55 Bible Verses about Sacrifice

And when He heard it, He said, "It is not well, but sick people that have to send for a doctor. Go, learn what this means, 'It is mercy and not sacrifice that I want.' It is not upright but sinful people that I have come to invite."

For since the law cast only a shadow of the blessings to come and did not possess the reality itself of those blessings, the priests with the same sacrifices that are perpetually offered year after year cannot make perfect those who come to worship. Otherwise, would they not have ceased offering them, because those who offered them, having once been purified, would have had no further consciousness of sins? On the other hand, through these sacrifices there is given a real reminder of their sins, read more.
for the blood of bulls and goats is unable to take away sins. So, when Christ was coming into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not wish, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings you never took delight. Then I said, 'See, I have come, just as the Scripture writes about me in the book, O God, to do your will.'" Although at first He said, "You never wished or took delight in sacrifices and offerings, burnt-offerings and sin-offerings" -- all of which are repeatedly offered in accordance with the law -- He afterward said, "See, I have come to do your will." He is taking away the first to let the second take its place.

I have been crucified with Christ, and I myself no longer live, but Christ is living in me; the life I now live as a mortal man I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

I beg you, therefore, brothers, through these mercies God has shown you, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies as a living sacrifice, devoted and well-pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. Stop living in accordance with the customs of this world, but by the new ideals that mold your minds continue to transform yourselves, so as to find and follow God's will; that is, what is good, well-pleasing to Him, and perfect.

For the love of Christ continuously constrains me, because I am convinced that as One died for all, all have died, and He died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

I know, and through my union with the Lord Jesus I have a clear conviction, that nothing is unclean in itself; that a thing is unclean only to the person who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is hurt because of the food you eat, you are not living by the standard of love. Stop ruining, by what you eat, the man for whom Christ died. Then stop abusing your rights. read more.
For the kingdom of God does not consist in what we eat and drink, but in doing right, in peace and joy through the Holy Spirit; whoever in this way continues serving Christ is well-pleasing to God and approved by men. So let us keep on pursuing the things that make for peace and our mutual upbuilding. Stop undoing the work of God just for the sake of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything when it makes another stumble. The right thing to do is not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything else, that makes your brother stumble. On your part, you must exercise your faith by the standard of yourself in the sight of God. Happy is the man who need not condemn himself for doing the thing that he approves. But the man who has misgivings about eating, if he then eats, has already condemned himself by so doing, because he did not follow his faith, and any action that does not follow one's faith is a sin.

Now about the foods that have been sacrificed to idols: We know that every one of us has some knowledge of the matter. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If a man supposes that he has already gotten some true knowledge, as yet he has not learned it as he ought to know it. But if a man loves God, God is known by him. read more.
So, as to eating things that have been sacrificed to idols, we are sure that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but One. For even if there are so-called gods in heaven or on earth -- as there are, indeed, a vast number of gods and lords -- yet for us there is but one God, the Father, who is the source of all things and the goal of our living, and but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made and through whom we live. But it is not in all of you that such knowledge is found. Some, because of their past habits with idols, even down to the present moment, still eat such food as was really sacrificed to an idol, and so their consciences, because they are overscrupulous, are contaminated. Food will never bring us near to God. We are no worse if we do not eat it; we are no better if we do. But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block to overscrupulous people. For if somebody sees you, who have an intelligent view of this matter, partaking of a meal in an idol's temple, will he not be emboldened, with his overscrupulous conscience, to eat the food which has been sacrificed to an idol? Yes, the overscrupulous brother, for whom Christ died, is ruined by your so-called knowledge. Now if in such a way you sin against your brothers and wound their overscrupulous consciences, you are actually sinning against Christ. So then, if food can make my brother fall, I will never, no, never, eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from falling.

So then, my dearly beloved, keep on running from idolatry. I am speaking to sensible men; decide for yourselves about what I say. Is not the consecrated cup which we consecrate a sign of our sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the loaf which we break a sign of our sharing in the body of Christ? read more.
Because there is only one loaf, so we, though many, are only one body, for we all partake of one loaf. Look at the Israelites in their practices. Are not those who eat the sacrifices in spiritual fellowship with the altar? Then what do I mean? That the sacrifice to an idol is a reality, or that an idol itself is a reality? Of course not! I mean that what the heathen sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be in fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot eat at the table of the Lord and at the table of demons. Or, are we trying to incite the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? Everything is permissible for people, but not everything is good for them. Everything is permissible for people, but not everything builds up their personality. No one should always be looking after his own welfare, but also that of his neighbor. As a rule eat anything that is sold in the meat market without raising any question about it for conscience' sake, for the earth and everything that it contains belong to the Lord. If some unbelieving heathen invites you to his house, and you wish to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question for conscience' sake. But if someone says to you, "This meat has been offered as a heathen sacrifice," make it your rule not to eat it, for the sake of the man who warned you and for conscience' sake; I mean his conscience, not yours. Why then should my personal freedom be limited by another's conscience? If I give thanks and thus partake of food, why am I to be blamed for that for which I give thanks? So if you eat or drink or do anything else, do everything to honor God. Stop being stumbling blocks to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, just as I myself am in the habit of pleasing everybody in everything, not aiming at my own welfare but at that of as many people as possible, in order that they may be saved.

So Jesus, too, in order to purify the people by His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Let us, therefore, go to Him outside the camp, enduring the reproach that He endured; for we have no permanent city here, but we are searching for that city which is to be ours. read more.
So then, through Christ, let us always offer God the sacrifice of praise; that is, the speech of lips that glorify the name of God. And stop neglecting to do good and to be generous, for God is highly pleased with just such sacrifices as these.

Then one of the scribes, on hearing them arguing, came up, and since he saw that Jesus had answered them properly, he asked Him, "What sort of command is the first of all commands?" Jesus answered, "The first one is, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole mind, and your whole strength.' read more.
And this is the second, 'You must love your neighbor as you do yourself.' No other command is greater than these." Then the scribe said to Him, "Indeed, Teacher, you have properly said that He is one by Himself, and there is no other but Him, and to love Him with one's whole heart, one's whole understanding, and one's whole strength, and to love one's neighbor as one loves himself is far more than all the burnt-offerings and sacrifices."

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said, "Look! He is the Lamb of God who is to take away the world's sin.

Then I saw, midway between the throne and the four living creatures, standing among the elders, a Lamb that looked as though He had been slaughtered. He had seven horns and seven eyes; the latter are the seven spirits of God which are sent on duty to every portion of the earth. He came and took the book from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne. When He took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each with a harp, and golden bowls that were full of incense, which represent the prayers of God's people. read more.
Then they sang a new song: "You deserve to take the book and break its seals, because you have been slaughtered, and with your blood have bought men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, and have made them a kingdom of priests for our God; and they will rule over the earth." Then I looked and heard the voices of many angels surrounding the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying in a loud voice: "The Lamb that was slaughtered deserves to receive power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing." Then I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, underneath the earth, and on the sea, and all that they contain, say: "Blessing, honor, glory, and power be to Him who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever."

We know what love is from the fact that He laid down His life for us; and so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

For since the law cast only a shadow of the blessings to come and did not possess the reality itself of those blessings, the priests with the same sacrifices that are perpetually offered year after year cannot make perfect those who come to worship.