When we worship according to God’s word, we don’t offer strange fire. In other words, we don’t try to improve on the Lord’s commands, no matter how well-intended and innocent we believe our hearts and minds to be. Doing God’s will is what pleases God! Scripture is riddled with examples of this point. Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Jesus does NOT SAY If you love Me, you will show Me how you can improve on My commandments.

If we are truly honest with ourselves, we should realize that attempting to glorify God in any way other than what God laid out before us by command, approved example, and necessary inference in New Testament scripture is really an attempt to glorify ourselves—no matter how unwittingly.

Does anyone really believe their ideas are better than God’s?

To me, attempting to conform scripture to today’s culture is foolish and backward thinking. It’s dangerous thinking that puts souls at risk. We should instead be working to spread God’s Word according to God’s Word, in an effort to help our culture understand and want to conform to the will of God.

STRANGE FIRE (unauthorized) — “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near Me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'” And Aaron held his peace.” Leviticus 10:1-3 ESV

  • Deuteronomy 4:2 – “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.”
  • Deuteronomy 12:32 – “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.”
  • Proverbs 30:5-6 – “Every word of God proves true… Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”
  • Matthew 15:8-9 – “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
  • Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (i.e., by His authority).
  • 1 Corinthians 4:6 – “…that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written…”
  • Revelation 22:18-19 – The solemn warning against adding to or taking away from the words of the prophecy.

God First!