What Is the Law of Sacrifice? | Understanding a Covenant We Make in the Temple

Send us Fan MailWhat is the law of sacrifice — and why do we still covenant to live it today? In this episode, host Tia Smith shares Elder M. Russell Ballard's classic message "The Law of Sacrifice," originally a CES fireside (August 1996) and later reprinted in the Ensign (March 2002), to help us understand a law Latter-day Saints (LDS) covenant to keep in the temple, often without fully grasping what it means.Elder Ballard teaches that the law of sacrifice has two great purposes: to test and prove us, and to bring us to Christ. From Adam's offerings to the sacrifices of the Mosaic law, everything pointed to the Savior — the anointed, firstborn, unblemished offering foreshadowing the Lamb of God. After the Atonement fulfilled the law of Moses, the law of sacrifice itself continued: the sacrament replaced animal sacrifice, and the focus shifted from the offering to the offerer. As Elder Russell M. Nelson taught, the word "sacrifice" literally means "to make sacred" — and our highest sacrifice today is to make ourselves more holy through obedience.Drawing on his own pioneer ancestors — Henry and Margaret Ballard — and on faithful Saints in Bolivia who forded chest-deep rivers to attend a meeting, Elder Ballard testifies that sacrifice still brings forth the blessings of heaven, and that the Lord asks us to place "the animal in us" upon the altar: to surrender the natural man and give our whole souls to God. Tia frames it as the first of two laws (with consecration to follow) that prepare us to become a Zion people.Q: What are the two main purposes of the law of sacrifice?A: Elder Ballard teaches they are to test and prove us — to show the Lord we love Him above all else — and to bring us unto Christ. Sacrifice builds the faith necessary for salvation and helps us know our lives are pleasing to God.Q: Did the law of sacrifice end when the law of Moses was fulfilled?A: No. The law of Moses was fulfilled in Christ, but the law of sacrifice continues as a principle of the gospel. Two changes followed the Atonement: the sacrament replaced animal sacrifice, and the focus moved from the offering to the offerer.Q: What does "sacrifice" mean today if we no longer offer animals?A: The Savior asks for "a broken heart and a contrite spirit." As Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, real sacrifice is placing "the animal in us" upon the altar — surrendering our selfish, ungodly desires and putting God first.Q: How is the sacrament connected to the ancient law of sacrifice?A: Both focus on Christ, use emblems representing His flesh and blood, are administered by priesthood authority, allow us to make and renew covenants, and are performed regularly on the Sabbath. The sacrament is the ordinance that replaced blood sacrifice after the Atonement.▶️ WATCH & LISTEN🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25📖 BOOKPatterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B📱 CONNECTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veilFacebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil💛 SUPPORT THE SHOWVenmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveilPayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? EmailCITATIONS:M. Russell Ballard, "The Law of Sacrifice", Ensign Mar. 2002: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2002/03/the-law-of-sacrifice?lang=engSupport the show