God-Worshipper

Reading Romans 1-3 yesterday made something very clear to me: God is the only God-worshipper. Let me repeat that: God is the only God-worshipper.

How can I say that? It sounds just crazy. Millions of people throughout the ages have worshipped the one true God through Jesus Christ His Son, so how can I say that God is the only Being who worships God?

Well, it becomes clear from chapters 1 and 2 that everyone - Jew and Gentile - not only fails to worship God rightly, but also angers Him by their unrighteous unbelief and ugly idol-worship. As 1:18 says,

"For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."

The wrath of God is coming upon all the unrighteous. 3:9-10 explains,

"For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one.' "

The whole world is thus in a terrible state.

Unless God intervenes.

Magnificently, this He does in 3:21-24,

"But apart from law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are falling short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation in His blood through faithfulness . . ."

What a gracious, enemy-saving God! At the cost of His own Son, He redeemed angry, weak, laughable God-haters! He made us worshippers!

Therefore, as 2:29 tells us,

"But a Jew [a God-worshipper] is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God."

Paul tells us that God effects His own worship - totally, effectively, finally. God loves His own glory, and wants man to love Him rightly, too, because that is what is best for man and most glorifying to God. God, then, is the only God-worshipper, because He is the only One who, through Jesus Christ, can bring others into a right, happy, worshipping relationship with Himself.