# sacrifice, offering #

## Definition: ##

In the Bible, the terms "sacrifice" and "offering" refer to special gifts given to God as an act of worshiping him. People also offered sacrifices to false gods.

* The word "offering" generally refers to anything that is offered or given. The term "sacrifice" refers to something that is given or done at great cost to the giver.
* Offerings to God were specific things that he commanded the Israelites to give in order to express devotion and obedience to him.
* The names of the different offerings, such as "burnt offering" and "peace offering," indicated what kind of offering was being given.
* Sacrifices to God often involved the killing of an animal.
* Only the sacrifice of Jesus, God's perfect, sinless Son, can completely cleanse people from sin. Animal sacrifices could never do that.
* The figurative expression "offer yourselves as a living sacrifice" means, "live your life in complete obedience to God, giving up everything in order to serve him."

## Translation Suggestions ##

* The term "offering" could also be translated as "a gift to God" or "something given to God" or "something valuable that is presented to God."
* Depending on the context, the term "sacrifice" could also be translated as "something valuable given in worship" or "a special animal killed and presented to God."
* The action, "to sacrifice" could be translated as, "to give up something valuable" or "to kill an animal and give it to God."
* Another way to translate "present yourself as a living sacrifice" could be, "As you live your life, offer yourself to God as completely as an animal that is offered on an altar."

(See also: [altar](../other/altar.md) **·** [burntoffering](../other/burntoffering.md) **·** [drinkoffering](../other/drinkoffering.md) **·** [falsegod](../kt/falsegod.md) **·** [fellowshipoffering](../other/fellowshipoffering.md) **·** [freewilloffering](../other/freewilloffering.md) [peaceoffering](../other/peaceoffering.md) **·** [priest](../kt/priest.md) **·** [sinoffering](../other/sinoffering.md) **·** [worship](../kt/worship.md))

## Bible References: ##

* [2 Timothy 04:6-8](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/2ti/04/06)
* [Acts 07:41-42](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/act/07/41)
* [Acts 21:25-26](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/act/21/25)
* [Genesis 04:3-5](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/gen/04/03)
* [James 02:21-24](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/jas/02/21)
* [Mark 01:43-44](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/mrk/01/43)
* [Mark 14:12-14](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/mrk/14/12)
* [Matthew 05:23-24](https://door43.org/en/bible/notes/mat/05/23)

## Examples from the Bible stories: ##

* __[03-14](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/03-14)__ After Noah got off the boat, he built an altar and __sacrificed__  some of each kind of animal which could be used for a __sacrifice__. God was happy with the __sacrifice__  and blessed Noah and his family.
* __[05-06](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/05-06)__"Take Isaac, your only son, and kill him as a __sacrifice__  to me." Again Abraham obeyed God and prepared to __sacrifice__  his son.
* __[05-09](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/05-09)__ God had provided the ram to be the __sacrifice__  instead of Isaac.
* __[13-09](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/13-09)__ Anyone who disobeyed God's law could bring an animal to the Tent of Meeting as a __sacrifice__  to God. A priest would kill the animal and burn it on the altar. The blood of the animal that was __sacrificed__  covered the person's sin and made that person clean in God's sight.
* __[17-06](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/17-06)__ David wanted to build a temple where all the Israelites could worship God and offer him __sacrifices__.
* __[48-06](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/48-06)__ Jesus is the Great High Priest. Unlike other priests, he offered himself as the only __sacrifice__  that could to take away the sin of all the people in the world.
* __[48-08](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/48-08)__ But God provided Jesus, the Lamb of God, as a __sacrifice__  to die in our place.
* __[49-11](https://door43.org/en/obs/notes/frames/49-11)__ Because Jesus __sacrificed__  himself, God can forgive any sin, even terrible sins.