In some Christian traditions, worshippers remove their footwear before entering the church as an outward expression of reverence for the sacred place.
There is nothing inherently wrong with such an outward act of reverence.
But there is a serious danger if the act creates a false sense of spiritual security:
“I HAVE REMOVED MY FOOTWEAR; THEREFORE ALL IS WELL WITH GOD AND I.”
No… it is not.
Removing our footwear may express outward reverence.
• It is not repentance.
• It is not confession.
• It is not obedience.
• It is not forgiveness.
• It is not holiness.It cannot, by itself, make an unrepentant heart right with God.
In traditions where Priests and Acolytes wear designated sanctuary footwear when entering or serving within the Sanctuary, that is a separate matter of liturgical practice. It should not be confused with the worshipper’s personal act of removing ordinary footwear.
The real issue before us is much deeper:
WHAT DOES OMNIPOTENT GOD SEE WHEN WE COME TO WORSHIP HIM?
The LORD said:
“For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7
God sees beyond our feet, our clothing, our posture and our ceremonies.
He sees the heart and the contaminated soul.
• We may remove our footwear and still carry pride into the Church.
• We may kneel and still harbour bitterness.
• We may bow and still refuse to forgive.
• We may receive Holy Communion and still refuse to obey Jesus Christ.
• We may participate in every outward ceremony and yet remain inwardly unchanged.Therefore, removing our footwear must never give us the comforting illusion that all is well between God and ourselves.
The true preparation for worship is not merely preparing our feet to enter the Church.
It is preparing our hearts to meet God.
BLEMISHES THAT CAN DEFILE OUR WORSHIP
- HEART ATTITUDES THAT DISTANCE US FROM GOD
A HEART WITHOUT REPENTANCE
“Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
— St. Luke 13:3
UNCONFESSED SIN
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
— Proverbs 28:13
PRIDE BEFORE GOD
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
— St. James 4:6
INDIFFERENCE TO GOD’S HOLINESS
“Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts.”
— Isaiah 6:3
CASUALNESS AND LACK OF REVERENCE IN HIS PRESENCE
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”
— Psalm 89:7
“Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.”
— Psalm 2:11
SPIRITUAL LAZINESS
“Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.”
— Romans 12:11
PRESUMPTION UPON GOD’S MERCY
“Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.”
— Romans 6:1–2
- WORSHIP THAT IS OUTWARDLY CORRECT BUT INWARDLY EMPTY
HYPOCRISY AND EMPTY RELIGION
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”
— St. Matthew 15:8
LIP SERVICE WITHOUT OBEDIENCE
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
— St. Luke 6:46
HALF-HEARTED PRAISE
“I will praise thee with my whole heart.”
— Psalm 9:1
DISTRACTED WORSHIP
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10
IRREVERENT BEHAVIOUR IN CHURCH
“God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.”
— 1 Corinthians 14:33
SUBSTITUTING ENTERTAINMENT FOR WORSHIP
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
— St. John 4:24
USING WORSHIP FOR PERSONAL GLORY
“Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
— St. Matthew 23:12
LOVING TRADITION MORE THAN TRUTH
“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.”
— St. Mark 7:13
REFUSING CORRECTION FROM GOD’S WORD
“He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul.”
— Proverbs 15:32
- RELATIONAL SINS THAT BREAK COMMUNION WITH GOD AND MAN
BITTERNESS AND AN UNFORGIVING SPIRIT
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger… be put away from you.”
— Ephesians 4:31
REFUSAL TO FORGIVE
“If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
— St. Matthew 6:15
UNRECONCILED RELATIONSHIPS
“First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
— St. Matthew 5:24
HATRED OF A NEIGHBOUR
“He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
— 1 St. John 3:14
ENVY AND STRIFE
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”
— St. James 3:16
NEGLECT OF THE POOR
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD.”
— Proverbs 19:17
- WORLDLINESS AND MISPLACED PRIORITIES
DIVIDED LOYALTY
“Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
— St. Matthew 6:24
COVETOUSNESS
“Take heed, and beware of covetousness.”
— St. Luke 12:15
LOVE OF MONEY
“For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
— 1 St. Timothy 6:10
WORSHIP FOR HUMAN APPLAUSE
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them.”
— St. Matthew 6:1
SEEKING GOD’S BLESSINGS MORE THAN GOD HIMSELF
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”
— St. Matthew 6:33
- NEGLECT OF SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
NEGLECT OF PRAYER
“Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”
— St. Luke 18:1
NEGLECT OF GOD’S WORD
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
— St. Luke 4:4
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS
“Faith without works is dead.”
— St. James 2:26
HEARING WITHOUT DOING
“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
— St. James 1:22
- CARELESSNESS IN SACRED THINGS
CONTEMPT FOR HOLY THINGS
“Ye shall reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.”
— Leviticus 19:30
CARELESS APPROACH TO HOLY COMMUNION
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:28
OFFERING GOD WHAT COSTS NOTHING
“I will not offer… unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.”
— 2 Samuel 24:24
GIVING GOD THE LEFTOVERS
“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.”
— Proverbs 3:9
GRATITUDE ABSENT FROM WORSHIP
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good.”
— Psalm 107:1
- OUTWARD RELIGION WITHOUT INNER TRANSFORMATION
FORM WITHOUT POWER
“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
— 2 Timothy 3:5
THE GREATER QUESTION
• We may remove our footwear.
• We may enter reverently.
• We may kneel.
• We may bow.
• We may make the Sign of the Cross.
• We may sing the hymns.
• We may hear the Scriptures.
• We may say the prayers.
• We may receive Holy Communion.
• We may observe every prescribed ceremony correctly.And yet none of these outward acts can substitute for a heart that is NOT repentant, obedient, humble, forgiving and faithful.
Our Lord Jesus Himself warned against worship that is outwardly correct but inwardly empty:
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”
— St. Matthew 15:8
The danger is not in removing one’s footwear.
The danger is in believing that having done so, we have done enough and assured of a safe passage to Heaven.
The danger is in leaving the Church with the comforting thought:
“I HAVE SHOWN REVERENCE; THEREFORE ALL IS WELL.”
But God asks for more than an outward gesture.
He asks for the heart.
BEFORE WE WORSHIP
Before we enter the Church, let us ask ourselves:
1. Have I repented?
2. Have I confessed my sins?
3. Have I forgiven those who have wronged me?
4. Have I sought reconciliation where reconciliation is needed?
5. Am I willing to obey the teachings of Jesus?
6. Am I worshipping God in spirit and in truth?
7. Am I giving God my whole heart?
8. Am I approaching Holy Communion with reverence and self-examination?
9. Am I loving God more than the world?
10. Am I grateful for His mercy?
11. Am I truly delighting my soul in God—or merely performing the outward acts of religion?THE TRUE MEANING OF REVERENCE
Removing footwear may remind us that we are entering a place set apart for worship.
But the greater holy ground is the human heart surrendered to God.
• We can remove our footwear while retaining our pride.
• We can remove our footwear while retaining our anger.
• We can remove our footwear while refusing to forgive.
• We can remove our footwear while living in disobedience.
• We can remove our footwear while neglecting prayer and God’s Word.
• We can remove our footwear while our hearts remain far from God.Therefore:
DO NOT LET AN OUTWARD ACT OF REVERENCE GIVE YOU AN INWARD SENSE OF FALSE SECURITY.
Let the removal of our footwear, where practised, be only an outward reminder of a much greater inward duty:
to humble ourselves before God, repent of our sins, obey His Word, love our neighbour, and worship Him with a sincere heart.
THE FINAL QUESTION
The question is not merely:
“HAVE I REMOVED MY FOOTWEAR?”
The greater question is:
“HAVE I PREPARED MY HEART TO ENTER THE PRESENCE OF GOD?”
For:
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
— St. Matthew 5:8
OUTWARD REVERENCE HAS ITS PLACE.
INWARD HOLINESS IS INDISPENSABLE.
LET US NOT BE CONTENT WITH PREPARING OUR FEET FOR THE SANCTUARY.
LET US PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR GOD.
AND LET OUR WORSHIP NOT MERELY OBSERVE GOD, BUT DRAW NEAR TO HIM, OBEY HIM, AND DELIGHT OUR SOULS IN HIS HOLY PRESENCE.
God Bless
Cecil K Dewars