Which God Do You Worship?

AROUND the world, people would answer that question in many different ways. The apostle Paul observed: “There are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords,’” and today the gods worshiped number into the millions. (1 Corinthians 8:5) Did you know, however, that many people worship a different god from the one they think they are worshiping? And did you realize that many atheists are more devout than those who believe in a god? In what way?

Well, one meaning of worship is “to regard with great, even extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.” In the original Bible languages, the words for worship carry the thought of service or bowing down before someone. With this in mind, let us see how people can be mistaken as to whom or what they are really worshiping.

Fusion Worship

Take the example of the ancient Samaritans. Many of these were originally foreigners that the Assyrians introduced into Palestine to replace the exiled ten northern tribes of Israel. Previously, they had followed pagan gods, but now they made an effort to learn about Jehovah, the God of Israel. Did they then abandon their old religion? No. The Bible reports: “It was according to their former religion that they were doing. And these nations came to be fearers of Jehovah, but it was their own graven images that they proved to be serving.” (2 Kings 17:40, 41) So the Samaritans, while nominally recognizing Jehovah, still served their old gods, thus practicing a kind of fusion religion.

Something similar happened when missionaries introduced Roman Catholicism into South America. They converted most of the populace, but like the ancient Samaritans, the populace did not forget their former gods. Thus, in Brazil the pagan rites of voodoo are still observed by “Christians,” as are celebrations honoring ancient deities, such as the goddess Iemanjá. Similar things occur in other South American lands.

Moreover, the religion that those missionaries introduced into South America was itself a fusion religion. Many of its doctrines, such as the Trinity, hellfire, and the immortality of the soul, came from ancient pagan religions and philosophies. They were certainly not found in the Bible. Similarly, its feasts​—including Christmas and Easter—​were of non-Christian origin.a Is it possible to observe such pagan festivals and believe in such non-Christian doctrines and still worship the God of the Bible, who said: “You must not have any other gods against my face”? (Exodus 20:3) Surely not!

“Guard Yourselves From Idols”

Consider another way that people are deceived in the matter of worship. The apostle John wrote: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) About a thousand million people are listed as belonging to Christendom, and these presumably claim to worship the same God that John worshiped. Yet, hundreds of millions of them bow to images of “saints,” of Jesus, and of the virgin Mary.

There are other subtle forms of idolatry. In the year 44 C.E., King Herod Agrippa delivered a public speech, and the people became so excited that they shouted: “A god’s voice, and not a man’s!” (Acts 12:21, 22) Yes, they idolized Herod, making a god of him. Similar things happen today. In the heady days when Nazism was rising to power in Europe, the cry “Heil Hitler!” was really a shout of adoration. Many were willing to fight and die for the Führer as if he were a god, the savior of the nation. Yet, most of those rendering such homage were members of Christendom’s churches!

Before and after Hitler, other political leaders have similarly promoted themselves as savior figures and demanded exclusive devotion. Those who succumbed made gods of these men, no matter what formal religion the “worshipers” belonged to or even if they claimed to be atheists. The homage that charismatic sports stars, movie stars, and other entertainers receive from their fans also is akin to worship.

Worship of Money

Further, think of the implications of Jesus’ words when he said: “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches.” (Matthew 6:24) Do you know anyone who belongs to a religion but whose chief interest in life is making money? Who, then, is such a one really serving, God or riches? How many unbelievers do you know who are caught up in the frenetic pursuit of money? Surely, they too are money worshipers, perhaps more zealous than many believers.

The apostle Paul explained a similar principle when he wrote: “Deaden, therefore, your body members that are upon the earth as respects fornication, uncleanness, sexual appetite, hurtful desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5) If we covet something so strongly that we expend all our efforts toward gaining it, perhaps even breaking the law in the process, then to us that thing is an idol, a god. (Ephesians 5:5) In another letter, Paul wrote of certain wrongdoers: “Their god is their belly.” (Philippians 3:19) If our whole purpose in life is pleasing ourselves, filling our belly as it were, then we are our own god. How many do you know who worship this kind of god?

Yes, as the apostle Paul wrote: “There are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords.’” And in many cases, their worshipers are like the ancient Samaritans, serving one god by their words and another by their actions. In fact, though, there is only one God who deserves our worship. Do you know who he is? Further, there is one thing that unites the worship of all other gods apart from him. What is that? We will see in the following article.

[Footnotes]

Which God Should You Worship?

FIRST, who is the one God that alone should be worshiped? The Bible answers in a very straightforward way. The book of Revelation declares: “You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) Yes, Jehovah, the Creator, is the only God who deserves our worship. Why? We will return to that question shortly. But first, let us talk about the other gods worshiped by mankind.

Behind All the False Gods

Although men serve many gods, the truth is that all the worship rendered to all the gods in all the nations​—apart from worship rendered to Jehovah, the Creator—​serves the purpose of just one god. In what way? Read the words of the apostle Paul to the Christians in Corinth. In that city many deities were worshiped, from licentious Aphrodite to Aesculapius, their god of healing. Paul showed, however, that really there was just one sinister power behind all those gods. He wrote: “The things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God.” (1 Corinthians 10:20) Yes, the pagan Corinthians worshiped demons.

The demons had their origin in rebellion. The first and greatest of them was the angelic creature that seduced Eve into breaking God’s law back in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:1-6; John 8:44) In so doing, this creature rebelled against the sovereignty of the Creator. Afterward, he came to be called Satan, meaning “Resister.” Later, other spirit creatures joined him in rebellion. They too became demons, and Satan is identified as “the ruler of the demons.” (Matthew 12:24, 26) In the book of Revelation, these demons are called “angels” of Satan. (Revelation 12:7) So worship of the demons is the same as worship of Satan.

Satan has enormous influence. The apostle John said that “the whole world” is lying in his power, and Paul called him “the god of this system of things.” (1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4) Hence, worship of any god apart from Jehovah is really worship of Satan. At the very least, it serves the purposes of Satan because his goal is to seduce the children of Adam and Eve to rebel against Jehovah. Since Satan is “misleading the entire inhabited earth,” clearly he has succeeded in the vast majority of cases. (Revelation 12:9) But not in all. There are still millions who strive to worship Jehovah. Why?

The Fruits of Wrong Worship

For one thing, they know that worship of gods other than Jehovah costs more than they want to pay. Archaeological excavations of ancient Carthage in North Africa uncovered a graveyard of children. In it were the skeletons of young ones who had been sacrificed to the Phoenician god Baal. Child sacrifice was the terrible price those Carthaginians paid for the worship of Baal. Medieval Catholicism also exacted a price when it caused immeasurable suffering in bloodthirsty Crusades and cruel Inquisitions. The worship of the Inca gods of pre-Columbian America involved the ritual killing of thousands.

In more modern times, different forms of worship have been involved in wholesale slaughter in India, and they have contributed to grave political problems in the Middle East and Northern Ireland. Ignorance, superstition, and fear should also be listed as part of the price that man pays for the worship of his many gods.

Why Should You Serve Jehovah God?

On the other hand, worship of Jehovah brings only benefits. For one thing, he is “the One who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and the things in it.” (Revelation 10:6) Thus, we should worship him because he is our Creator.

Further, we should worship Jehovah God because his qualities invite us to worship him. The apostle John said that “God is love.” (1 John 4:8) The faithful man Job said that “[God] is wise in heart and strong in power.” (Job 9:4) Moses sang of him: “The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) Who would hesitate to serve such a God?

In addition, the Bible says: “Godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8) How true this is! Jehovah wants what is good for mankind. He provided the earth as a beautiful home for his creation, and he made abundant provision so that life could be enjoyable. Despite man’s rebellion, God has continued to sustain life on this earth, supplying all the material needs of mankind as “he makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous.”​—Matthew 5:45.

But the “promise of the life now” goes further. Serving God is satisfying and fulfilling. It is what we were designed to do. And God helps those who faithfully serve him to make a success of life. Through the Bible, he gives guidance to single persons, married couples, children​—people in all walks of life. He gives reliable, practical wisdom to help in all situations so that we can solve the problems of living as imperfect humans in a world under Satan’s influence. If we worship God in a way that pleases him, we can enjoy “the peace of God that excels all thought.”​—Philippians 4:7.

Noteworthy, too, is the “promise of the life . . . which is to come.” Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Everlasting life! What deity other than Jehovah can promise such a thing and then fulfill his promise? The final condition of those who receive that grand gift is described in Revelation: “[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, 5) Truly, the prospects of the life that is to come should make us want to serve Jehovah!

Which God, then, should we worship? Only Jehovah, the Creator. Of all deities, only to him do the words apply: “Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of eternity. Who will not really fear you, Jehovah, and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal? For all the nations will come and worship before you, because your righteous decrees have been made manifest.” (Revelation 15:3, 4) How wise are those who respond to the exhortation of the psalmist: “O come in, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker”!​—Psalm 95:6.

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Some of the gods Satan has induced mankind to worship

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The prospects of the life that is to come should make us want to serve Jehovah