44 Bible Verses about Self Sacrifice

For whosoever would preserve his life shall lose it; but whosoever would lose his life for my sake, shall preserve it.

For ye have been fellow-sufferers with my bonds, and received with joy the plundering of your properties, knowing in yourselves that you have in the heavens a better substance, and permanent.

By faith Moses, when he became a grown man, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God, than to have a temporary fruition of sin; esteeming the reproach of Christ riches greater than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked earnestly to the recompence of reward.read more.
By faith he forsook Egypt, not intimidated by the wrath of the king: for he boldly persisted, as seeing the invisible [Jehovah].

Jesus said to him, If thou art desirous to be perfect, go, sell all thy substance, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

Then Jesus looking upon him, loved him, and said to him, In one thing thou art defective: go, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor; and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up thy cross, and follow me.

Then Jesus hearing this, said to him, Yet one thing thou lackest: sell all whatsoever thou hast, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

Sell all your possessions, and give in charity; make yourselves purses that wax not old, a treasure never failing in the heavens, where no thief approaches, nor doth the moth destroy.

Then said Peter, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that there is no man who hath left family, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive back manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Then Peter addressing him, said unto him, Lo! we have left all and followed thee; what, I pray thee, shall we receive? Then said Jesus unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye who have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one who hath left family, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit life eternal.

And Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. Then Jesus in reply said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man who hath left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the Gospel's, who shall not receive an hundred-fold more now, at this very time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecution, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as every one had need.

And in the multitude of those that believed there was one heart and soul: and not one person said, that any part of his substance was his peculiar property; but all things were in common among them. And with great power bore the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any person in want among them: for as many as were possessors of fields or houses disposed of them, and brought the prices of the things sold,read more.
and laid them at the apostles' feet: and a distribution was made to every one according as he had need. And Joses, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, (which is, being interpreted, A son of consolation,) a Levite, a Cyprian by birth, having a field belonging to him, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

NOW we inform you, brethren, of the grace of God which hath been bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, hath more abounded to the riches of their liberality. For unto their power, I bear them witness, and above their power, they were voluntarily ready [to give]:read more.
with much entreaty praying us that we would receive the gift, and [undertake] the communication of the contribution for the saints. And not [merely] as we hoped, but gave themselves first to the Lord, and to us according to the will of God.

So then, every one of you who will not part with all his possessions, cannot be my disciple.

He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me.

If any man cometh after me, and hateth not father, and mother, and wife and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

And after these things he went out, and saw a farmer of the taxes, named Levi, sitting at the custom-house: and he said unto him, Follow me. And leaving all behind, he rose, and followed him.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the transcendently excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as offals of ordure, that I may gain Christ,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat falling on the earth undergo a deathlike change, it abideth single: but if it [thus] die, it beareth abundant produce. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world, shall preserve it to life eternal.

And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, he cannot be my disciple.

Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever is desirous to preserve his life, shall lose it; but whosoever would lose his life for my sake, shall find it.

Then calling to him the multitude, with his disciples, he said to them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever would preserve his life shall lose it; but whosoever would lose his life for my sake and the Gospel, he shall preserve it.

And he said unto them, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever would preserve his life shall lose it; but whosoever would lose his life for my sake, shall preserve it.

Whosoever seeketh to preserve his life shall lose it; and whosoever would lose it, shall preserve it.

By this we have known the love [of Christ], because for us he laid down his own life: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whosoever hath worldly abundance, and seeth his brother under necessity, and shutteth his bowels of compassion against him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My dear children, let us not love in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth;

always bearing about in the body the death pangs of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. For we who are yet alive are continually delivered up to death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

For though I be free from all men, I have made myself the servant of all, that I might gain the more. And I became to the Jews as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to those under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not as being without law to God, but under the law to Christ), that I might gain those who were without law.read more.
I became to the weak as weak, that I might gain the weak; I became all things to all men, that by every means I might save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be a partaker of it with you.

and why do we also expose ourselves to danger every hour? I solemnly declare by all the joy over you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Are they the ministers of Christ? (I speak foolishly) I am above [them]: in labours more abundantly, in stripes exceedingly more, in prisons more frequently, in the most immediate danger of death often. Of the Jews five times I have received forty stripes save one. Thrice I have been scourged with rods, once I have been stoned, thrice I have suffered shipwreck, a whole night and day I have passed in the deep;read more.
in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my own countrymen, in perils from the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the desert, in perils on the sea, in perils among false brethren; in labour and travail, in watchings often, in fastings frequently, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness; and beside all these things from without, that accumulated burden which cometh on me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is feeble, and am I not feeble? Who is offended, and am I not on fire?

And I will most cheerfully spend and be spent for your souls, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

Then brother shall surrender brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, that man shall be saved.

And brother shall deliver up brother unto death, and the father the son: and children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

But ye shall be betrayed even by parents, and brethren, and relations, and friends; and some of you they shall put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

And if I deal out all my goods in alms, and deliver up my body that I should be burned, but have not love, I am nothing advantaged by it.

only this, that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and tribulation await thee. Yet I make no account of any [suffering], nor regard my life as of any value to myself, farther than as I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord, to testify fully the Gospel of the grace of God.

And going a little farther, he fell on his face, praying, and saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.

And he went a little farther forward, and fell on the earth, and prayed, that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.

saying, Father, if thou wilt, remove this cup from me! nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.

Yea, and should I become the victim, in the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

And they stoned Stephen, in the act of prayer, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Then falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, impute not to them this sin! And thus speaking, fell asleep.

Let the same sentiment of mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God counted it no usurpation to claim equality with God: but emptied himself, assuming the form of a servant, made after the similitude of mortal men;read more.
and found in fashion as man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even to the death of the cross.

and others had trials of mockeries and whippings, yea and farther of chains and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they experienced the severest trials, they were slain by the edge of the sword: they went about wrapped in skins of sheep and goats, destitute of all things, pressed down with afflictions, suffering all kind of misery; of whom the world was not worthy: they wandered up and down in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens, and caverns of the earth.

And I saw thrones, and persons were seated upon them, and authority to judge was given to them: and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, and had not received the brand in their foreheads, and upon their right hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.