What is sacrifice according to the Bible?

Christ is thus the antitype of all the sacrifices: in them is foreshadowed His devotedness unto death; the perfection and purity of His life of consecration to God; the ground and subject of communion of His people; and, finally, the removal of sin by sacrifice. In the Epistle to the Hebrews is brought out in detail the contrast between the status of the Jew, for whom all the sacrifices needed to be repeated (the typical system existing on repetition), and that of Christians, who by the one sacrifice of Christ (non-repetition) are perfected for ever, and also have access to the holiest, because the great high Priest has entered in.

The unending sacrifices on Jewish altars, whether, “Burnt,” “meat,” “peace,” “sin,” “trespass,” presented in type the atoning death of our Lord from different aspects. Putting them all together we get a full view of what that death meant for God and for us.

All the sacrifices were offered. That for sin, the burnt-offering of a sweet-smelling savour, the ram of consecration (which had the character of a peace-offering), accompanied by the meat-offering. These sacrifices have been explained elsewhere, and I only recall their import: Christ made sin for us, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; first need of the soul, the sin-offering; Christ obedient unto death, devoting Himself to the glory of His Father — but according to God's nature, and the existence of sin, and that in us — and to us as belonging to the Father, the burnt-offering; the communion of God, of the Saviour, of the worshipper, and of the whole church, the peace-offering; and Christ devoted in holiness of life upon the earth, but proved even to death, the meat-offering.

We have, then, in these sacrifices, Christ in His devotedness unto death; Christ in the perfection of His life of consecration to God; Christ, the basis of the communion of the people with God, who feeds, as it were, at the same table with them; and finally, Christ made sin for those who stood in need of it, and bearing their sins in His own body on the tree. We shall find that in the law of the offerings the question is chiefly as to what was to be eaten in these sacrifices, and by whom, and under what conditions.

The New Testament does not leave a shadow of doubt on the divine purpose of the passing shadows of the Old: the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sin; but, instead thereof, Christ came, had a body prepared Him to do God's will: "by the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10). "Christ being come an high-priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:11-15). Now here the doctrine of the Jewish sacrifices is clearly applied to Christ's death: He offers Himself to God. By means of death there is the redemption of transgressions; conscience is purged by this offering. "Nor yet," adds the apostle, "that he should offer himself often … for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself: and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many" (Heb. 9:25-28).

By the light of New Testament Scriptures, under the Spirit's teaching, we are able to see that all the various sacrifices for sin, etc., under the law, pointed to the one offering of Christ; consequently, since the death of Christ, the sacrifices of bulls and of goats have ceased to be offered. They served a good purpose in shadowing forth the one all-efficacious sacrifice that was coming, and in showing the power of His blood, not only to give us eternal safety, but to answer every question of conscience, as well as every requirement of God's holiness. Therefore the apostle Paul tells us, that in those many sacrifices under the law there was remembrance of sins, but no remission; they could not purge the conscience, because they could not take away sin; but that Christ, by His one offering, which He once offered, put away sin; therefore the blood of Christ purges the conscience to serve the living God. The apostle Peter also says, "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Hence, when we read that "it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul," we are to understand that reference is made to the blood of Jesus.

Every sacrifice offered upon the brazen altar spoke to God of Christ. All the offerings prescribed in Leviticus 1 — 7 found their perfect and final answer in His death upon the tree. Calvary's cross became for Him, in His wondrous grace, the altar of sacrifice. The fire of God's judgement went forth against Him in the day of His grief, and the whole dread question of sin was settled by His sacrifice never to be raised again with those who believe in His name.

Behold the ceaseless flow of blood from Jewish altars, the endless succession of sacrifices, Burnt Offerings, Peace Offerings, Sin Offerings, Trespass Offerings—all devised and commanded by God. Had they no special significance? Was there no Divine teaching to be learned? The great Epistle to the Hebrews clearly answers our questions. It shows that these sacrifices were typical and symbolical of the one great and effectual sacrifice of our Lord when He wrought atonement at the cross of Calvary (Heb. 9:14). We read, “Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect, tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:11-12).

We find in the book of Genesis that God's earliest dealings with fallen man, and man's only way of approach to God, were on the basis of sacrifice. Throughout the entire Old Testament this is portrayed in the sacrifices of clean animals whose blood was shed. In the patriarchal age great simplicity marked it. The offerer as Abel, Noah, Abraham, or Jacob — slew his offering and burnt it upon an altar. He was accepted on the ground of his sacrifice. We find no special mention of definite acts of transgression as calling for this sacrifice, if we except the implied suggestion of God that if Cain did not well a sin-offering lay at the door which could be presented as atonement for his guilt.

Sacrifice, throughout the book of Genesis, seems to have been largely, too, the means for maintaining communion with God. In it the savor of the offering went up to Him, and, in connection with it, doubtless the offerer received the communications which God had to give.

A sense of man's need in relation to God, deeper than that of prayer, is found in the belief of the value of sacrifice. The idea of sacrifice contains in it the acknowledgement that God is holy and that man is sinful, and that the sinful one is accountable to the Holy One, who requires a propitiation at the hand of man on account of the sins he has committed. This belief plainly implies a revelation of God to man. But the revealed truth became in time entirely misplaced and distorted; and as years ran on, the demon stood in the place of God in man's religion. And the demon required propitiating according to his nature, which, as has been observed, was base and horrible.