Is All of Life Worship? What Colossians 3:17 Really Teaches

Colossians 3:17 is often quoted, but not always understood. It says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Some take this to mean that everything a Christian does, from brushing their teeth to mowing the lawn, is worship. But is that really what Paul meant?

The short answer is no.

Yes, our lives should be lived for God, with gratitude and obedience. But that’s not the same as saying every action is worship. In Scripture, worship is not a vague feeling; it’s purposeful and structured.

In recent years, some have pushed the idea that “all of life is worship.” One advocate, Don DeWelt, used this to justify instrumental music in worship. If every act is worship, then any music would be acceptable. But that logic fails.

The problem is that this view erases distinctions. If every moment is worship, then worship loses all meaning. Yet throughout the Bible, worship has a clear beginning and end.

Take Abraham in Genesis 22:5; he told his servants that he and Isaac would go to worship. If all of life were worship, that statement wouldn’t make sense.

We see the same in the New Testament. People went somewhere to worship and then left. Worship was distinct from daily life.

The Bible also distinguishes between worship and service. Deuteronomy 6:13 says, “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him.” Jesus echoed this in Matthew 4:10. All worship is service, but not all service is worship.

Even Jesus served others (Matthew 20:28), and angels serve believers (Hebrews 1:14). Yet those acts, while good, are not worship.

Romans 12:1 is often cited to support the “life as worship” perspective. But the Greek word latreia means service, not worship. Many translations get this right. It’s about living for God, not engaging in constant worship.

So what does Colossians 3:17 really teach?

It teaches submission. To do something “in the name of the Lord” means to do it by His authority and for His glory. That applies to all of life, but it doesn’t mean everything is worship.

Worship is a specific set of acts God has prescribed: teaching, praying, giving, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and singing, done together on the Lord’s Day (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7). If worship were constant, none of this would be needed, but it is.

If we blur the line between service and worship, we open the door to all kinds of confusion, clapping, dancing, even Coke and burgers on the Lord’s table. After all, if everything is worship, then anything is.

Eventually, people may ask, “Why assemble at all if I can worship while eating breakfast in pajamas?” That thinking slowly dismantles the church itself.

Scripture draws clear lines. Worship isn’t whatever we feel; it’s what God commands. The Bible employs different words for worship (proskuneo, sebomai, threskeia) and service (latreuo, leitourgeo) to illustrate the distinction.

Jesus said, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). That kind of worship is sincere, structured, and submissive to God’s will.

So, while Colossians 3:17 calls us to live our entire lives under Christ’s authority, it doesn’t say that all of life is worship. Worship is not everything. But when it’s offered God’s way, it becomes everything He desires.

Let’s be grateful servants in all things, and faithful worshipers in what He’s revealed.