We recently attended a pro-life dinner where the speaker challenged attendees not to sacrifice, emphasizing that Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice on the cross is enough.  The speaker, who boasted of over three decades of pro-life leadership experience, encouraged the audience to invest instead of sacrificing (emphasizing the benefits which come from investing).

During this time of Lent, the idea of sacrificing is familiar to some (primarily Catholics) and foreign to others.  Many Evangelicals (like the speaker at the banquet) dismiss the idea of sacrificing, suggesting that those who believe that they need to sacrifice don’t really understand the all-sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. 

But what does the Bible say?  What did Jesus say?  It’s really not hard to figure out.

Look at what Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

The difficult road Jesus followed on the way to the cross may have resulted in the once-for-all payment for our sins, but it also set out a pattern that God expects us to follow.  God expects us to be willing to sacrifice, just as Jesus was willing to sacrifice.  Yes, expects.  Not suggests, not wishes.  Expects.  It’s not optional for a Christian.

Look at what Jesus said in Luke 14:27: “anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  Did you notice that little word “cannot”?

Some will make the argument that these words were spoken before the cross, and that after the cross Jesus no longer expects us to carry our cross but only to rest in what He already did for us.  Again, we don’t need to look far to disprove such common notions. 

Look to the beloved little book of 1 John, chapter 3 verse 16: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”  This sounds strangely similar to what Jesus said before the cross.  Did John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” somehow misunderstand God’s love?  Or are we, the modern day “me-first” Christians, the ones who misunderstand God’s love?

Let’s look a little further.  Maybe Peter would have some insight for us.  Look at 1 Peter 4:1-2: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.  As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.”  So Peter not only says that we’re supposed to follow Jesus’ example of suffering (sacrificing), but that our own suffering somehow rids us of sin.

Well, surely Paul, the Apostle of Grace, would get this straight.  Paul of all people would know that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient for us, and that we no longer need to sacrifice.  Or would he?  Look at Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”

These are not obscure Bible passages I’m dealing with.  These are (or should be) some of the most familiar passages in the Bible. 

But it’s Paul who deals the final blow to this no-sacrifice mentality, in Colossians 1:24: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…”

I could go on, but you get the idea.  These are just a few scriptures I quickly picked out because I’m too busy to do an exhaustive study on this right now.

But I hope you can see that having pro-life leaders with this “no sacrifice” mentality is one of the reasons that God has allowed this abortion holocaust to go on so long.  Such people avoid even taking a moment to stop and pray for the 192 children who have been killed in Bakersfield just since the beginning of these 40 days.  After all, they don’t need to sacrifice.  As one of them told me “our religion teaches us to put our family first” (as if coming out to pray outside a killing center somehow makes it impossible to be faithful to your family)!

If there ever was a time to sacrifice, now is the time, when 192 children have been killed in our community in less than three weeks, when thousands are being killed in our nation every day.  If we don’t sacrifice now, it will be too late to sacrifice when our own lives are on the line.

But how does all of this fit in with God’s grace and with Christ’s payment for our sins?  Again, turning to the Bible–to some of the most familiar passages–quickly answers the question, if we be sure to read the verses in context.  Take for example Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Most people stop there, concluding that scripture tells us that our works (and, by implication, our sacrifices) don’t matter. 

Case closed?  Not so fast.  Read on to verse 10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  Yes, our works (and our sacrifices) matter.  God created us to do good works.  Those good works involve, many times, suffering and sacrifice.  Jesus commanded us to follow His example of becoming a sacrifice.

This 40 Days for Life prayer vigil provides you a small opportunity to pick up your cross and follow your Lord to Calvary, the place where the innocent are put to death.  It is not just an opportunity to follow your Lord’s command, but it is also an opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which you were created!

The words of Bible commentator Matthew Henry, written over 100 years ago, give us a good perspective on the importance of following this command Jesus gave us: “We must deny ourselves absolutely, we must not admire our own shadow, nor gratify our own humour; we must not lean to our own understanding, nor seek our own things, nor be our own end. We must deny ourselves comparatively; we must deny ourselves for Christ, and his will and glory, and the service of his interest in the world; we must deny ourselves for our brethren, and for their good; and we must deny ourselves for ourselves, deny the appetites of the body for the benefit of the soul.”

This is the first Lent where I have made any serious ongoing attempt to deny myself (“sacrifice”) for my Lord.  It’s not easy, but I’m glad I’m doing it, not because I expect any great “return” on my “investment,” but because I’m doing what my Lord commanded me to do.  There’s just something about obedience that provides comfort in a way that nothing else can.