Sacrifices - Acceptable and Unacceptable

From: The Christian Shepherd: 2001

By: Michel Payette

• 3 min. read • grade level: 8

Three Acceptable Sacrifices

Every believer in the Lord Jesus is a priest (1 Peter 2:5,9⁵Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)
⁹But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9); Rev. 1:6⁶And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:6)) and is called to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Him. Let’s consider three.

1. There is the sacrifice of the believer’s body, according to Romans 12:1¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)—a living sacrifice in contrast to dead works and dead beasts offered under the Old Testament covenant of law (Heb. 6:1; 9:14¹Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (Hebrews 6:1)
¹⁴How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)).

2. In Hebrews 13:15¹⁵By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15) there is the sacrifice of praise. This is offered to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. All praises and prayers go through Him to the Father. As our great High Priest, the One who presents the sacrifice, He takes away any imperfection and presents all according to His own excellency and virtue. The sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips confessing His name, is acceptable to God in the measure in which it comes from the heart. From this same source, the lips of His redeemed offer praise.

3. There is the sacrifice of our substance—our physical resources (Heb. 13:16¹⁶But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. (Hebrews 13:16); Phil. 4:18¹⁸But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. (Philippians 4:18)). Scripture teaches us to use our physical and material possessions to do good and to share with those who are in need. God is pleased with such sacrifices that are a practical expression of love. This is the very opposite of accumulating for self.

All that is offered—our bodies, our praise and our goods—must be offered by the Spirit, in a spirit of thanksgiving and appreciation for the one sacrifice offered once for all by the Father and the Son, for “they went both of them together” (Gen. 22:6,8⁶And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:6)
⁸And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:8)).

Three Unacceptable Sacrifices

1. Cain’s offering was unacceptable because of the nature of his offering. Abel had offered of his flock; he had shed blood. His offering showed that it is by the death of an innocent substitute that we draw near to God. We are accepted in the value of the offering. Hebrews 10:10,14¹⁰By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)
¹⁴For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14) shows that this offering is Christ.

The fruit of a cursed earth (Gen. 3:17¹⁷And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; (Genesis 3:17)) offered by Cain well represents man’s efforts and good deeds, offered in opposition to the precious blood of Christ, shed at the cross. God cannot accept such.

2. The offering of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10) was not acceptable because of the manner in which it was offered. Through natural energy, strange fire was brought to burn incense. This reminds us that the worshippers God desires must not only worship in truth but also in the power and energy of the Spirit (John 4:23²³But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23)). The energy of the flesh is never acceptable to Him.

3. Uzziah’s offering (2 Chron. 26:16¹⁶But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. (2 Chronicles 26:16)) was not acceptable because of who offered it. The king was not a priest—that was presumption on his part. Only the Lord Jesus Christ assumes in His person the two offices of king and priest (Heb. 7¹⁶Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. (Hebrews 7:16)).

God looks at what is offered, how it is offered and who offers. The acceptable offering is centered on Christ and offered through the Spirit by a true believer, now a priest (1 Peter 2:5⁵Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)). By one offering we have been perfected forever—Christ offered Himself without spot to God by the eternal Spirit (Heb. 10:14; 9:14¹⁴For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)
¹⁴How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)).

M. Payette (adapted)

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