Christ’s Sacrifice Once For All
10 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.7 Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.
8 When he said above, You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings ,9 then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will. He does away with the first in order to establish the second.10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us for after saying,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord:I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,
17 then he adds,
Bible Verses About Sacrifices
What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?Says the Lord.I have had enough of burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of fed cattle And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrificesAs in obeying the voice of the Lord?Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,And to heed than the fat of rams.
For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired My ears You have opened Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly? says the Lord of hosts.
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgivingAnd pay your vows to the Most High
To do righteousness and justiceIs desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.
You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
Why We Need Redemption
We all are recipients of redemption and for good reason: We are all sinners that require redemption from our sins.
Titus 2:14He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Acts 3:19Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
Romans 3:22-24There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:18Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
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Sacrifice In The Old Testament
As already observed, the idea of sacrifice begins in the early chapters of Genesis at the dawn of history. The significance tied to the coats of skin provided for Adam and Eve is not immediately evident but can be understood more fully only by looking back from later revelation. All we can say at this point is that God covered their shame in a way that involved death.
Likewise the significance of the respective offerings of Cain and Abel is not immediately evident. We are told only that Cains offering was an offering of the fruit of the ground , that Abels was of the firstborn of his flock , and that the Lord had regard for Abels offering but rejected Cains . Assuming that Cain and Abel learned the idea and duty of offering to God from their parents we might further conjecture that Cains offering was a departure from the norm, but with no more information than we are given at this point this is just conjecture. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews repeats that Abels sacrifice was accepted and adds that it was offered by faith and that by it Abel was commended as righteous . So much seems implicit in the Genesis narrative, but we must survey further revelation to see just how it is so.
In Genesis 22 God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice. Before the sacrifice was actually carried out, however, God provided a ram to die in Isaacs place. Here the idea of divinely-provided substitution is prominent .
The Meaning Of The Animal Sacrifice
Animal sacrifice was a deeply symbolic ritual. Blood, representing life, was to be drained from the animal, reminding worshippers of death.
The way animals were prepared for different types of offerings was also deeply symbolic, as in the case of the scapegoat, in which one goat was slaughtered and another released into the wild, metaphorically carrying away the sin of Israel .
The sprinkling of blood around the Tabernacle represented life cleansing the death of sin, since blood was a symbol of life .
Unlike other deities of the time, an angry God was not being appeased by these offerings. Rather, in His love, He offered a way for His peoples sin to be covered over, so that they could approach Him. Rebellion and sin required death. They were not to be taken lightly. In order for the Israelites to gain forgiveness, something had to die.
It was a painful process, yes. That was the point. Sin led to death. It was serious. In order to avoid their own destruction because of their sin, the Israelites had to offer something innocent to die in their placein this case, an animal without blemish.
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Bible Verses About Sacrifice And Jesus’ Love
Topics:ChristianityBible Verses
“Sacrifice” is a word that comes to mind when we think about the truths and realities embedded in the gospel. From Romans 12:1 to Hebrews 9:28 there are a plethora of Bible verses about sacrifice that explain why Jesus died for our sins and how we should live out selfless love in our own lives.
Considering the importance of these realities, we decided to put together a powerful list of Bible verses about sacrifice. So, let’s explore:
Sacrifice Comes Through Thanksgiving
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praisethe fruit of lips that openly profess his name .
When we take the time to be thankful, we are giving God a sacrifice. It may not feel like a sacrifice to us, but when we consider His faithfulness to the worldwe respond with gratefulness. Many people will go about their day-to-day activities and never once give God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. However, as believers we press towards being thankful every single day.
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Make Sacrifices That Please God
In this passage, we see four sacrifices that you can make in response to Jesus sacrifice for you:
1. Sacrifice of your lips
The writer of Hebrews says, Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that confess his name for with such sacrifices God is pleased .
Much of the first eleven chapters of Romans are about the sacrifice of Jesus for us. Paul, having set out all that God has done for us, responds with a sacrifice of praise .
2. Sacrifice of your life
Paul continues, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy , to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship .
God wants you to offer all of yourself and all of your lives your time, ambitions, possessions, ears, mouths and sexuality as well as your mind, emotions and attitudes. Pauls description of a living sacrifice also reminds us that you have to go on offering your life as a sacrifice to God, offering the whole of your life for the whole of your life.
As Eugene Peterson translates it in The Message, Take your every day, ordinary life your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering .
3. Sacrifice of your loot
4. Sacrifice of your love
In this passage Paul gives many examples of the sacrifice of loving service .
Lessons From The Trespass Offering
The trespass offering teaches us:
- Sin has consequences.
- When we repent, we shouldnt pray only for a general forgiveness, but specifically for each sin we have committed.
- We should seek to fix and restore the damage caused by our sinsespecially when we have done harm to another person.
Some people consider the Old Testament sacrifices irrelevant practices from ancient times. While Christs sacrifice made it unnecessary for Christians today to practice physical sacrifices , we can come to a deeper understanding of our Savior, forgiveness and repentance by studying and understanding them.
To learn more about sin, repentance and the conversion process, read our free booklet Change Your Life!
For a chart summarizing the sacrifices, see Old Testament Sacrifices and Their Fulfillment in Christ.
About the Author
Isaac Khalil
Isaac Khalil is husband to his lovely wife, Natasha, and father to son, Eli and daughter, Abigal. He loves to spend time with family and friends doing various things like watching movies, playing chess, playing board games and going out. He enjoys studying biblical topics and discussing the Bible with his friends. He is also a news junkie and is constantly reading and sharing news connected with Bible prophecy.
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First A Life Of Worship
But today we notice something very significant in verse 1: Before Paul describes our new life in Christ as merciful, he describes it as worshipful. Before you think that the Christian life has everything to do with being merciful to people, realize that it has everything to do with being worshipful toward God. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Before we give ourselves away in mercy to man, we give ourselves away in worship to God.
This is crucial to see. We must never let the Christian life drift into a mere social agenda. I use the word mere carefully, because if God is left out, our mercy will be mere social agenda. We do no one good in the end if we are not worshiping and leading them to worship in the acts of mercy that we do. If our good deeds are not expressing the worth of God, then our deeds are not worship, and in the end, will not be merciful. Making people comfortable or helping them feel good on the way to everlasting punishment, without the hope and the design that they see Christ in your good deeds, is not mercy. Mercy must aim to make much of Christ. No one is saved who doesnt meet and make much of Christ. And not to care about saving is not merciful.
Before we give ourselves in mercy, we give ourselves in worship.
The Permanent Solution: God Provided The Ultimate Sacrifice Jesus Christ
Unfortunately, this was not enough. The sinful nature of people led them to sin again and again. No amount of animal blood could completely wash them clean or pay for the death price they owed.
The centuries of animal blood werent the only thing that pointed to a need for something greater. The nation of Israel quickly fell apart, and its history was checkered with war, oppression, and serious immorality. In the end, they were carried away into captivity in Assyria and Babylon, and only returned to Israel as a subjugated people, first to Babylon, then Persia, all the way until the Roman Empire. Gods chosen people were a disaster.
There was no natural means for forgiveness. No amount of animal sacrifices would be enough the blood served as a reminder of the peoples endless guilt, the death that would come to them in the contrast between their own sinful nature and the consuming fire of Holiness.
Israel knew that forgiveness required blood, and that the wages of sin is death .
Mankind, deserving of death, could only be redeemed by the blood of something great enough to cover all humanity, and nothing could be that great but the Divine Himself. When Jesus Christ came, He was the perfect sacrifice, without blemish. As the animals offered had to be pure, He was perfect, without sin. And as death was required, someone had to die. The blood of life had to be poured out on the dead, mankind, and the scapegoat had to take on the sin of the people.
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Grain Offerings And Living Sacrifices
Comparing the grain offering to our living sacrifice, we can learn to:
- Live by every word of God . We must study the Bible daily and apply it in every way in our daily lives.
- Pray always: God wants us to talk to Him through daily prayer .
- Endure: God expects us to wait on His salvation, to look to Him throughout trials and persecutions .
What Does The Scripture Say About Sacrifice
1. Sacrifice doesnt replace obedience
1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel replied: Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. A significant number of Christians sacrifice their time, money, and energy to do good works. While these are good acts, we must be careful not to let such take precedence over our obedience to the teachings of the Bible. It is important to understand here that a sacrificial gift to the Lord is honored as long as we are obeying His commandments and teaching others to do same.
2. Sacrifice cost something
2 Samuel 24:24 But the king replied to Araunah, No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. It is important that we understand here that a sacrifice may be freely given, but it is not a genuine or acceptable sacrifice before God if it means nothing to us. Each time that we feel the pain of our sacrifice, we know that we are truly giving up something important and worth accepting by God. As we move towards spiritual maturity, we turn to offer more sacrifices freely to God due to our understanding of His grace in our lives.
3. Sacrifice is an everyday occurrence
4. Sacrifice can be a broken heart
5. Sacrifice is pleasing to God
6. Sacrifice comes through thanksgiving
7. Sacrifice ultimately was paid through Jesus Christ
8. Sacrifice your life
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We Still Must Sacrifice
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How do we observe the law of sacrifice today?
Even though sacrifice by the shedding of blood was ended, the Lord still asks us to sacrifice. But now He requires a different kind of offering. He said: âYe shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood, ⦠and your burnt offerings shall be done away. ⦠And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spiritâ . A âbroken heart and a contrite spiritâ means that we offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them.
Sacrifice In Old Covenant Context
In its historical setting these sacrifices were provided in order to answer the question, How can a holy God live in the midst of a sinful people? In redeeming Israel from Egypt and in establishing them as a theocratic nation at Sinai God had made Israel his own people. He pledged to be their God and to dwell with them accordingly. But how can his holy presence among sinners be established? The sacrificial system was given to answer this problem.
Of course there are questions that necessarily remain. Can an animal actually take the place of a man or woman? Can the blood of an animal actually atone for the sin of a nation? And if the sacrifices do indeed secure Gods favor and forgiveness, why must they be repeated?
The New Testament will take up these kinds of questions, but at the very least we can say that the Old Testament sacrificial system established the structure and frame of reference with regard to Gods redemptive purpose: Sinners may obtain divine favor if an acceptable substitute could be found to offer to God in sacrifice.
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Animal Sacrifice Today: Necessary Or Obsolete
Jesus death and resurrection made animal sacrifice obsolete what more could animal blood add to the cleansing blood of Christ Himself? There is no longer a curtain between the people and the Holy of Holies . Fully cleansed by the blood of Christ, believers can stand in the presence of God.
Reading about animal sacrifice in the Bible still serves a couple purposes in modern times:
1. Animal sacrifice in the Bible reminds us of the horror of sin.
When we look back at the sacrificial rituals of the Old Testament and are rightly horrified, we are reminded of the immense, unpayable debt of sin, and the incalculable amount of blood needed to bring life back to a dead soul.
2. Animal sacrifice in the Bible reminds us of Gods love and provision for His people.
Rather than the actions of a cruel, morbid God, the Lords demand for animal sacrifice pointed the way to Him offering His very own Son as our sacrifice. It was a painful, horrifying slaughter of the Innocent on our behalf, but it was the ultimate gift of a loving God that the sinner might live, made innocent by the blood of a perfect Lamb.
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