Offering the Sacrifice of Praise

June 17th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through [Christ] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Having moved out of Judaism into its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Jewish audience was no longer required to make sacrifices with animals and grains. Those things merely looked forward to the Christ; Christ, having arrived, is not to be worshiped with animal blood and grains but with a continual offering of “praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (v. 15). Notably, it is only “through Christ” that worship can be offered to God. The old Judaic system is no longer valid. But neither is any other worship; only through Christ. In other words, there is no worship of God apart from Jesus Christ.

In Christianity there is no altar like there is in Judaism, no bloody sacrifices, and no specific city like Jerusalem where God’s presence resides. God’s presence exists everywhere as our omnipresent God but specifically within His people, through His Spirit who indwells (Rom. 8:9-11) those who trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So, without a specific place to go and without a specific offering, how do Christians worship? Hebrews 13:15 plainly says that our worship comes through our continual “sacrifice of praise.” The same instruction was given in 12:28 where Christians are instructed to “show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (12:28).

Of course all of this lip service, though good in and of itself, is worthless if done without a heart for Christ. It is with the heart that true words of praise, followed by deeds, surpass the dull ritual of religious works practiced by many today. That is why the author reminds his audience not to neglect “doing good and sharing.” Anyone can sing songs of praise, especially if the genre of music is what moves them. But singing praises to God while also doing good and sharing is the recipe of genuine, spiritual worship. Worship therefore stems from our whole being, for as the Apostle Paul wrote, “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). This is what transforms us into the image of God’s Son as opposed to the ever-changing patterns of this wicked world (Rom. 12:2).

Food For Thought
Sadly, it seems that in many churches today, worship is restricted to singing songs. After all, aren’t song leaders in churches today called “worship leaders”? As if worship begins and ends with songs! It’s as if there is a time of worship in church (singing) and then a time of preaching, praying, etc. Certainly singing can be worshipful, but oftentimes it’s self-worship, for many only sing the songs they like. Some won’t even move their mouths to hymns. But isn’t it the words that matter? Isn’t it God we come to worship? If so, does it really matter if we like the words or the genre of the song? Of course not! That is why the words of the songs we sing are so vital, for they must be worshipful and accurate to who God is, for He seeks true worship from His people (John 4:23-24)—worship that He requires, not that we like, per se. In fact, the songs of praise we sing are actually prayers we pray, for in singing them to God, are we not praying to Him? Indeed we are! But even when we accomplish such genuine praise of God, let us not stop there. When we depart from church, let us continue to worship in word and deed, serving Christ by serving those in need. These are actually inseparable. John MacArthur says, “Lip service must be accompanied by life service.” Well said! For in life service, true worship is spelled out for us in Scripture: “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27).