What Kind of Sacrifices Do You Make?

painting courtesy of zatletic/bigstock.com

Offering sacrifices is something we tend to relate to the Old Testament where God commanded the Israelites to offer certain sacrifices for certain situations and feasts. In that sense, it is something which ended when Jesus died on the cross, paying the ultimate sacrifice and permanently ending the need to offer sacrifices for sin. If that is the case, wouldn’t offering sacrifices now be unnecessary and even idolatry?

Matthew 9:13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Here, Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea, who delivered God’s message of repentance to Israel hundreds of years early. Hosea confronted the Israelites because they were performing all the right rituals while they worshiped false gods. They made physical sacrifices to God, but He didn’t have their hearts. Their sacrifices weren’t genuine, so their lives reflected not their religiosity but their adulterous hearts. Even in the Old Testament, it was clear that God didn’t care so much about the sacrifices themselves as He did the hearts of those who offered them.

Often, the physical things in the Old Testament correlate to spiritual things in the New, (i.e. adultery in the OT is compared to lust in the NT). So, the physical act of making sacrifices for sin in the OT was replaced with heart-felt repentance in the New. God wants a changed heart, not burned meat.

So does this mean that the term sacrifice is now outdated, no longer necessary, even obsolete? Nope. While not seen as frequently as in the OT, the term is still used in the New Testament to show what kind of sacrifices we should be offering now.

Romans 12:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Whenever we see “therefore” we know that the following verse is built on the idea of those preceding. In this case it is built on the previous 11 chapters, which talk in depth about what Christ has done for us. We began as condemned sinners, destined for destruction, yet Christ came and lovingly died for us (making the eternal sacrifice we never could) so that we could be united with Him forever. In view of this, Paul says we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God.

Death is the only acceptable atonement for sin. It has always required blood, but nothing “created” could fulfill that order completely. Until Jesus. Because He was not created, because He is perfect, without sin, His death fulfilled the required for all sin. It removed the need to keep performing sacrifices for sin. Yet Jesus also said that He didn’t come to remove the law, but to fulfill it. Sacrifice isn’t obsolete, it has only changed.

Instead of offering dead sacrifices to God, He wants living sacrifices. He wants our lives. He wants us to live for Him, to be holy as He is holy, for Him. That is our service of worship. That is what God deems acceptable.

So how do we do that?

Ephesians 5:1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God by being like Him, by acting like true, beloved children. Christ sacrificed Himself for us, so we should sacrifice ourselves for Him, not by dieing physically, but by “putting to death” our fleshly, sinful desires and selfishness. Instead of sacrificing a lamb to pay for our sin, we are to sacrifice our sin to show our love for and dedication to God. Because God is holy (set apart from sin and completely pure) we are to strive for holiness. That is how we prove we are truly His children.  That is what God finds fragrant, a beautiful aroma; self sacrifice.

Hebrews 13:15-18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.

These verses list several things which count as a sacrifice with which God is pleased. First, the offering of praise. Openly giving thanks and glory to God pleases Him more than anything, and is the work we were ultimately created for; to glorify Him. Second, we are to do good and share with others. Again, selflessness; putting others first, denying our wants, preferences, even needs in order to serve someone else. Third, obey and submit to our leaders. This includes anyone who is in authority over us, but especially (in this context) our church leaders. Our pastors are put here as shepherds to guard our souls and God will have them give an account of us to Him (like spiritual babysitters in a sense). We should be a joy to them, not cause them grief and sorrow. Finally, we are to pray for others, for their godliness and quest to become holy. We should pray for other believers to seek God, to glorify Him, and to keep away from the snare of sin.

We do all of this through Christ. It is only through His power that we are able to accomplish any of this, and more importantly, it is only through His power that we are able to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. Nothing we give of/by ourselves is good enough.

1 Peter 2:4-6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

This is what we were created for, to be built into a living temple for God, to offer living sacrifices to Him. That is our ultimate created purpose! We are to be living stones and sacrifices like Christ. Jesus was the first stone in the foundation of the Church, the first sacrifice according to the New covenant. We will follow Him as stones and sacrifices along with all other believers to build God’s temple and fill it with pleasing, aromatic sacrifices.

So, the next time you are faced with the choice of serving your self or sacrificing what you want for the sake of another, remember what you choose will have an aroma: selfishness leaving a bad odor, or self sacrifice leaving a pleasing aroma. God is not the only one aware of this aroma, those around us can “smell” it as well.

What kind of sacrifices are you offering?