
We’re continuing our blog series on “worship terms,” drawing from Dr. Tom Wadsworth’s extensive research. His work explores why the New Testament never refers to Christian assemblies as times of worship. When we think of worship, we imagine things like singing hymns, praying, or attending church services. Modern Christians describe these activities as “worship.” But are these ideas what the New Testament conveys?
What did the Greek terms that our English New Testaments translate as “worship” mean in their original context? In this post, we’ll explore two important Greek words, latreuo and latreia. Our Bibles translate these words as worship or serve.
Examples of “worship” and “serving” and a definition
“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve [latreuo] Him only.’” (Matt. 4:10)1
and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped [latreuo] night and day, fasting and praying. (Luke 2:37)
Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship [latreia]. (Rom. 12:1)
The words latreuo and latreia share a common root, with the distinction being that latreia is a noun and latreuo is a verb.2 Lexicons define the words like this: “to perform religious rites as a part of worship — ‘to perform religious rites, to worship, to venerate, worship.”3 This definition is correct, but there’s more to it. Thankfully, we can use the Septuagint to help us refine the meanings.
What is the Septuagint and why does it matter?
The Septuagint (abbreviated as LXX) is the Greek translation of the Old Testament completed by Jewish scholars around the 3rd century BC. This translation was widely used by Greek speaking Jews and Christians in the first century AD.
The LXX is relevant to this study because it helps us understand how Greek words functioned in the context of the Old Testament. The LXX influences many of the Greek words in the New Testament, and understanding their usage there helps us understand their meaning in the New Testament.”
Old Testament “worship” – serving
During his research, Wadsworth noted how the Jewish translators of the LXX rendered the Hebrew word “avad” which, roughly translated, means serve:
“For the LXX translators, latreuo is one of several Greek terms used to translate avad, which is the standard OT Hebrew word for ‘serve’ or ‘work.’ The term avad is found in the Hebrew OT 287 times, but the LXX translators translate it as latreuo only seventy-eight times. When avad describes service or work for people, the LXX usually chooses douleuo, which typically means ‘to serve as a slave.’ But when avad describes service to deity, latreuo is the primary choice of the LXX translators.”4
Strathmann, in The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament said:
“It is not enough to say that latreuo has religious significance. One must say that it has sacral significance. Latreuo means more precisely to serve or worship cultically, especially by sacrifice. Moses is told that the purpose of the Exodus from Egypt is (Ex. 3:12): λατρεύσετε τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ [serve (latreuo) God on this mountain], namely, in cultic acts and especially in sacrifices.”5 (translation in brackets added)
Strathmann emphasizes that latreuo and latreia connoted sacred and sacrificial significance. He goes on to note that the whole conflict between Moses and Pharaoh related to God’s demand to “Let My people go, so that they may worship (latreuo) Me in the wilderness” (Ex. 7:16). Taking their livestock with them was another point of contention with Pharaoh (Ex. 10:26) showing that sacrifices were meant by latreuo.
“Worship” was literal sacrifices
The Old Testament tied latreuo/latreia to the sacrificial system in the temple.
“It is a mistake to assume that latreuo connotes the idea of generic service. Latreuo always refers to a specific kind of service: service performed for deity. But in the LXX, latreuo can be narrowed more specifically than that. It refers to serving deity with sacrifices, whether to the God of Israel or to other gods. A study of all the contexts in which latreuo or latreia appears in the LXX reveals that the activity connected with the terms is sacrificing, which is made explicitly clear in more than two dozen passages.”6
The LXX uses latreuo and latreia to describe these rituals. So, when someone talked about “worshiping God” in the Old Testament, it likely meant something directly related to these sacrificial acts.
Don’t miss this point: latreuo and latreia were words used to signify sacrifices to God in the temple!

The shift in application: Metaphorical sacrifice for Christians
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. In the New Testament latreuo and latreia “continue to connote ‘serving deity with sacrifices’ or simply ‘sacrificing.’”7 However, the focus of this service changes in the New Testament.
Jesus’s death and resurrection brought a huge shift in how people relate to God. God would no longer require sacrifices in the temple for a relationship with Him. Instead, the New Testament introduces a new way for believers to serve God—through their lives.
In Romans 12:1, Paul writes: “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship [latreia].” Here, Paul is encouraging Christians to offer their lives as “living sacrifices,” meaning that service is no longer about killing animals and offering them on an altar. Instead, it’s about living a life that honors God in everything we do.
Because of centuries of animal sacrifice, this concept of a living sacrifice was a radical idea for early Christians. It meant that “worship” wasn’t about formal rituals; it was about how you lived. The New Testament speaks of “worship” as a daily offering of our lives to God, where we serve others, live with integrity, and seek justice. It’s about reflecting the values of the Kingdom of God in our actions, not just our words.
“Worship” in the New Testament: Serving God through good works
Paul also uses latreuo in his letters to describe this new form of service. In Philippians 3:3, for example, he says that true worshipers “worship [latreuo] by the Spirit of God” rather than relying on external rituals. In this way, latreuo becomes more about internal devotion with an attitude inclined toward good works rather than actions like animal sacrifice.
Is singing and praying part of worship?
This brings us to an important question: when we sing songs or pray, are we offering worship to God in the biblical sense? The answer depends on how we define worship. If we define worship as anything that praises God, then yes, singing and praying can certainly be acts of worship. However, the Bible never connects latreuo and latreia with singing or praying “with the lone exception of Lk 2:37, where latreuo is used figuratively.”8 While they are important expressions of faith, they don’t align with the Scripture’s use of latreuo and latreia which, in the New Testament, involves living a life of service, sacrifice, and devotion to God’s will.
In Hebrews 13:15, the writer speaks of offering “a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Here, Hebrews describes praise as a sacrifice, but it’s not just the act of singing or praying—it’s the attitude behind those actions. According to the New Testament, we offer our whole lives as living sacrifices, not just our words.
How does this affect our daily lives?
If spiritual service is about serving God through the way we live, then it changes the way we think about our daily actions. The New Covenant doesn’t confine service to God to a church building, a ritual, or an hour on Sunday morning. It’s something we offer to God every moment of our lives. Every act of kindness, every moment of honesty, and every decision to put others before ourselves is a form of spiritual service.
Conclusion: Serving is more than singing and praying
To wrap up, the Bible’s usage of latreuo and latreia reminds us that we don’t limit spiritual service to singing songs or saying prayers. While those acts are important, service involves living a life of dedication to God. It’s about offering our lives as “living sacrifices” through our actions, our kindness, our love for others, and our commitment to living in a way that reflects God’s character.
When we understand service biblically, we understand the Bible doesn’t confine it to a church building or a Sunday service. It’s a 24/7 way of life—a way of being that honors God in everything we do. So, the next time you think about serving God, remember: it’s not just about what you do in church, but how you live every day to serve others and reflect God’s love to the world.
In the next article, we’ll examine another “worship term” – leitourgeo.
References
- Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the Berean Standard Bible.
- Kittel, Gerhard, ed. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 4: L – N. Translated by Geoffrey Bromily. Repr. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 1985. 58.
- L&N, s.v. “λατρεύω λατρεία,” 533.
- Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 215.
- Kittel, Gerhard, ed. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. 4: L – N. Translated by Geoffrey Bromily. Repr. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 1985. 30.
- Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 215-216.
- Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 220.
- Wadsworth, Thomas Richard. “A Worship Service or an Assembly: An Investigation of the Terminology Used to Describe Church Meetings in the New Testament,” 2022. 226.