Learn Dutch: Zij brengen een offer voor het geloof. - They make a sacrifice for the faith.

In Dutch, the fixed combination (collocation) is een offer brengen (literally 'to bring a sacrifice'). If you translate 'make' directly and say een offer maken, it sounds unnatural to a Dutch speaker, as if you are physically crafting or building a sacrifice out of materials in a workshop.

Is offer a false friend here? It translates to 'sacrifice', not 'offer'.

Yes, it is a partial false friend! In Dutch, een offer almost exclusively means a 'sacrifice', whether in a religious sense or a figurative one (like sacrificing your free time). If you want to talk about a commercial discount in a store, use de aanbieding. For an offer of help, a job offer, or a business proposal, use het aanbod.

This lesson is about fixed subjunctive expressions. Is there a hidden subjunctive in this sentence?

No, this sentence is entirely in the standard indicative mood (zij brengen). However, it is included here because religious vocabulary like het geloof (the faith) often surrounds fossilized subjunctives in other fixed expressions. For example, in similar contexts you will frequently hear surviving subjunctive phrases like God zij dank (Thank God, literally 'God be thanked') or moge het zo zijn (may it be so).

Can het geloof be used for everyday, non-religious beliefs?