Nadab and Abihu

One of the most powerful arguments that I believed growing up in the Church of Christ was about Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10). These two gentlemen, the argument goes, added to God's worship. They did this by using incense that God did not tell them to use (unauthorized, as many translations have it). Now, according to this argument, they were punished for adding to worship in a matter where God had previously been silent. Thus, if you add instruments to your worship services (as they claim everyone did long after the Church was established), you are doing something not authorized by God, thus non-pleasing to him and can be punished severely for it (hell anyone?). All this is a very strong case that God is very displeased when you try to worship him in a way that he did not command. Note the strength of this argument is not trying to tell you that you can't do something against God's command, but rather that you are doing something that he was silent on, and therefore are in the wrong.

Again, a strong argument. That is, until you read Exodus 30:9. This law was given to Israel before the story of Nadab and Abihu takes place. It says "You shall not offer unauthorized incesnse on it". This was clearly a direct statement telling them not to do what they later sinned and did. There goes one "good" argument down the tubes.