49 Bible Verses about Self Sacrifice

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me, this person will save it.

And Boaz answered and said to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband was fully told to me. [How] you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and you went to a people that you did not know {before}.

So then, please let your servant remain in place of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers. For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? {I do not want to see} the misery which will find my father."

For you both sympathized with the prisoners and put up with the seizure of your belongings with joy [because you] knew that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

By faith Moses, [when he] was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God [rather] than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin, considering {reproach endured for the sake of Christ} greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.read more.
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the anger of the king, for he persevered as [if he] saw the invisible one.

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give [the proceeds] to the poor--and you will have treasure in heaven--and come, follow me."

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one [thing]: Go, sell all that you have, and give [the proceeds] to the poor--and you will have treasure in heaven--and come, follow me."

And [when he] heard [this], Jesus said to him, "{You still lack one thing}: Sell all that you have, and distribute [the proceeds] to the poor--and you will have treasure in heaven--and come, follow me."

Sell your possessions and give charitable gifts. Make for yourselves money bags that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven where thief does not approach or moth destroy.

And Peter said, "Behold, we have left {all that is ours} [and] followed you." And he said to them, "Truly I say to you that there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children on account of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time and in the age to come, eternal life."

Then Peter answered [and] said to him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us?" And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that in the renewal [of the world], when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me--you also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields on account of my name will receive a hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

Peter began to say to him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields on account of me and on account of the gospel {who will not} receive a hundred times as much now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, together with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life.

And all who believed were in the same [place], and had everything in common. And they began selling [their] possessions and property, and distributing these [things] to all, to the degree that anyone had need.

Now the group of those who believed were one heart and soul, and no one said anything of what belonged to him was his own, but all [things] were theirs in common. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony [to] the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. For there was not even anyone needy among them, because all those who were owners of plots of land or houses were selling [them] [and] bringing the proceeds of the things that were soldread more.
and placing [them] at the feet of the apostles. And it was being distributed to each as anyone had need. So Joseph, who was called Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated "son of encouragement"), a Levite of Cyprus by nationality, sold a field that belonged to him [and] brought the money and placed [it] at the feet of the apostles.

Now we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, that with a great ordeal of affliction, the abundance of their joy and the extreme depth of their poverty have overflowed to the wealth of their generosity. I testify that [they gave] according to [their] ability, and beyond [their] ability, by their own choice,read more.
requesting of us with much exhortation the favor and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints, and not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and [then] to us, by the will of God.

In the [same] way, therefore, every [one] of you who does not renounce all his own possessions {cannot be} my disciple.

The one who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and furthermore, even his own life, {he cannot be} my disciple.

And after these [things], he went out and saw a tax collector {named} Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me!" And leaving everything behind, he got up [and] began to follow him.

{More than that}, even consider all [things] to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I have suffered the loss of all [things], and consider [them] dung, in order that I may gain Christ

Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth [and] dies, it remains [by] itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world preserves it for eternal life.

And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and {follow} me {cannot be} my disciple.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will find it.

And summoning the crowd together with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me and of the gospel will save it.

And he said to [them] all, "If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me, this person will save it.

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses [it] will keep it.

We have come to know love by this: that {he} laid down his life on behalf of us, and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers. But whoever has the world's material possessions and observes his brother {in need} and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God reside in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

always carrying around the death of Jesus in our body, in order that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive [are] continually being handed over to death because of Jesus, in order that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.

For [although I] am free from all [people], I have enslaved myself to all, in order that I may gain more. I have become like a Jew to the Jews, in order that I may gain the Jews. To those under the law [I became] as under the law ([although I] myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law. To those outside the law [I became] as outside the law ([although I] am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law.read more.
To the weak I became weak, in order that I may gain the weak. I have become all [things] to all [people], in order that by all means I may save some. I do all [this] for the sake of the gospel, in order that I may become a participant with it.

And why are we in danger every hour? I die every day--yes indeed, by my boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Are they servants of Christ?--I am speaking as though I were beside myself--I [am] more so, with far greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with beatings to a much greater degree, in [danger of] death many times. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews forty [lashes] less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. A day and a night I have spent in the deep water.read more.
[I have been] on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from [my own] people, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers because of false brothers, with toil and hardship, often in sleepless nights, with hunger and thirst, often going hungry, in cold and poorly clothed. Apart from these external things, [there is] the pressure on me every day of the anxiety about all the churches. Who is weak, and [I am] not weak? Who is caused to sin, and I do not burn [with indignation]?

But I will spend and be expended most gladly for your lives. If I love you much more, am I to be loved less?

"And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father [his] children, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end--this one will be saved.

And brother will hand over brother to death, and a father [his] child, and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end--this one will be saved.

And you will be handed over even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put to death [some] of you. And you will be hated by all because of my name.

And if I parcel out all my possessions, and if I hand over my body in order that I will be burned, but do not have love, it benefits [me] nothing.

except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in town [after town], saying that bonds and persecutions await me. But I consider [my] life [as] worth {nothing} to myself, in order to finish my mission and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify [to] the gospel of the grace of God.

And now if you will forgive their sin--and if not, please blot me from your scroll that you have written."

And three of the thirty chiefs went down toward the rock to David at the cave of Adullam when the army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. And David [was] then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines [was] then in Bethlehem. And David had a craving, and he said, "Who could give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem that [is] by the gate!"read more.
Then the three broke through into the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that [was] by the gate and brought [it] and came to David. But David would not drink it and poured it out before Yahweh. And he said, "Far be it from me [that] I would do this before my God. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For {at the risk of their lives} they brought it." And he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

And going forward a little he fell down on his face, praying and saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you [will]."

And going forward a little he fell to the ground and began to pray that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all [things] [are] possible for you! Take away this cup from me! Yet not what I will, but what you [will]."

saying, "Father, if you are willing, take away this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done." [[

But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with all of you.

And they kept on stoning Stephen [as he] was calling out and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" And falling to [his] knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And [after he] said this, he fell asleep.

She said to him, "My father, {you made an oath} to Yahweh. Do to me according to what has gone out from your mouth, since Yahweh gave vengeance to you against your enemies, the {Ammonites}." And she said to her father, "Let this thing be done for me: grant me two months so that I may go wander on the mountains and lament over my virginity, I and my companions. And he said, "Go." He sent her away [for] two months, and she went with her friends, and she lamented over her virginity on the mountains.

Think this in yourselves which [was] also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself [by] taking the form of a slave, [by] becoming in the likeness of people. And being found in appearance like a man,read more.
he humbled himself [by] becoming obedient to the point of death, that is, death on a cross.

And others {experienced mocking and flogging}, and in addition bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground.

And I saw thrones, and they sat down on them, and authority to judge was granted to them. And [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ [for] a thousand years.