The Meaning of Sacrifice

[CWH]

Hi all.

Non-Christians used to attack the Christian concept of sacrifice and feel that it serves no meaning. Here I will share my views of the meanings of sacrifice and would like all to contribute their views about the meanings of sacrifice:

Sacrifice shows your sincere Love:
Supposed you love your children as I believe every parents do, you will willingly sacrifice your life to protect them so that they may live;

Love for your country, countrymen etc Love for thy neighbor as thyself
Soldiers sacrifice their lives so that their country, countrymen, families, friends, relatives may live. Jesus said, "There is no greater love than to die for your friends".

Pleading against our sins
Likewise, Jesus sacrifice His life to plead for our sins so that we may live. It shows God's love for mankind by sacrificing His only Son so that humans may be pardon if they believe in Jesus. Would you willing to sacrifice your only son so that others may live?

Fulfilling the 2 Great Commandments
Jesus set an example for all to follow and fulfill both commandments so that they may be saved....to love God with all your hearts , soul and might and to love your neighbor as yourself by dying on the cross.

To prove that there is Resurrection
The death and resurrection of Jesus shows that there is afterlfe after death and that death is like sleep in which one can be resurrected and achieve eternal life by doing the 2 Great commandments and by doing the will of God.

To conquer Death
To be sacrifice and be resurrected serves to remind people that death can be conquered. "Death, where is thy sting?"

To show repentance
To sacrifice our lives for others is one way to show repentance and to compensate for our wrongs against others so as to seek their forgiveness.

To act as a witness to a covenant
The sacrificial lamb was often used during a covenant between God and Man. The sacrificial lamb serves as a witness that such covenant is "legally" bound by both parties. The sacrifice of jesus serves as a witness that those who are righteous or repentant can be forgiven and be saved as promised by God.

For a Better Reward or Purpose
Example: I "sacrifice" my lunch and give to someone else because I want to keep my stomach for a buffet.
I "sacrifice" a cut in my pay so that they will keep my job and reward me better when the company's crisis is over.

God Bless. :pray:

[CWH]

To me, sacrifice is a moral act for the greater good....Jesus sacrifice His life for the sins of His believers..... Parents sacrifice for their children so that they may live or have a better life. Without the sacrifices made by our ancestors, we will not be alive today. Same, without the sacrifices offered to God, can we expect to have blessings in our lives?

Comparing Dictionary definition of Sacrifice with Biblical definition of sacrifice:

English definition of “sacrifice”:

sacrifice
verb [T] (GIVE UP) to give up something that is valuable to you in order to help another person:
Eg. Many women sacrifice interesting careers for their family.


Biblical definition of sacrifice:

Dictionaries - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Sacrifice
Sacrifice [B] [S]


The offering up of sacrifices is to be regarded as a divine institution. It did not originate with man. God himself appointed it as the mode in which acceptable worship was to be offered to him by guilty man. The language and the idea of sacrifice pervade the whole Bible.

Sacrifices were offered in the ante-diluvian age. The Lord clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of animals, which in all probability had been offered in sacrifice ( Genesis 3:21 ). Abel offered a sacrifice "of the firstlings of his flock" ( 4:4 ; Hebrews 11:4 ). A distinction also was made between clean and unclean animals, which there is every reason to believe had reference to the offering up of sacrifices ( Genesis 7:2 Genesis 7:8 ), because animals were not given to man as food till after the Flood.

The same practice is continued down through the patriarchal age ( Genesis 8:20 ; 12:7 ; Genesis 13:4 Genesis 13:18 ; 15:9-11 ; 22:1-18 , etc.). In the Mosaic period of Old Testament history definite laws were prescribed by God regarding the different kinds of sacrifices that were to be offered and the manner in which the offering was to be made. The offering of stated sacrifices became indeed a prominent and distinctive feature of the whole period ( Exodus 12:3-27 ; Leviticus 23:5-8 ; Numbers 9:2-14 ). (See ALTAR .)

We learn from the Epistle to the Hebrews that sacrifices had in themselves no value or efficacy. They were only the "shadow of good things to come," and pointed the worshippers forward to the coming of the great High Priest, who, in the fullness of the time, "was offered once for all to bear the sin of many." Sacrifices belonged to a temporary economy, to a system of types and emblems which served their purposes and have now passed away. The "one sacrifice for sins" hath "perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

Sacrifices were of two kinds: 1. Unbloody, such as (1) first-fruits and tithes; (2) meat and drink-offerings; and (3) incense. 2. Bloody, such as (1) burnt-offerings; (2) peace-offerings; and (3) sin and trespass offerings. (See OFFERINGS .)

God Bless.:pray:

[Rose]

To me, sacrifice is a moral act for the greater good....Jesus sacrifice His life for the sins of His believers..... Parents sacrifice for their children so that they may live or have a better life. Without the sacrifices made by our ancestors, we will not be alive today. Same, without the sacrifices offered to God, can we expect to have blessings in our lives?


God Bless.:pray:


Sacrifice can be a moral act that accomplishes a greater good, but it also can be an immoral act that does great harm! It all depends upon the free choice nature of the sacrifice. As far as considering what the Bible says Jesus did as being a sacrifice ... it really wasn't. The giving of a life that is gained back is no sacrifice at all ... what did Jesus really sacrifice? Nothing, when it is compared with what humans have endured and given up without any hope of return.

Neither Jesus, nor god have ever given up anything at all, when one considers that according to the Bible everything is possible for them. In order for something to be a true sacrifice, the giving of something valuable must cause a hardship on the part of the giver ... we know that is not the case with Jesus since he never really lost his life.

The true honor and praise goes to all those people who gave of their lives, their hopes and dreams to make the lives of others better. :clap2::clap2::clap2:

[CWH]

[QUOTE=Rose;64019]Sacrifice can be a moral act that accomplishes a greater good, but it also can be an immoral act that does great harm! It all depends upon the free choice nature of the sacrifice.
Of course, it depends who you are sacrificing and the reason for your sacrifice. If one sacrifice for Satan or for greed, then the sacrifice is of no avail. Sacrifice can come in all sorts ot just life but food, things, time, effort, convenience, money, clothings, organs such as in kidney and eye donations etc. It can be considered as a form of charity in order to help someone.


As far as considering what the Bible says Jesus did as being a sacrifice ... it really wasn't. The giving of a life that is gained back is no sacrifice at all ... what did Jesus really sacrifice? Nothing, when it is compared with what humans have endured and given up without any hope of return.
The definition of sacrifice is:
verb [T] (GIVE UP) to give up something that is valuable to you in order to help another person:. The purpose of sacrifice is to help someone without any hope of return or reward. Jesus could have lived a long life on earth but His life was cut short due to the sacrifice; He could have earned billions by saving lives and curing illnesses and live in luxury, He could have become as popular as Caesar with His miracles; He could be as powerful as the superpower of the Roman Empire with His angelic hosts and miraculous powers, He could have conquered the world with the Holy Sprit yet He gave up all these with His sacrifice.


Neither Jesus, nor god have ever given up anything at all, when one considers that according to the Bible everything is possible for them. In order for something to be a true sacrifice, the giving of something valuable must cause a hardship on the part of the giver ... we know that is not the case with Jesus since he never really lost his life.
The most valuable part of a person is not his properties, family, money, house, health but his life. The reason is because these material things are temporary. It is stupidity to have all these material things in life and to lost all after a few decades on earth through natural death. What God wants us to do is to look at the bigger picture in which we can have everything and have them ETERNALLY. And that requires sacrifice for the greater good for ourselves and for others so as to achieve the commandment of Love thy neighbor as thyself. God wants us to be righteous and strive to enter into His Kingdom so that he can grant us eternal life to live in His kingdom.

Matthew 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.


The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross provides:
1. Strong convincing evidence that life can be resurrected and death can be totally conquered; long life or eternal life is possible. Analogous to a scientist who killed his son to prove that he has discovered a way to resurrect anyone who have died for 3 days by the application of an electric shock. Currently no man can do that.
2. If you sacrifice for a good cause, God will forgive you and resurrect you.
3. The sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God is a covenant that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. It provides a simpler way to eternal life by obeying only 2 commandments instead of 10. Thus the meaning of "Nobody goes to the Father but through Him".
4. The sacrifice of Jesus serves as guarantor for the forgiveness of sins analogous to a father who killed his son as a guarantor that he mean what he says that whoever do not obey him and did evil will be killed the same way but will be saved and resurrected if he repents or becomes righteous.
5. The resurrection of Jesus shows that God is merciful and loving and will resurrect anyone who did His will; same as a loving parent will never allow his son/children to die.

In John 10:17-18 Jesus said, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again".


The true honor and praise goes to all those people who gave of their lives, their hopes and dreams to make the lives of others better. :clap2::clap2::clap2:
Yes, that's what all of us should be doing.... sacrificing our time, effort, money, luxury, convenience, power, things, organs for the greater good.....Love thy neighbor as thyself and Love God with all your heart, soul and might so that not only make this lives better for everybody but also for the after life eternally. What is the point of making life better for everybody for a short time on earth when it is better to make life abundantly for all ETERNALLY. This is the meaning of "rather put all your treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not steal" - Jesus, Matthew 6.

God Bless.:pray:

[CWH]

Sacrifice in the Bible is always for the greater good; if not your sacrifice is not viable be it a sin offering, purification offering, guilt offering etc. The sacrifice is a bond with God for a greater return. That is the meaning of sacrifice in which you give up something you love for a greater good or returns. The article below explains the purpose of sacrifice for the greater good:

http://itsawonderfilledlife.net/2013/10/28/sacrifice-for-greater-good/


Last week, while sitting at lunch, the conversation around the table turned to a blogging lady whose lifestyle changes have so dramatically altered how she feels and the quality of her life that she believes she will never again be able to return to her previous bad habits.

When sacrifices result in a greater good, they no longer seem like sacrifices … but there is often a period of commitment without benefit needed to get to that point.

What would you (and I) sacrifice for a greater good?

screen time? (TV, gaming, computer)
sleep?
money?
hobbies?
vacation?
free time?
chocolate?

What is a greater good that is worth sacrificing for?

a healthier body?
a longer life?
a better job/career?
a healthier/happier family?
a contribution into the life of one in need?
a better ability to sleep?
a better peace of mind?
a better future?
a hope …

I am amazed at what God will use, in the form of sacrifices He asks of us, to get us to a greater good. Often those sacrifices seem to be too much for our understanding that benefit, or good, could ever come of them.

Yet, when we look at examples of sacrifice, we also can see greater good.

- good men died in offensives against Nazi forces, but the benefit was liberation of concentration camps
- Martin Luther King Jr. was shot dead, but his dream continues to live on
- Mother Teresa gave her life to the work of Christ on behalf of the people of Calcutta
- at 15 years old, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head, because extremists feared her advocacy for education for girls

The greatest sacrifice for greater good was given by the Creator of the universe, and the greater good is available to all :

Jew or Greek
slave or free
male or female

Through God’s sacrifice of His Son, “all one in Christ Jesus” (Galations 3:28). God knew (being all-knowing is helpful) that the sacrifice, though enormous, though personal, was for a greater good … the redemption of sin.

So, He made the sacrifice that hurt the most, even though He knew that not all would accept it. And that is what sacrifice is, it is an offer to give all, for the greater good, knowing that others might choose to ignore the reason for the sacrifice.

It is the message of Jesus himself, when he said, “greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” But Jesus did not just lay down his life for his friends, he lay down his life for all … friends and enemies, knowing that not all would accept the sacrifice.

Although, when speaking earlier this year to the United Nations, Malala Yousafzai said the following of herself, these words could also speak to the life and sacrifice of God … his child, who became teacher, the Bible, written by himself through man can (has and will) change the world

God Bless.:pray: