No Such Thing as Sacrifice

(Entry made after my Men's Group)

We talked of sacrifice being in and of itself counterproductive to spirituality. One who sacrifices for the sake of sacrifice bears a badge of sacrifice, which can fester into pride. Sacrifice leads to pride in Christians, because it is noble. “Look, I’m noble, because of the great sacrifice I made.” But this is pride.

Hebrews 11-12 resolves this. Abraham was looking forward to a heavenly city. Moses was looking to a greater reward. And, in chapter 12, Jesus was looking to the joy before Him, not the sacrifice of the cross. It takes all the nobility out of the sacrifice when we are “in it for something greater.” Even Jesus was in it for something greater – joy! The sacrifice, as appalling as it was, was no sacrifice when He considered the reward at the end of the road – the receiving all glory and authority, and of bringing all of us into a new covenant with God the Father.

We talked about Lent last night. Giving up something to receive something greater is the purpose of sacrifice. But giving up something just to give it up is pointless, and leads to pride. We must beware of sacrificing merely for the sake of sacrifice. We should always look ahead the the reward, so long as the reward is God.

Written on March 31, 2006