“You want me to sacrifice myself for others, isn’t that what Jesus did?” My friend Jamie confusingly asked. The word sacrificial can easily be a burden to understand. But in fact, it’s most profound to understand when looking at what scripture says about it. The Bible says we are to count others more highly than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4), to lay down our life for others (1 John 3:16), and walk in love always (Ephesians 5:2). Most importantly, if we fail to walk in the Spirit how are we to successfully live a sacrificial life?
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Count Others More Highly Than Yourself is Sacrificial
“Others” is the key word to this message. It is the Christian faith which made that word others important. Why did Christ come in the first place? It was for others. Why should we carry the gospel? For others. To think of others rather than ourselves is to have the mind of Christ.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
Philippians 2:3
The Greek word for selfish ambition speaks of factionalism, rivalry, and speaks of pride that prompts people to push their own ways. And conceit, “empty glory” which is self ambition.
What can we take from this about being sacrificial? Christ is the ultimate example of self-sacrifice and selfless-humility. In the next couple of verses in Philippians 2:5-11. Paul draws the church’s attention to portray the divine condescension of Christ in His incarnation and death in order to support his appeal of sacrificial living. He makes a contrast of two Adams to give a better understanding of self-emptying. I wish we could grasp how high Christ was and how low He came for us.
How do you make others more highly than yourself? Put aside all personal right and interests in order to insure the welfare of others, imaging what Christ did on our behalf.
However, you and I can’t be humble. We can’t be meek. We are not made in that way because of the curse of sin. We want to do all things for ourselves. Don’t say you are not because really you are. None of us wants to be offended, we don’t want to be ignored. A man that is not born again is not even capable of being willing to take a humble place.
How do you make others more highly than yourself? By abiding in Christ to willing be able to put aside all self-ambition towards others and count others more highly than ourselves.
Self-Sacrificial Living Calls Us to Lay Our Lives Down for Others
John is saying that love is not a sentiment in 1 John 3:16-17.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
1 John 3:16-17
Self-sacrificially is loving, and loving is expressed itself in action. James says a great deal about this in his epistle.
“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
JAMES 2:15-16
When it comes to a brother in need, we are quick to respond with “I’ll pray for you, brother.” The important thing is whether or not our love is manifested in what we are doing. Laying down our life is an expression of taking action. We ought to get into action. We ought to start doing something one for another. Until it does, we are living in the worst kind of hypocrisy. You express love towards another by doing not by saying.
John tells us in 1 John 3:18, that our tongues are very good at running ahead of our feet. True Christianity, is sacrificing our own comfort and taking action in loving our brothers. It is a matter of the heart and not the head or the tongue.
Self-Sacrificially Living Calls Us to Walk In Love
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:1-2
Paul is reminding the church of Ephesus that we called to be imitators of God. The Gentiles who formerly walked on a very low plane are now lifted on a high level of love. The plane of love to which we are lifted is the love which Christ exhibited when He loved us enough to give Himself as an offering and a sacrifice for us. We are called to imitate God which means we are held at a higher responsibility to love sacrificially and forgive has Christ did.
There is no greater calling or purpose than imitating our Lord. That is the very purpose of sanctification, growing in the likeness of Christ while serving Him. The Christian life is designed to produce holiness as modeled by Christ. When it comes to living sacrificially, we live with a desire to be righteous. Not doing the things of this world. Continue reading Ephesians 5:2-18.
A believer has a new nature, and this new nature is contrary to the fleshly nature. That is what Paul describes in Romans. He himself, experienced the turmoil of the two natures at battle. The flesh wars the Spirit and the Spirit wars against the flesh. And since we are called to die to oneself, we must put an end to all fleshly desires and let the Spirit of our new nature guide us in all truth and love. Which further testifies that we need the Spirit to be able to walk in love.
Are You Presenting Your Self as Living Sacrifice?
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1
What Paul means by the phrase “living sacrifice’, if we look at the end of verse 1, Paul is describes a living sacrifice as a spiritual worship. The word worship here can also mean ministry or service. The word “present” here is a calling to yield. This is the same word used in chapter 6 of Romans. Although some expositors suggest that in chapter 6 is refers to the mind while here refers to the will. I think the appeal in both instances is to the will.
Here yielding is the way to Christian consecration and conduct. He says to yield our “bodies”, your total personalities. The body is the vessel in which we express ourselves. The mind, the affections, the will, and the Holy Spirit can use the body. By the act of the will we place our total personality at the disposal of God. This is our “service” our self-sacrificing rational service, and it is well pleasing to God.
Are you living sacrificially?
