Why Sacrifice Still Matters Today
Worship in the New Covenant isn't about incense, lambs, or old rituals. It's about you—fully and completely offered to God. When Jesus went to the cross, He became the ultimate sacrificial lamb. His blood, shed once and for all, did what thousands of sacrifices under the old covenant never could: remove sin. He didn’t just tweak the old system. He fulfilled it and rendered it obsolete.
But here’s the twist: just because the old sacrificial system is done doesn’t mean we’re no longer called to bring an offering to God. The offering just looks radically different now.
What’s the New Offering?
It’s us. All of us.
The Apostle Paul lays it out in Romans 12:1:
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship.”
This isn’t about self-harm or martyrdom. It’s about posturing our lives in such a way that everything we do: our words, time, decisions, talents, and even thoughts are submitted as an offering to God. Worship is no longer about what we bring but who we are becoming.
A Fragrant Offering: Living Like Jesus
Paul uses rich Old Testament imagery to connect the dots. In 2 Corinthians 2:15, he writes,
“We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
This is worship through presence. When we walk in faith, love, and obedience, our lives emit something spiritual—like incense. Jesus modeled this when He gave Himself up for us:
“Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
He didn’t just say He loved us. He showed it. And in John 17, as He prepared for the cross, Jesus prayed not to be taken out of the world but to be sanctified in it. He declared,
“I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them, so they can be made holy by Your truth.”
(John 17:19)
This isn't poetic language. It’s real surrender. The kind that costs something.
So What Does That Look Like for Us?
Paul puts it plainly in Philippians 2:17:
“Even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, I will rejoice.”
To Paul, real worship wasn’t found in a temple. It was found in the trenches of faithful living; loving people, preaching truth, enduring hardship.
This is the personal posture of worship: a life poured out.
It includes:
Your Breath – How you speak to others and how you praise God.
Your Time – What you choose to prioritize in your daily life.
Your Resources – How you give, save, and spend.
Your Gifts and Passions – How you use your talents to bless others.
All of these are forms of worship when they’re offered back to God.
The Old Is Gone, The New Has Come
Paul captures this in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.”
This transformation is mirrored in baptism. Going under the water symbolizes dying to self. Coming out symbolizes rising to new life. We don’t hold on to pieces of our old life—we trade them for the full life God offers.
Paul says it again in Ephesians 4:
“Throw off your old sinful nature... let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes... put on your new nature.”
This is Worship: A Life Fully Surrendered
Worship is a daily, personal decision to live for Christ. It’s not about music style, church size, or how often you raise your hands during service.
It’s about:
Loving God with your whole heart.
Serving Him even when it’s hard.
Choosing obedience over convenience.
Living in a way that others see Jesus in you.
And yes, it means setting aside what’s not pleasing to God.
Paul doesn’t sugarcoat it. In Ephesians 5, he calls out what doesn’t belong in our worship:
No sexual immorality, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, or drunkenness.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Worship Starts with Surrender
When God looks for an offering today, He doesn’t want an animal or a ritual. He wants you. Not the cleaned-up version you try to present to the world. He wants the authentic, surrendered you; heart, mind, body, and soul.
You are the sacrifice. Your life is the aroma. Your surrender is the worship.
So the next time you think about what to bring to God, remember: He’s already told you.
He wants you, all of you.
