I wish to raise a question to you about something that is at the foundation of our faith. It’s an important concept to our belief system. And those who leave such a question unanswered will ultimately be left with a hole in their belief system, walking throughout life questioning what they believe.
In this article, I’m going to make mentions to specific parts of scripture. I encourage you, the reader, to do your own research on this subject. Know what we are talking about here so you can be prepared for difficult life challenges that are surely coming.
In this talk about sacrifice, we begin with the general concept of how it affects our faith. When we look to the cross, it is obviously through Christ that we are forgiven of sin. It is through His own shedding of blood that allows us to go to heaven someday. Saved by grace and not by works. It is 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 and Hebrews 9:28 that state Christ came to offer himself as a living sacrifice to pay off the debt of our sins. But there is so much more to this discussion than just that. So let’s continue…
It is John 15:13 that Jesus states there is “no greater love shown than dying for your friends.” This can be seen at the cross, in that Christ was willing to die for us — his friends. It is the one honorable and noble thing a person can do for another. And so that is what he did. Christ was the ‘sacrificial lamb’ who atoned for our sins. And as a result, we are to follow his example and give up our own lives. In other words, take up the cross and follow Christ. Don’t be fooled. To be a Christian is a hard life. The whole world is living in a life of sin, and we are called to ‘go against the tide,’ as we covered last week. Hebrews 12:1–2 tells us to follow Christ’s perfect example. In addition, Mark 10:45 states Christ did not come to be served. Rather, he came to serve. To serve us. And we are to have the same attitude as our king.
Before we continue on in this discussion, let’s talk about Luke 9:24. It states in this bit of scripture that those who lose their life will keep it eternal, and those who love their life will lose it for eternal. So if you’re not loving your life, it can actually be a good thing. Be happy. By giving our earthly life as a life of service and handing it over to Christ, we will keep our life in heaven and beyond! It’s a promise of great hope we as Christians can always keep. We will endure difficult times. But be of good cheer. Christ has overcome the world.
An important point to mention is both Proverbs 21:3 and Matthew 9:13. It is through both of these bits of scripture that show us what God really wants from us. In Proverbs 21:3, it states that to do what is right and just is better than sacrifice. Likewise, Matthew 9:13 is referenced to Hosea 6:6, where it talks about how God desires holy living rather than sacrifice. This is important to mention because back in the old testament days, it was through sacrifice that they were cleansed of sin. Yet, Hosea 6:6 is stating holy living is more important. That’s quite a claim! And it’s an important point in our faith. What it says is this: God rather wants us to obediently follow Christ’s example and live a pure and honorable life. God prioritizes this more than the living sacrifices that the old testament Jews did during their day. So let us take that for heart.
It is hoped through this article that you have learned the importance of holy living. So you might be asking the question, “How can I motivate myself to live a holy life for Christ in such a sinful world?” If you’re asking such a question, I would encourage you to read books about the glory of heaven. How it will be one glorious and exciting part of our life that will go on forever and ever for those who have given their life for Christ. The reason I’m mentioning this is because it gives us motivation. If a marathon runner is coming close to the finish line, they become excited and get an extra adrenaline boost by seeing the finish line. They know that once they cross the finish line, their time of struggle is up! And that’s how we are to approach this life. It’s a race. And I’m here to tell you that once this life is up, you will have eternity with Christ to look forward to.
May God bless you all.