Sunday, March 29, 2020

Offering & Sacrifice

“Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor” (Ephesians 5:2).

We might well ask, what is the difference between an offering and a sacrifice? The answer is really very simple: the offering is what is given — the contribution, and the sacrifice is the cost.

• The Lord Jesus offered Himself:

“Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God” (Hebrews 9:14).

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

• The cost was His life and the shedding of His blood:

“He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16).

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).