Allen P. Ross's 'Recalling The Hope Of Glory'

Recalling the Hope of Glory: Part 1 and 2

Esther Dawson Box #130
Heritage College and Seminary
Theology and Practice of Worship THE203
Dr. D. Thomson
January 16, 2014

In part one and two of Recalling the Hope of Glory, Allen P. Ross discusses the transition from creation to eternity, through affirming the historicity and authority of scripture. He provides a Trinitarian emphasis as he works to define worship. Ross also looks at the essence of worship and reveals the different characteristics of worship and how they are not only show through certain actions, but they also result in contentment for the human soul. He examines worship in the Garden of Eden and emphasises the relevance of the Image of God. Harold Best’s definition of worship in his book Unceasing Worship contradicts Ross’s definition of worship. Best describes worship as “continuous outpouring of all that I am, all
that I do and all that I can ever become in light of a chosen or choosing god.”1 He believes that worship is an unstoppable act that is reflected in every action.
Even if worship is not directed to God, it is directed to some form of a god, and therefore something is always being worshiped. Ross on the other hand says that “[a]ll worship is service to God, even though not all service is worship in the proper sense. Worship is service in that it is the obedient response to the revelation of the Lord God.”2 Ross believes that worship is an act of obedience through service, however he says that not all service is worship. He describes worship as being a celebration of God bringing mankind into a covenant relationship with him. According to Ross there are three ways to celebrate this. The first way is showing our love through praise for his good deeds. God has provided so much, that the
response is offering apprehension. The second is through trusting God and obeying the rules of the covenant. God is sovereign and His will shall be done, and therefore is to be trusted. Once this is realized obedience to God’s commands is the only proper reaction. The final act of celebration is through the participation of rituals. The main rituals practise are meditation, baptism and communion, which God calls his people to practice. Even though Best and Ross have different definitions of worship, they both emphasize the Trinity as they discuss the worship of God. They both believe that the Trinitarian nature should be the focus of all true worship, but sometimes the focus is shifted to other things, which in turn is blasphemy.
The essence of worship is the response to the revelation of God’s glory.3 The first characteristic is the fear and adoration of God. Ross explains that a sinful person has every reason to fear God,4 but the response of faith turns into worship, and through that fear disgrace is found and therefore adoration for God’s grace is revealed. The second characteristic is the confession and commitment to God. Ross recognises the separation from God and what must be done to unit with God through worship, “before the infinite God we must lost ourselves, for we are finite, but in his presence we find ourselves as we are renewed in our spirits daily (2 Cor. 4:16).”5 When the separation from God is recognized, a confession is necessary, and following a commitment to serve God and obey his commands. The final characteristic is the ritual acts and religious observance. Worship was designed to be a powerful thing to draw close to God, not a simple passive routine. Ross explains that the word for worship goes along with the word for serving and keeping. This is why keeping rituals are so important. Some of the most popular rituals are baptism, communion, and memorization, which Christians are specifically called to practice. Five features of the rituals and religious observances include, sacrifice, proclamation, praise, prayer, and covenant renewal.6 These specific rituals result in satisfaction for the four senses of the human spirit, intellectual sense, aesthetic sense, corporate sense, and moral sense.7 Genuine worship is a natural response to the revelation of God. John MacArthur has a similar view in his book Worship: The Ultimate Priority. He says, “The life of a true worshiper is a joyous, vibrant life- a life of actively seeking to glorify God in practical ways”8, these practical ways line up closely with the rituals Ross discussed. MacArthur concludes that these are the practical ways of worship: unwavering faith in God, verbal prayer, confession of sin, abundance of fruit, confident prayer, a willingness to suffer, a contended heart, and a clear witness.9 MacArthur shares the importance of worship in spirit and in truth, He does not think conforming to please non-churched people is the appropriate approach in regards to a worship service. He thinks that worship services are for the church and should be directed towards to church. All of MacArthur’s ways of worship can be paralleled with Russ’ rituals, emphasizing the value and importance of them.
In the Garden of Eden there was direct access to the living God. Everything was created for enjoyment and prosperity. Ross uses different aspects of the Garden to look forward to the Heavenly sanctuary. Some of the parallels he uses are as follows. The Tree of Life in the Garden represents the access to immortality, which represents the immortality of mankind in Heaven through Jesus Christ. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is a demonstration of how God is source of all knowledge. Humans were not allowed to eat from his tree as God would reveal what he wanted to reveal in his timing. In the sanctuary, and all earth for that matter, God is the source of all knowledge. Humans were made in the Image of God so they could rule over the earth and take care of the creation in service to God. Sin separated man from God and it was only through Jesus that there was likeness with God again. In Heaven man will be restored to the original perfect Image of God. Ross says that once man sinned “there is no going back to the Garden of Eden”10 and that now “the path of salvation is the path to glory, to the heavenly sanctuary of God, of which the earthly Paradise was a manifestation.”11 God created the Garden of Eden to portend Heaven. However, some of the connections he made were weaker, and were not effectively backed up with scripture. Most of his points were well represented through the scripture presented, however, some seemed to be a misrepresentation of the Bible. For example Ross compares the riches from the gold and precious gems by the river to the gardens of gods, to the clothes the priest worse when he entered Heaven, and to the build of Heaven. He never states the interpretation, but rather just the connection. Ross’s message is that the earthly Paradise remains as a memory of the Garden but also serves as a means of looking forward to the God’s sanctuary.
Ross uses Biblical knowledge to affirm his statements throughout these chapters and he develops a strong definition of worship. He developed the idea of celebration as a result of God’s glory, and follows up through the explanation of the essence of worship. He explains not only what worship is, but how God calls his people to worship him. He gives practical examples of how to obey God’s calls of worship, and explains how true worship not only glorifies God but also satisfies the human soul. Ross explored the foreshadowing of Heaven through the Garden of Eden and explains the significance of individual aspects in the Garden. Ross says that all believers will worship, and therefore should follow God’s instructions of how.

Citations
Ross, Allen P. Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006. Print.
Best, Harold M. Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003. Print.
MacArthur, John, and John MacArthur. Worship: The Ultimate Priority. Chicago, IL: Moody, 2012. Print.