"Service" or "Worship"?

By Royce Frederick

In Romans 12:1, the New King James Version says, “service.” But some translations say, “worship.”

The Greek word here is “latreuo.” Consider two scriptures in which other Greek words are used for “worship,” followed by “latreuo” — “serve.”

Rom. 1:25 — “who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped [from sebazomai] and served [from latreuo] the creature rather than the Creator.…”

Matt. 4:10 — “...You shall worship [from proskuneo] the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve [from latreuo].”

Also, consider Heb. 13:10 — “...those who serve [from latreuo] the tabernacle....” (See also Heb. 8:5.) The priests of Israel did not “worship” the tabernacle, but “served” it as part of their work for God.