Are You Offering Strange Fire?

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
(Leviticus 10:1-2 KJV)

Paul commands us to make ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). But, he is saying that to Christians who have already been cleansed by the saving blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Nadab and Abihu were priests. They had just been consecrated in Leviticus chapter 8. They knew that they should only use fire from the altar to burn incense, still they choose to take fire of their own choosing instead.

Jesus was kind and gentle to sinners who realized what they were. He was harshest to the religious people. The self-righteous do not understand their need for His sacrifice.

Some friends of mine related a story about "retired" nuns that they knew. These dear ladies spend nearly all of their time (12 plus hours a day) in chapel praying. If you ask them to, you can be certain that they will pray fervently for you. It broke my heart to hear this! I was assured that these dear ladies all have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, but I couldn't help but wonder if some of them were praying so hard in order to earn Merits. What a tragedy!

If we try to earn our way, whether we call it Merits, or whether we just think that if we are "good enough for long enough", then we are rejecting the one perfect acceptable sacrifice for our salvation; Jesus Christ.

By all means we should pray continually, and do the other things in Jesus' Name, but we need to bring the fire of motivation from the altar of Jesus' Sacrifice and not from the strange fire of our own self-righteousness.

The results of offering strange fire hasn't changed from before either. After this life, if all we have to offer is the strange fire of our own self-righteousness, then the Wrath of God will break out and consume us the same as He did to Nadab and Abihu.

And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
(Isaiah 66:23-24 KJV)

Tag(s): merits