“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Jesus, John 15:13
This very familiar verse from John’s Gospel reminds us of the ultimate sacrificial act of love that
Jesus demonstrated when He freely laid down his life as a sacrifice for each of us…His friends.
Two thoughts: (1) The word for “life” here, and in Luke 9:24-25 and John 10:10, is psuche,
which means heart and soul. Giving of one’s heart and soul could result in giving your bios or
your physical life. (2) Jesus set the bar for “no greater love” and then…He made the bar.
Together, these facts compel us, all the more, to look inward at the vital issues of our own
heart…of our motives, our ambitions and our purpose. What will we allow to define us…our
carnal, selfish consumer nature or the selfless Christ-life of sacrificial service to others?
“It is the value of the objective that determines the amount of sacrifice in terms of magnitude and
duration.” Carl Von Clausewitz, On War (1832) This simple quote from our old pal, Von
Clausewitz, was given as part of his brilliant, classical, and first-hand observations of the moral
and political aspects of war. It tells us in very clear terms that the value we place on life
objectives, like our relationships, can be determined by degrees of sacrifice. Simply stated, it is
by our degrees of sacrifice that our wives, our children, our friends, and yes, our God, can
determine the value we place on them. Amazing! We men must be Even If’ers…not What If’ers.
Let’s look briefly at what guidance we can glean from Jesus and Clausewitz regarding the word
sacrifice. First, we know that life itself is sacred. The word sacrifice is made up of two words,
sacer or sacred, and facio, meaning to make. This helps us to gain important insight into the real
significance of sacrifice, is to make holy. Next, by the value established in terms of magnitude
and duration, Clausewitz defines four levels of sacrifice for us to be aware of. I often tell pastors
and other leaders that they have four types of men: those you can depend on to do a little for a
short while—those you can depend on to do a little for a long while—those you can depend on to
do a lot for a short while—and finally those you can depend on to do a lot for a long while.
Leaders will often say that faces of men pop up as we go thru these four types of men.
We know that Romans 12:1 is a summons to offer our bodies as living sacrifices as an act of
worship. We also know that God ordained marriage and we refer to this union as “holy
matrimony”. Stepping back from these cardinal precepts, we can see that sacrifice is anything
but an abstract religious concept. Rather, it is a summons to action for all Christian men.
Finally, we know that Jesus held nothing back…He gave all of Himself, heart and soul, and then
His life’s blood, as a sacrifice for each of us! In the warrior culture we have this phrase that
describes the essence of sacrifice, All Gave Some…Some Gave All. By willing to sacrifice their
heart and soul for each other, forty-four of my squadron mates and forty-six SEALs freely gave
their all…laying down their young lives as a sacrifice for their “friends” in the Viet Nam War.
The question now remains, what is the level of magnitude and duration that will characterize
your sacrifice for those you love, for your faith, your heritage and all that you hold dear in 2026?
Barney Barnes, 08-10-2026, Former Promise Keepers National Ambassador for the Military and Prisons