Living Sacrifices: From the Altar to Your Life

From the Altar to the Cross

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Long before Paul wrote Romans 12, God's people knew all about sacrifices. A sacrifice was a gift brought to God at His altar. Many times an animal died in the place of the person who brought it.

A lamb provided. When Abraham climbed the mountain with Isaac, he said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).

Blood on the door. On the night of the first Passover, God said, “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13). A lamb died, and the family inside was safe.

At the altar. The person bringing an offering “shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him” (Leviticus 1:4). Atonement means making things right between a person and God. The animal took the person's place.

Why blood? “Without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). Remission means sins sent away and forgiven. Sin is so serious that it brings death.

Over and over. The priests offered sacrifices every day and every year. But “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). The animals were pictures, not the real answer.

The Lamb arrives. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Like a lamb. Isaiah wrote that the Savior would be “led as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus did not fight back. He went to the cross quietly, for us.

Once for all. “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Sanctified means made holy and set apart for God.

He sat down. Priests always stood, because their work was never finished. But Jesus, “after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). His work is done.

Precious blood. We were bought “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Without blemish means perfect, with nothing wrong.

No more animals. Because Jesus paid it all, Christians never bring animals to an altar. The cross was the last sacrifice for sin that will ever be needed.

What we learn. Every lamb on every altar pointed to Jesus. He is the sacrifice that really takes sin away.

What to do. Thank Jesus today for taking your place. Tell Him you trust Him to forgive all your sins.

Sacrifice runs through the whole Old Testament, and every thread leads to the cross. Romans 12:1 makes sense only when you see what sacrifices were and what Jesus did with them.

The word. Paul's word for sacrifice is thusia (say: THOO-see-ah), the normal word for an offering killed and placed on an altar. Animals on the altar died. Paul asks for a sacrifice that keeps on living.

Genesis 22:8. Abraham told Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the lamb.” On that mountain God supplied a ram in Isaac's place. The pattern of a substitute was set early.

Exodus 12:13. The blood of the Passover lamb marked the houses God passed over. Paul later calls Christ our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Leviticus 1:3-4. The worshiper laid his hand on the animal's head, as if to say that this animal stood in his place. The offering was “accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.” Atonement means covering sin so that a sinner can come near to a holy God.

Hebrews 10:1-4. The law was “a shadow of the good things to come.” The repeated sacrifices reminded Israel of sin every year, and they could never remove it.

John 1:29. John the Baptist named Jesus the Lamb of God. He did not mean a lamb for one family or one nation, but for “the sin of the world.”

Isaiah 53:7. About seven hundred years before the cross, Isaiah described a Servant “led as a lamb to the slaughter,” silent before His accusers. Jesus fulfilled this at His trial.

Hebrews 10:11-14. “Every priest stands ministering daily,” but “this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down.” Standing meant unfinished work; sitting meant finished work. “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (10:14).

Hebrews 9:12. Jesus entered the Most Holy Place “not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood… once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Redemption means being bought back and set free.

1 Peter 2:24. Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree.” The substitute pictured at every altar finally came in person.

No more offerings for sin. Hebrews 10:18 says “there is no longer an offering for sin.” Nothing can be added to what Jesus did. That is why the sacrifice in Romans 12:1 cannot be a payment. It can only be thanks.

Application. When you feel you must make up for your sins, remember that Jesus sat down because the work is finished. Come to Him and rest in what He did.

A Living Sacrifice Every Day

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Jesus was the last sacrifice for sin. So what does Paul mean when he asks us to be a sacrifice? He means a brand-new kind of offering.

Alive, not dead. “Present your bodies a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). Animals on the altar died. God asks you to stay alive and give Him your whole life, one day at a time.

Because of mercy. Paul says to do this “by the mercies of God” (12:1). We do not give ourselves to God to pay for sin. Jesus already paid. This is our thank-you.

Holy and pleasing. The sacrifice is “holy, acceptable to God” (12:1). Holy means set apart for God. Acceptable means it makes God glad.

Your body belongs to God. Paul asks, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19)? Then he says, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (6:20).

Eyes. What you choose to look at can honor God. You can turn away from shows and games that pull your heart away from Him.

Hands and feet. Your hands can help, and your feet can go where someone needs you. Carrying a bag for a neighbor can be an offering to God.

Mouth. “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips” (Hebrews 13:15). Thanking God and speaking kindly are offerings too.

A humble heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). Contrite means sorry for sin. God loves an honest, humble heart.

Whatever you do. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23). Homework and chores can be worship when you do them for Jesus.

All of you. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).

Jesus first. Christ “has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:2). We give ourselves because He gave Himself.

Every day. We may forget and try to take our lives back. So we give ourselves to God again every morning, and He gladly receives us.

What to do. Tomorrow morning, tell God that your eyes, hands, feet and mouth belong to Him for the day. At bedtime, thank Him for helping you.

Romans 12:1 takes the language of the altar and applies it to everyday life. After Jesus' once-for-all sacrifice, the only offerings left for God's people are offerings of thanks.

Present (12:1). The verb pictures bringing an offering and placing it before God. It is a clear act of handing yourself over, and it is renewed day by day.

Your bodies. Paul means your whole self lived out in a real body. Romans 6 already told believers not to offer the parts of their bodies to sin, but to God (Romans 6:13). Faith shows up in what your hands, eyes and tongue actually do.

Living. Old sacrifices ended in death. This one keeps living. Galatians 2:20 explains how: “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” The life of a living sacrifice is Christ's life in you.

Holy, acceptable. These were the words for an offering without defect. Because believers are clothed in Christ's righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), God accepts our imperfect offering for Jesus' sake.

Reasonable service. Paul calls this your “reasonable service.” The word for service is latreia (say: lah-TRAY-ah), priestly worship, and reasonable means fitting or logical. In light of all God has done, giving yourself to Him is the only response that makes sense.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20. “You are not your own… For you were bought at a price.” The price was the blood of the Lamb from the first section. Belonging to God is not a loss; it is the safest place to be.

Hebrews 13:15. Praise is called a sacrifice, “the fruit of our lips.” Worship in song and speech is one of the offerings God asks of His people.

Psalm 51:17. David learned after his sin that God wanted “a broken and a contrite heart” more than animals. Honest repentance is part of a living sacrifice.

Ephesians 5:2. Christ's self-giving is the pattern. He gave Himself “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Our love for others becomes an echo of His.

Mark 12:30. Heart, soul, mind and strength: love for God claims every part of life. Romans 12:2 then shows the mind being renewed, so that even our thinking becomes worship.

Application. A living sacrifice is not a special group of super Christians. It is every believer, every day, at school, at home and with friends. Begin each morning by giving God your day, and end it by thanking Him.

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