Sacrifice

Sacrifice in the Bible refers to the offering of something precious — typically an animal or grain — to God as an act of worship, atonement, or consecration. The sacrificial system did not originate with human invention: Scripture presents it as divinely instituted from the beginning. Abel offered firstlings of his flock (Gen. 4:4; Heb. 11:4), and God clothed Adam and Eve with skins (Gen. 3:21), implying an early sacrificial act. The Mosaic law organized sacrifice into distinct types: the burnt offering (total consecration), the peace offering (fellowship), the sin offering (atonement for guilt), and the trespass offering. All sacrifices had to be without blemish, offered at the appointed place, with blood carefully handled — for the life is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). The prophets consistently subordinated ritual sacrifice to obedience and justice (1 Sam. 15:22; Hos. 6:6; Amos 5:21–24). The New Testament presents Christ's death as the final and perfect sacrifice that fulfilled and superseded the entire Levitical system: he offered himself once for all as the Lamb of God (Heb. 9:26; 10:10–14; Eph. 5:2; John 1:29).