A living sacrifice

The apostle Paul spent much of his ministry encouraging the churches that he visited towards a mode of offering. We read in his letter to the Romans, ‘I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God’. Rom 12:1. In this way, he encouraged them towards the substance and fulfilment of the burnt offering of old. For the Israelites, the burnt offering was foundational to all the other offerings and consisted of an animal sacrifice laid upon the altar along with the grain offering of the firstfruits of the harvest and a drink offering of wine. It was then burnt by fire producing a ‘soothing aroma’ that ascended to God.

The Lord was very specific when He told Moses how the people were to present their burnt offerings. They were to offer the whole animal, and every part of it was to be burnt except for the skin. We know that burning skin does not produce a soothing aroma! This offering was to burn continually. In the book of Exodus we read, ‘Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually’. Ex 29:38. The priests offered a sacrifice every morning and evening so there was always an offering on the altar ascending to the Lord as a fragrant aroma.

We are told that the burnt offering completely represented the one giving it. Moses instructed each person to ‘put his hands on the head of the burnt offering, and it would be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him’. Lev 1:4. The animal for the sacrifice was to be the best that they could possibly afford, without any spots or blemishes. The one bringing the animal for the offering had to put it to death themselves, and then relinquish it to the priests to be cut up and placed on the altar. It also needed to be brought with a willing heart. If it was offered unwillingly, it would not be accepted by the Lord even if every other requirement had been fulfilled.

The apostle Paul understood that Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament offerings in His ‘one offering’ on the cross at Calvary. He said, ‘Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfil. Matt 5:17. More than this, Paul understood that Christ’s death wasn’t a substitute for us in the sense that it’s only purpose was to give us a free ticket to heaven. Instead, Paul compelled us in his letter to the Romans to participate in Christ’s offering by presenting our own bodies as a living sacrifice. Rom 12:1. Of course, he wasn’t saying that we should take the place of the animal being sacrificed, but we must present ourselves as an offering. We join Christ’s offering by presenting ourselves, which includes our time, resources and money. Phil 4:8. It is critical that we understand the principles of the burnt offering so we can learn what it means to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, allowing a soothing aroma to ascend to the Lord.

Nathan Smith

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November 2009

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