Does the Bible Command Us to Worship Jesus?
Does the Bible Command Us to Worship Jesus?
What Scripture Commands, What the First Christians Practiced, and Why It Matters
Christians routinely worship Jesus through prayer, praise, hymns, and declarations of His lordship. But is this practice actually commanded in Scripture?
Some argue that the Bible commands worship of God the Father alone and that worshiping Jesus is a later Christian development. Others acknowledge that Jesus is honored in the New Testament but maintain that honoring someone is not necessarily the same as worshiping God.
These questions deserve careful attention because Scripture consistently condemns the worship of anyone or anything other than God.
If Jesus is not divine, worshiping Him would be a serious violation of biblical teaching. But if Scripture commands and approves His worship, that tells us something extraordinary about His identity.
The New Testament does not leave us guessing.
Worship Belongs to God Alone
The foundation is unmistakable.
When Satan tempts Jesus, offering Him the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship, Jesus responds:
“GO, SATAN! FOR IT IS WRITTEN, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” (Matthew 4:10, NASB 1995)
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13, affirming Israel's exclusive obligation to worship the LORD.
The Greek verb translated “worship” is προσκυνέω (proskyneō), which can describe bowing, prostration, or acts of reverence and worship.
The word does not automatically indicate divine worship in every context. People could bow before kings or other figures of authority. Context determines whether the act is ordinary homage or religious worship.
This distinction is important because the New Testament uses proskyneō for people bowing before Jesus.
But the larger biblical picture provides a crucial comparison.
When Cornelius falls at Peter's feet, Peter raises him, declaring that he too is only a man (Acts 10:25–26).
In Revelation 19:10 and 22:8–9, an angel refuses John's worship and commands him to worship God.
The principle is clear: God's servants do not accept worship that belongs to God.
Yet the New Testament repeatedly portrays Jesus receiving worship without rebuke.
Jesus Received Worship
Following Jesus' resurrection, the women encounter Him:
“And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.” (Matthew 28:9, NASB 1995)
The verb is προσκυνέω (proskyneō).
This is not merely an act of courtesy toward a respected teacher. These women encounter the risen Christ, take hold of His feet, and worship Him.
Jesus does not correct them.
Later, when the disciples meet Him in Galilee, Matthew records:
“When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.” (Matthew 28:17, NASB 1995)
Immediately afterward, Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him and commands the disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18–20).
The placement is significant. The risen Jesus receives worship and then commissions His followers under His universal authority.
Earlier in Matthew's Gospel, after Jesus walks on the water and stills the wind, those in the boat worship Him, declaring:
“You are certainly God's Son!” (Matthew 14:33, NASB 1995)
Although the word proskyneō can sometimes describe homage, the cumulative testimony of these passages, particularly after the resurrection, points beyond ordinary human respect.
Jesus receives the kind of devotion that Scripture elsewhere reserves for God, and the Gospel writers present that devotion positively.
Does Scripture Actually Command Worship of Jesus?
Yes. Hebrews 1:6 is particularly direct:
“And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, ‘AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.’” (NASB 1995)
The Greek reads:
καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ
Kai proskynēsatōsan autō pantes angeloi theou.
The verb προσκυνησάτωσαν (proskynēsatōsan) is an imperative: “Let them worship.”
This is not merely a description of someone choosing to honor Jesus. It is an explicit command that God's angels worship the Son.
The quotation has important Old Testament connections. Its closest Greek wording appears in Deuteronomy 32:43 in the Septuagint tradition, while Psalm 97:7 also commands heavenly beings to worship the LORD.
These texts are particularly significant because they belong to the worship language of Israel's Scriptures. Hebrews applies that language to Jesus.
The author is not suggesting that the Son is simply another angel or exalted creature. The entire chapter argues precisely the opposite: the Son is superior to the angels.
Indeed, Hebrews 1:8 addresses the Son as God, and Hebrews 1:10–12 applies language from Psalm 102 concerning the LORD as Creator to the Son.
The command to worship Jesus therefore belongs to a sustained argument about His divine identity.
Every Knee Will Bow to Jesus
Paul provides another remarkable example in Philippians 2:9–11:
“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (NASB 1995)
Paul is drawing upon Isaiah 45:23, where the LORD declares that every knee will bow and every tongue will swear allegiance to Him.
The context of Isaiah is especially important. God has just declared:
“I am God, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:22, NASB 1995)
Yet Paul applies the universal bowing and confession of that passage to Jesus Christ.
The Greek verb κάμπτω (kamptō) means to bend or bow. While bowing can express submission rather than worship in some contexts, the Old Testament background makes this declaration far more significant than ordinary respect.
Paul places Jesus within the universal acknowledgment owed to the one true God.
And notice the conclusion: this confession is “to the glory of God the Father.”
Worshiping and acknowledging Jesus does not compete with the Father's glory. It glorifies the Father.
Honor the Son Just as the Father
Jesus Himself makes an extraordinary statement in John 5:22–23:
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (NASB 1995)
The Greek phrase is:
καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν πατέρα
K athōs timōsi ton patera — “just as they honor the Father.”
The word καθὼς (kathōs) establishes the comparison: the Son is to be honored as the Father is honored.
The verb τιμάω (timaō) means to honor, value, or esteem. It is not identical to proskyneō, but the statement is nevertheless extraordinary.
Jesus does not merely say that honoring Him is one way to respect God's messenger. He declares that failure to honor the Son means failure to honor the Father.
For those who argue that Christians should honor the Father while withholding divine honor from Jesus, this creates a serious difficulty.
Jesus explicitly connects the honor given to Himself with the honor owed to the Father.
The First Christians Prayed to Jesus
Worship is not limited to bowing or singing. Prayer is another significant expression of devotion.
In Acts 7:59–60, Stephen, while being stoned, calls upon Jesus:
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” (Acts 7:59, NASB 1995)
Stephen then asks that the sin of his executioners not be held against them.
This closely parallels Jesus' own words from the cross, but Stephen directs his appeal to the risen Lord.
Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul describes Christians as those who “in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The expression “call on the name” recalls Old Testament language associated with invoking the LORD in prayer and worship.
In Romans 10:9–13, Paul likewise connects confessing Jesus as Lord with Joel 2:32:
“WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Romans 10:13, NASB 1995)
In Joel, the LORD is Yahweh, the God of Israel. Paul applies this saving invocation within his argument about faith in Jesus.
This does not mean every Christian prayer must be addressed directly to Jesus. The New Testament also repeatedly teaches prayer to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit.
But it clearly demonstrates that directly addressing the risen Jesus was part of apostolic Christianity, not a later invention.
Heaven Worships the Lamb
Perhaps the clearest picture of Jesus receiving divine worship appears in Revelation 5.
John sees the heavenly throne room, where the Lamb stands as though slain. The heavenly beings sing a new song, declaring the Lamb worthy because He was slain and purchased people for God through His blood.
Then countless angels proclaim:
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” (Revelation 5:12, NASB 1995)
The scene reaches its climax when every created thing joins in:
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:13, NASB 1995)
Notice that the One seated on the throne and the Lamb are distinguished, yet both receive the praise of all creation.
The four living creatures respond, “Amen,” and the elders fall down and worship (Revelation 5:14).
This is especially compelling because Revelation elsewhere strictly prohibits the worship of angels and directs worship to God alone.
Yet the Lamb is included in the heavenly praise given to the One on the throne.
The Lamb is not portrayed as another creature joining the worship of God. He is the recipient of worship alongside God.
Does Worshiping Jesus Violate the First Commandment?
Only if Jesus is not divine.
The first commandment forbids having other gods before the LORD (Exodus 20:3). Jesus Himself affirms that worship belongs to God alone.
If Jesus were merely a created being, directing divine worship toward Him would contradict the biblical command to worship God exclusively.
But the New Testament does not present Jesus as a rival deity competing with the Father.
John identifies Him as the eternal Word who was with God and was God (John 1:1). Paul declares that the fullness of deity dwells in Him bodily (Colossians 2:9). Hebrews applies divine titles and Old Testament descriptions of the LORD to Him.
The New Testament's inclusion of Jesus in divine worship therefore does not abandon Jewish monotheism. Rather, it reveals the Son's participation in the identity and glory of the one God.
This is why the Father can command the angels to worship the Son, why Jesus can require honor corresponding to the Father's, and why heaven can direct praise to both the One on the throne and the Lamb.
Conclusion: Worshiping Jesus Is Biblical Christianity
Does the Bible command us to worship Jesus?
Yes. Hebrews 1:6 explicitly commands the angels to worship the Son. Jesus declares that all must honor Him just as they honor the Father. Paul applies to Jesus the universal acknowledgment promised to the LORD in Isaiah. Revelation portrays all creation giving praise to the Lamb alongside the One seated upon the throne.
And the first Christians did precisely what these passages lead us to expect.
They worshiped the risen Jesus, called upon His name, prayed directly to Him, and confessed Him as Lord.
This was not a departure from their devotion to the God of Israel. It was the recognition that God had revealed Himself through His Son.
The New Testament does not ask us to choose between honoring the Father and worshiping Jesus. It teaches that honoring the Son glorifies the Father.
Jesus is not merely the messenger who tells us whom to worship. He is the eternal Son, worthy of the honor, glory, and praise that belong to God.
And that is why Christians have worshiped Him from the beginning.
Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB 1995). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
