By Babu Tendu Sacrifice is a central theme in the Bible. The act of sacrifice often signifies devotion, love, and surrender to God. In many instances, Bible verses about sacrifice show the ultimate price individuals paid for their faith.
Whether it’s the offering of animals in the Old Testament or the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, the theme of giving something precious to honor God resonates deeply. For Christians today, these verses remind us of the need to offer ourselves daily in obedience and love.
This article explores various Bible verses about sacrifice, spanning across different books of the Bible. As we delve into these verses, we will see how sacrifice serves as a key component of faith.
These verses also teach us the importance of laying down our lives and following God’s will. Let’s explore 50 Bible verses about sacrifice, highlighting how God calls believers to live sacrificially.
List of Bible verses about sacrifice
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Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Genesis 22:2
“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.’”
Hebrews 13:16
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Psalm 51:17
“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
John 15:13
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Leviticus 1:9
“He is to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.”
Luke 9:24
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
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1 Samuel 15:22
“But Samuel replied: ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'”
Ephesians 5:2
“And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Proverbs 21:3
“To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
Matthew 9:13
“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'”
Isaiah 53:5
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Exodus 20:24
“‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.'”
Mark 10:45
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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Jeremiah 7:22-23
“For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.”
1 Peter 2:5
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Deuteronomy 15:21
“If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.”
2 Corinthians 9:7
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Psalm 40:6
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened—burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.”
Hosea 6:6
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
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Philippians 4:18
“I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”
2 Samuel 24:24
“But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.”
Micah 6:6-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Hebrews 10:12
“But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”
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Numbers 15:25
“The priest is to make atonement for the whole Israelite community, and they will be forgiven, for it was not intentional and they have presented to the Lord for their wrong a food offering made by fire and a sin offering.”
Isaiah 1:11
“The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.”
Colossians 1:22
“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
Zechariah 14:21
“Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty.”
1 John 2:2
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
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1 Kings 8:63
“Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord.”
Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Revelation 5:9
“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.'”
Amos 5:22
“Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.”
1 Chronicles 21:24
“But King David replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.’”
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Job 1:5
“When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ This was Job’s regular custom.”
Luke 2:24
“And to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.'”
Ezra 6:10
“So that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.”
Titus 2:14
“Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
1 John 4:10
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
2 Chronicles 29:31
“Then Hezekiah said, ‘You have now dedicated yourselves to the Lord. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the Lord.’ So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.”
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Isaiah 53:10
“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.”
Matthew 26:28
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
2 Timothy 4:6
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.”
Malachi 1:8
“When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.”
Jeremiah 33:11
“The sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, ‘Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.”
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Daniel 9:27
“He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Leviticus 22:19-20
“You must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.”
1 Corinthians 5:7
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”
Nehemiah 10:33
“For the bread set out on the table; for the regular grain offerings and burnt offerings; for the offerings on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals; for the holy offerings; for sin offerings to make atonement for Israel; and for all the duties of the house of our God.”
Mark 14:24
“‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,’ he said to them.”
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Conclusion
Bible verses about sacrifice remind us of selflessness. These verses show the beauty of laying down our lives. Sacrifice means giving up something valuable. It reflects obedience, faith, and love. Throughout the Bible, sacrifice is a common thread. Bible verses about sacrifice show us God’s heart. He desires both physical and spiritual offerings.
As followers of Christ, we are called to sacrifice. Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross remains the greatest example. Let us live a life of love, giving, and sacrifice, just as the Scriptures teach.