We worship according to the patterns, commands, and inferences given in the New Testament. The Object of worship and the way we are to worship are described in scripture.
Object of Worship
Only God is worthy of worship. Jesus declares in Matthew 4:10, “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” This then excludes worship of anything or any person other than God. When we worship God, we worship the three persons of the Godhead (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) as they are Deity and worthy of worship.
Method of Worship
John 4:24 states, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The word “spirit” here indicates the attitude of worship. A similar construction is given in Joshua 24:14 as “Serve Jehovah in sincerity and truth.” Based on this, our attitude in worship should be sincere and from the heart. Insincere worship is vain and not accepted by God (Luke 18:9-14, 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, Mark 7:6-7).
God indicates how He is to be worshiped during different biblical periods. During the time of the patriarchs, God discerned between the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, rejecting one and accepting the other (Gen 4:3-5). To the Jews, God clearly described worship in the books of the Law, which are the first five books of our bible. When Nadab and Abihu tried to deviate from that pattern, they were immediately destroyed (Leviticus 10:1-3)!
From the verse in Matthew 4:10, worshiping in “truth” indicates the method of worship today. In John 17:17b, Jesus states that God’s word is truth. In that word, we find the patterns of New Testament worship we are to follow today.