Psalm 15 – The Qualifications for Worship

Apr 13, 2025 | Pastor's Blog, Psalms

Timeless Biblical Truth.

Believers must live lives of obedience and integrity, so that they may have fellowship with the LORD (and confess their sins to Him before attempting to have fellowship with Him [1 John 1:9]).

  1. Question: Believers need to examine their lives before they come into the LORD’S presence for worship [and not enter presumptuously with unconfessed and unrepented sin] (15:1).
  2. Answer: Believers need to have lived obediently with integrity before entering into holy worship of the LORD (15:2-5).
    1. Believers who seek fellowship with the LORD and to worship
      1. A believer has walked and spoken with integrity (15:2).
      2. A believer has refrained from slandering (15:3).
      3. A believer has exhibited loyalty to those who honor the LORD (15:4a).
      4. A believer has been honorable in his dealings with others (15:4b-5).
    2. Believers who live obediently will be safe and secure in the LORD (15:5c).

Questions for Second Milers

  1. What is implied by the question of 15:1 about God? About self-examination?
  2. Why does the psalmist mention these specific qualifications? What qualifications surprise you with their absence? Do these qualifications in Psalm 15 have anything in common? If they do, what does that say about what is important to God?
  3. Do the qualifications listed reflect those qualities you want for yourself? For your friends? How do you and they measure up against this list? What are the areas where you need to improve? What are you doing to do about them? When?
  4. How does 1 John 1:8-9 relate to these qualification? Do you use 1 John 1:8-9 often before approaching the Lord in prayer and worship?
  5. Give your own short title to this psalm that means something to you and that will help you to remember it.
The Bible Church of the Lakes