Sacrifice is among the most alien aspects of the Bible – animals on altars, smoke, blood. Yet even the prophets ask what God really wants. And the New Testament says: Jesus gave himself, once for all. Here you will find 21 Bible verses about sacrifice and devotion.
What pleases God
Even in the Old Testament it is clear: God is not interested in rituals, but in the heart.
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But Samuel said: Do you think that the LORD is pleased with sacrifice and burnt offerings like with obedience to the voice of the LORD? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and paying attention better than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22Obedience
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For you do not desire sacrifice, otherwise I would surely give it to you, and burnt offerings do not please you. The sacrifices that please God are a broken spirit; a broken and crushed heart you will not despise, God.
Psalm 51:18-19
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For I delight in love, and not in sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God, and not in burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6Knowledge
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With what shall I appease the LORD, and bow down before the Most High God? Shall I appease him with burnt offerings and young bulls? Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with countless streams of oil? Or shall I give my firstborn son for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? It is told to you, O man, what is good and what the LORD requires of you, namely to keep the word of God, to practice love, and to be humble before your God.
Micah 6:6-8
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Sacrifice and food offerings do not please you; but you have opened your ears to me. You want neither burnt offerings nor sin offerings. For I said: Behold, I come; it is written of me in the book. Your will, my God, I gladly do, and your law I have in my heart.
Psalm 40:7-9
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Doing good and right is dearer to the LORD than sacrifice.
Proverbs 21:3Justice
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Sacrifice thanks to God and pay your vows to the Most High.
Psalm 50:14
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What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?
Isaiah 1:11a
The sacrifice of Jesus
The New Testament interprets the death of Jesus as the sacrifice that makes all others unnecessary.
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In this will we are sanctified all at once through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:10Holiness
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But this one, having offered a sacrifice for sins that is forever, now sits at the right hand of God.
Hebrews 10:12
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How much more will the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God without any flaw through the eternal Spirit, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God!
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And walk in love, just as Christ has loved us and gave himself for us as a gift and sacrifice, to God as a sweet aroma.
Ephesians 5:2
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The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says: Behold, this is the Lamb of God, which bears the sin of the world!
John 1:29Good FridaySin
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For we also have a Passover lamb, which is Christ, offered for us.
1 Corinthians 5:7b
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And he is the reconciliation for our sins, not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2ReconciliationWorld
A living sacrifice
He who is blessed gives himself – thus Paul describes the response of Christians.
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I exhort you now, beloved brethren, through the mercy of God, that you offer your bodies as a sacrifice, which is living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
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So let us now offer through him the sacrifice of praise to God continually, which is the fruit of the lips, that confess his name.
Hebrews 13:15Praise
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Do not forget to do good and to share, for such sacrifices please God.
Hebrews 13:16Generosity
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A sweet aroma, a pleasing sacrifice, pleasing to God.
Philippians 4:18b
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And also you, as the living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, which are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5Community
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And love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself, which is more than burnt offerings and all sacrifices.
Mark 12:33
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
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Why were there sacrifices in the Bible?
In the Old Testament, sacrifices were a form of relating to God: as thanksgiving, as a plea for forgiveness, as a sign of devotion. The third book of Moses describes the rules for this in detail. Yet even the prophets criticize when sacrifices become an empty duty: "I delight in love, and not in sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). Jesus quotes this sentence twice (Matthew 9:13; 12:7). God wants no ritual, but "a broken and crushed heart" (Psalm 51:19).
What is a "living sacrifice"?
According to the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus gave himself once for all (Hebrews 10:10-12). Since then, no more animal sacrifices are needed. Paul, however, takes the word up anew and speaks of a living sacrifice: Christians should offer their bodies "as a sacrifice, which is living, holy, and pleasing to God" (Romans 12:1). This means a life that makes itself available to God – in everyday life, at work, in dealings with others. The Epistle to the Hebrews calls this praise, doing good, and sharing (Hebrews 13:15-16). More about this at Bible verses about service and Bible verses about giving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Romans 12:1 mean?
Paul calls us to make our whole lives available to God – as a "living sacrifice". This means no ritual, but an everyday life that honors God.
Why do Christians no longer offer sacrifices?
According to the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus brought the final sacrifice with his death (Hebrews 10:10-14). Further sacrifices for sin are therefore no longer necessary.
