By John Greco
Animal sacrifices are gross. Just read through the book of Leviticus, and you’ll be glad you don’t live in the days of temple sacrifice. There’s blood being sprinkled, poured, wiped on the altar, and collected in jars. Animals are cut up so that some parts can be burned, others can be eaten, and still others can be taken outside the camp and burned differently. All in all, it’s a mess.
But there’s also something quite beautiful about it.
Through the sacrificial system, God made a way for His people to come close and worship Him. The tabernacle, and later the temple, housed the very presence of God. That reality defies our limited ability to comprehend, but it’s true nonetheless. God had come close. His space was sacred, and to keep our sinfulness and uncleanness from defiling God’s throne room on earth, the sacrificial system was given. The blood of animals purified the place of worship so that men and women could come near.
At their core, the various sacrifices described in the Old Testament were about worship. The people gave their livestock—the best of the best of what they could afford. It was costly, always an act of ascribing to God the honor due His name. There was no low-priced, discount option that would do the trick. A sacrifice was just that—a sacrifice to make.
Fast-forward to the New Testament era in which you and I live. Jesus has paid the once-and-forever price to atone for our sin so that those He has redeemed can draw near to God, no animal sacrifices required. The Holy Spirit now lives inside those of us who are believers. We are now the temple of God, so everywhere we tread is sacred space, especially when we gather together as the Church. But that doesn’t mean our days of making sacrifices are over.
What was planted in seed form in the Old Testament grows into full bloom in the New. So, we should expect that what was required of the sacrificial system under the Mosaic Covenant only expands under the New Covenant—and it does. God no longer requires the blood of bulls and goats. Now He wants us—you and me—given over to Him as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1–2). Everything we have, everything we are, and everything we do is to be given over to God. We are His, and our lives should show it.
About a thousand years before Christ, David got it. He wrote, “The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God” (Psalm 51:17). It is this “broken spirit’ and “humbled heart” that allows a person to become a living sacrifice. Pride has no place in the life of a Christian. We have been bought and paid for. We belong to God, and our lives ought to reflect this fact. Our sacrifices may not be as bloody as they were under the Old Covenant, but they ought to be even more costly.
Written by John Greco
4,986 thoughts on "Worship Through Sacrifice"
-
Fantastic website you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics talked about here?
I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get comments from
other experienced people that share the same interest.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Appreciate it! -
Have you ever thought about creating an e-book or guest authoring on other sites?
I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and
would really like to have you share some stories/information. I
know my audience would appreciate your work.
If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot
me an email. -
This is my first time pay a visit at here and i am genuinely impressed to read everthing at one place.
-
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I
will bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly.I’m quite certain I’ll learn many new stuff right here!
Good luck for the next!
-
Does your blog have a contact page? I’m having a tough time locating it but,
I’d like to send you an e-mail. I’ve got some suggestions for
your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way,
great website and I look forward to seeing it improve over time. -
hello!,I like your writing so so much! proportion we communicate extra about your post on AOL?
I require an expert in this area to resolve my problem. May be that’s
you! Having a look forward to see you. -
Admiring the persistence you put into your blog and detailed information you offer.
It’s nice to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed material.
Wonderful read! I’ve saved your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account. -
Excellent web site. Plenty of useful info here. I am sending
it to some pals anns additionally sharing in delicious.
And obviously, thank you for your sweat! -
Does your site have a contact page? I’m having problems locating it but, I’d
like to shoot you an email. I’ve got some recommendations for your blog you might be interested in hearing.
Either way, great website and I look forward to
seeing it expand over time. -
What’s up, its fastidious post on the topic of media print, we
all be familiar with media is a great source of data. -
Incredible points. Outstanding arguments. Keep up the
good work. -
My spouse and I stumbled over here from a different web address
and thought I might check things out. I like what I
see so now i am following you. Look forward to going over your web
page yet again. -
Thanks to my father who told me about this weblog, this blog is
in fact awesome. -
magnificent post, very informative. I’m wondering why
the opposite experts of this sector don’t understand this.
You should proceed your writing. I am confident, you’ve a huge readers’ base already! -
I don’t even understand how I ended up right here, however I believed this publish used to be good.
I don’t recognise who you are however certainly you’re going to a famous blogger when you aren’t
already. Cheers! -
Hi there would you mind stating which blog platform you’re working with?
I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m
having a hard time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and
I’m looking for something unique. P.S Apologies for getting off-topic but I had
to ask! -
I could not resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!
-
It’s very straightforward to find out any matter on web as compared to textbooks,
as I found this paragraph at this web page. -
Great blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?
A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my
blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your theme.
Appreciate it -
Clearly, loads of gamers shell out for those donuts.
Comments are closed.
Post Comments (4986)