Episode 15: On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Pleading the Case

There is a lot of confusion in the Christian faith about the idea of "sacrifice" still being relevant today. There is even a misunderstanding for what the word "sacrifice" actually means in the New Testament, both with Christ's own one time "sacrifice", offering up his life in order to atone for our sins, as well as the way "sacrifice" is most often understood by us today. Most of the time when the word "sacrifice" is used it is usually in the context of something we give up, did without and even suffered for in order to help someone else. It is not uncommon to hear a parent say that they sacrificed so much in order to give their child or children a better life, but then felt disappointed or resentful that the child or children didn't appreciate them for it. Or, it is equally as common to hear someone say that they monetarily gave sacrificially to support a Christian cause. In both of these instances "sacrifice" is being used to mean things that we have given up and suffered for, but neither of these examples is Biblically correct according to the actual meaning of the original Greek word for sacrifice, "thysia." This Episode addresses where the cause of this confusion has most likely come from and why, as well as why it is critically important for us to have a correct understanding of "sacrifice" and why they are significant for us to "offer up" today.