The Old Testament’s priestly terms and activities often serve as clues to the parallel. When you have noted each type of sacrifice in the six passages above, compare your list with what follows. Christian sacrifices include…
- The fruit of lips that confess, praise and thank Christ
- Helping others
- Support for the Christian mission
- Giving one’s body in service to God
- Proclaiming and sharing the Good News
- Those you win to Christ are your “offering”
- The ultimate pouring out of life (suffering and being killed for the Christian faith).
Peter, Paul and the writer of Hebrews wrote the passages above. They were Jews who previously had participated in Old Covenant worship where priests burned animals and incense, blew trumpets, waved unleavened breads, and more. These New Testament writers intentionally drew on things from the Old Testament to describe the more spiritual sacrifices of the New Covenant. For example, the “drink offering” was wine that the priest added to the burning animal sacrifice (Exodus 29:40-41; Numbers 15:5-10). Paul borrowed that old worship picture to depict his self-sacrifice as a Christian (Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6).
This is your spiritual worship.
Think about Romans 12:1 and the concept of “a living sacrifice… which is your spiritual worship.” Paul wrote this against the background of the former worship which involved a dead animal. The animal’s life was forcibly taken; it had no choice. Now we take the place of the animal. The difference is that we are “living sacrifices” and we can still choose. We have the option of crawling off the altar when it heats up too much. We can return to safety and comfort simply by becoming less committed. Why endure fiery trials? We stay to suffer because we want to give ourselves for Christ’s cause. This willing self-sacrifice is our spiritual worship that continues all day, all week, and all our remaining years. As in the cases of Peter and Paul (John 21:18-19; 2 Timothy 4:6), giving yourself totally may result in martyrdom—literally suffering death because you follow Christ so faithfully (Revelation 2:10). As in the case of their fellow-apostle John, you may be allowed a full lifespan for serving as a living sacrifice. Whatever the case, this lifestyle of complete sacrifice imitates Christ. It is well described by Ephesians 5:2, which also uses Old Testament imagery to describe that which is far greater.
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2 cf. 1 John 3:16)