Main Entry: 1sac·ri·fice Pronunciation: \ˈsa-krə-ˌfīs, also -fəs or -ˌfīz\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sacrificium, from sacr-, sacer + facere to make - more at do Date: 13th century
1 : an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially : the killing of a victim on an altar 2 : something offered in sacrifice 3 a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b : something given up or lost 4 : loss 5 : sacrifice hit
Basically Christ Jesus was offered in sacrifice. He came to Earth to first teach us how to truly please God and live in harmony with one another. God knew that He would never be accepted as the Messiah because the Jews had a long history (and still have that history) of being thick-headed and obstinate. The leaders were so stuck in their human-created traditions that they couldn't see that the road they were headed down wouldn't lead them to God.
Christ came to Earth to also be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for which sin for all time would be forgiven, but there is one caveat. You need to accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. You need to believe that He died for your sins for no other reason than God loved us. From the beginning of time, when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, there was the first blood sacrifice; when God killed the animals to make clothing out of their hides when he cast Adam and Eve out of paradise (while Eve was indeed tricked into sinning, Adam went in with eyes wide open fully knowing what he was doing was in rebellion to God's will). We see blood sacrifices afterward when Cain and Abel are offering their sacrifices to God. God finds Abel's sacrifice pleasing (the 1st and best animal) while He find's Cain not pleasing (Cain's was fruits and vegetables).
These sacrifices (which were later codified by God after Israel's exodus from Egypt) were a precursor to the perfect sacrifice that He had in mind. His own son (which is also God incarnate). Christ came to earth, was tempted, and still lived a sinless life so as to remain a perfect offering to God. When He died (and subsequently cast off the shackles of death in His resurrection, thereby defeating Satan once and for all), He provided a way for us to return to perfect fellowship with our creator. God would prefer it if everyone came back into fellowship with Him and cast aside their sinful ways.
Because of God's perfection, His awesome holiness, He cannot stand to be near us when we are living in sin. Thankfully, the blood of Christ is enough to wash away each and every sin we ever committed. We still suffer the consequences here on Earth (such as a convicted murderer who truthfully comes into fellowship with God), but God remembers our sin no more. Because He loves us, He provided us with a way, through His son, to come back into fellowship with Him. Otherwise we would all be destined for hell.
First lets start off with the definition from Merriam-Webster:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice
Main Entry: 1sac·ri·fice
Pronunciation: \ˈsa-krə-ˌfīs, also -fəs or -ˌfīz\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sacrificium, from sacr-, sacer + facere to make - more at do
Date: 13th century
1 : an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially : the killing of a victim on an altar
2 : something offered in sacrifice
3 a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b : something given up or lost
4 : loss
5 : sacrifice hit
Basically Christ Jesus was offered in sacrifice. He came to Earth to first teach us how to truly please God and live in harmony with one another. God knew that He would never be accepted as the Messiah because the Jews had a long history (and still have that history) of being thick-headed and obstinate. The leaders were so stuck in their human-created traditions that they couldn't see that the road they were headed down wouldn't lead them to God.
Christ came to Earth to also be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for which sin for all time would be forgiven, but there is one caveat. You need to accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior. You need to believe that He died for your sins for no other reason than God loved us. From the beginning of time, when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, there was the first blood sacrifice; when God killed the animals to make clothing out of their hides when he cast Adam and Eve out of paradise (while Eve was indeed tricked into sinning, Adam went in with eyes wide open fully knowing what he was doing was in rebellion to God's will). We see blood sacrifices afterward when Cain and Abel are offering their sacrifices to God. God finds Abel's sacrifice pleasing (the 1st and best animal) while He find's Cain not pleasing (Cain's was fruits and vegetables).
These sacrifices (which were later codified by God after Israel's exodus from Egypt) were a precursor to the perfect sacrifice that He had in mind. His own son (which is also God incarnate). Christ came to earth, was tempted, and still lived a sinless life so as to remain a perfect offering to God. When He died (and subsequently cast off the shackles of death in His resurrection, thereby defeating Satan once and for all), He provided a way for us to return to perfect fellowship with our creator. God would prefer it if everyone came back into fellowship with Him and cast aside their sinful ways.
Because of God's perfection, His awesome holiness, He cannot stand to be near us when we are living in sin. Thankfully, the blood of Christ is enough to wash away each and every sin we ever committed. We still suffer the consequences here on Earth (such as a convicted murderer who truthfully comes into fellowship with God), but God remembers our sin no more. Because He loves us, He provided us with a way, through His son, to come back into fellowship with Him. Otherwise we would all be destined for hell.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment