WHICH SHALL IT BE WITH YOU?
IT is God's will that sin shall be destroyed from His universe. It is God's desire to save the sinner, so much so that He gave His Only-Begotten that He might win the sinner from sin to everlasting love. In many ways and in divers forms God has taught this vitally-important lesson. Among these ways there stands out prominently the typical sacrifices, God's dealings through them with Israel. It is generally known that the various offerings—the sin-offerings, the burnt-offerings, the peace-offerings—represented Christ, who became "sin for us," He "who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." The sin and burnt-offerings offered for Israel, individually and collectively, represented their sin. As the beasts were slain, it showed that the one who made the offering was worthy of death, for which the beast stood as a substitute. As the offerings were burned by the fire of God, it revealed God's abhorrence of sin, and its final destruction. In Lev. 9:22-24 we have a graphic scene described, a wonderful lesson to the children of men. The sin-offering and burnt-offering and peace-offering had been made, and the carcasses and substances placed upon the altar. Here in symbol was the people's sin. Aaron blessed the people, went into the tabernacle, confessed their sins, came out again, and once more blessed that people who had by humility and confession put away their sin. Then the glory of God appeared, the presence of the Lord was manifest, the sin was utterly destroyed; for "there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat; which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces." No wonder they shouted and worshiped; God had removed their sin; they were free. God's presence consumes sin. Separated from the sinner, he, a sinner no longer, may rejoice. But in the verses following, the first two of the tenth chapter, a different scene is portrayed: "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." The difference between the two events is easy to see; it pertains to man, not to God. In the one case the people separated themselves from sin, and the Lord came near by His presence and destroyed the sin. In the second case the priests sinned, identified themselves with the sin, chose the sin and its doom, and themselves sought God's presence, themselves with sin. Again God's presence was manifest, and His presence destroyed sin; and so, as Nadab and Abihu had chosen sin, they perished with the sin. So it will be when Christ comes. His presence will be revealed. The heavens will disclose the forthshining of His glory. Righteous and wicked,—those who have put away sin by confession and faith, and those who have retained the sin by choice, and thus have identified themselves with it,—will both stand before Him, will both behold His glory. The one class will look and perish at His presence; the other will be changed from glory to glory. Which shall it be with you?