Sacrifice

To sacrifice is to give up something we value for the sake

of something of greater worth. As Latter-day Saints, we have

the opportunity to sacrifice worldly things for the Lord and

His kingdom. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints should be willing to make any sacrifice

required by the Lord. If we were not required to make sacrifices,

we would never be able to develop the faith necessary

for eternal salvation.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the great and eternal

sacrifice at the center of the gospel (see Alma 34:8–16). Before

the Savior carried out the Atonement, His covenant people

sacrificed animals as a symbol of His sacrifice. This practice

helped them look ahead to the Atonement (see Moses 5:4–8).

The command to offer animal sacrifices ended with the death

of Jesus Christ. In the Church today, we partake of the sacrament

in remembrance of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice.

In addition to remembering the atoning sacrifice of Jesus

Christ, we are to offer our own sacrifice: a broken heart and

a contrite spirit. The Savior said: “Ye shall offer up unto me

no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your

burnt offerings shall be done away. . . . And ye shall offer for

a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And

whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite

spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost”

(3 Nephi 9:19–20).

To have a broken heart and a contrite spirit is to be humble

and receptive to the will of God and to the counsel of those

He has called to lead His Church. It also means to feel deep

sorrow for sin and a sincere desire to repent. The prophet

Lehi emphasized the importance of offering this sacrifice:

“Behold, [Christ] offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to

answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken

heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of

the law be answered” (2 Nephi 2:7). If we do not offer the sacrifice

of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, we cannot fully

receive the blessings that come through the Atonement.

If you are willing to sacrifice as the Lord has commanded,

you will be accepted by Him. He taught: “All . . . who know

their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite,

and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—

yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they

are accepted of me” (D&C 97:8). With an eternal perspective,

you can see that giving up the things of the world is really no

sacrifice at all. The blessings you receive are greater than anything

you ever give up.

Additional references: Matthew 19:16–22; D&C 59:8

See also Atonement of Jesus Christ; Love; Obedience; Repentance;

Sacrament; Service