"Next time, we will look at the Biblical model for sacrifice, what it demands of those of us who are called Christians, and how and why we should be striving for it on a day to day basis in our own daily lives."
I made this comment at the end of my last full length post with the intent of writing the remainder of my thoughts the following day. As we can all attest life (with it's varied nuances and colorful mishappenings) rarely allows one the opportunity to do all one would in a given time frame. Regardless, I would like to pick up this discussion once again so I can finish my thoughts on this important issue.
What is the Biblical model of sacrifice we should follow? Does the Bible commend us to give of ourselves in loving sacrifice for others? We can emphatically say, "It does!" The how can be as varied as our examples in our last post on this subject. I would turn now to the "why" of the matter. Why should we? The typical "Sunday School" answer of "the Bible tells us to" will not suffice, I think, for modern readers and Church goers. They need something more. What they need, to answer the why of self-giving and sacrifice, is an image of the sacrificial God of the Christian Church. God gives nothing less than himself in Creation, Incarnation and Pentecost. God breathed his Spirit into the man he had formed and man became a living soul. He gives. The Son of God became incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gives. The disciples praying in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. He gives.
We understand giving, whether charitable or otherwise, as something all Christians should be involved in. But what about sacrifice? Does the Bible really commend us to this? We look, again, at the sacrifice of God in Christ. He offered himself up and became sin for us. He is the subject and object of sacrifice. He is both High Priest and Offering for us. In no other person has sacrifice been so embodied. He gives and at the same time becomes sacrifice.
What does this mean for us? It means that if we are to be called Christians, if we are to follow in the footsteps of Christ, we must offer ourselves up as "living sacrifices" (Rom 12:1) for the world. I am a firm believer that God does not call us to sacrifice for our own benefit, but rather requires sacrifice of us so that we might reach the world with the message of Christ. No where in Christian history have people sacrificed, truly sacrificed, for themselves. It is always in the hope and expectation that through our obedience and self-giving God will reach others. We ought to desire, to pray that God will show us areas of our lives where we can make sacrifices (however big or small they may be) and make them expecting him to do a great work through us. Only then will we understand the desire God has for each of our lives.
I made this comment at the end of my last full length post with the intent of writing the remainder of my thoughts the following day. As we can all attest life (with it's varied nuances and colorful mishappenings) rarely allows one the opportunity to do all one would in a given time frame. Regardless, I would like to pick up this discussion once again so I can finish my thoughts on this important issue.
What is the Biblical model of sacrifice we should follow? Does the Bible commend us to give of ourselves in loving sacrifice for others? We can emphatically say, "It does!" The how can be as varied as our examples in our last post on this subject. I would turn now to the "why" of the matter. Why should we? The typical "Sunday School" answer of "the Bible tells us to" will not suffice, I think, for modern readers and Church goers. They need something more. What they need, to answer the why of self-giving and sacrifice, is an image of the sacrificial God of the Christian Church. God gives nothing less than himself in Creation, Incarnation and Pentecost. God breathed his Spirit into the man he had formed and man became a living soul. He gives. The Son of God became incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gives. The disciples praying in the Upper Room were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. He gives.
We understand giving, whether charitable or otherwise, as something all Christians should be involved in. But what about sacrifice? Does the Bible really commend us to this? We look, again, at the sacrifice of God in Christ. He offered himself up and became sin for us. He is the subject and object of sacrifice. He is both High Priest and Offering for us. In no other person has sacrifice been so embodied. He gives and at the same time becomes sacrifice.
What does this mean for us? It means that if we are to be called Christians, if we are to follow in the footsteps of Christ, we must offer ourselves up as "living sacrifices" (Rom 12:1) for the world. I am a firm believer that God does not call us to sacrifice for our own benefit, but rather requires sacrifice of us so that we might reach the world with the message of Christ. No where in Christian history have people sacrificed, truly sacrificed, for themselves. It is always in the hope and expectation that through our obedience and self-giving God will reach others. We ought to desire, to pray that God will show us areas of our lives where we can make sacrifices (however big or small they may be) and make them expecting him to do a great work through us. Only then will we understand the desire God has for each of our lives.
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