God alone is worthy of worship; the worship of other gods is forbidden. In the NT worship is offered to the Son of God.
God alone is to be worshipped
He alone is worthy of worship
1 Chronicles 16:25 The English word “worship” means literally “worth-ship”. See also Psalm 48:1, Psalm 96:4–5, Psalm 145:3; 2 Samuel 22:4
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
The worship of God the Father
John 4:23 See also Philippians 2:11
But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.
The worship of God the Son
Matthew 2:11, Matthew 14:33; John 20:28 See also Matthew 28:16–17; John 9:35–38; Philippians 2:9–11; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8–14
On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
Angels worship God
Psalm 103:20, Psalm 148:1–2 See also Psalm 29:1–2; Isaiah 6:1–4; Ezekiel 10:1–18; Revelation 4:8–9
Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.
Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the highest places. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.
The worship of other gods forbidden
Exodus 20:3 parallel Deuteronomy 5:72 Kings 17:35–36 See also Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 6:13–14; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 86:9–10, Psalm 97:7; Acts 10:25–26, Acts 14:13–18
You shall have no other gods before Me.
For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them. Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him.
The worship of angels forbidden
Colossians 2:18 See also Revelation 19:9–10, Revelation 22:8–9
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.