The parents of Cain and Abel were the first man and woman on the earth. Adam and Eve had been created, by nature and potential, in the image of God. But because of their sin and rebellion against the Lord, this was lost. Fear, shame, guilt, self-consciousness and self-justification now became a part of their nature. They were cut off from the presence of God. The ground Adam was to till was cursed, and with hard work and a struggle, he now had to support his family. Death was now their only future (read Genesis 3). But with the tragedy they had brought upon themselves, God gave them a promise. When speaking to the Serpent who had tempted them and brought about their fall, He said...
"And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he (Jesus) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" Genesis 3:15.God promised to send a Redeemer to restore all that had been lost. This, then, was the heritage of Cain and Abel as they were born into the world (see Genesis 4:1-2).
"In the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it'" Genesis 4:3-7 (read also verses 8-16).
Although there are now no longer any direct descendants of Cain (they would have all been destroyed by the flood of Noah's day - Genesis 6-9), the line of Cain has continued - not in the physical sense, but spiritually. Jude declares of some godless men of his day...
"Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain..." Jude 11.
This is also true of the spiritual line of Abel: "By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead" Hebrews 11:4. Our spiritual roots of righteousness - how we trust God for acceptance into His presence - are pictured in the offerings brought to God by the two brothers Cain and Abel.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."The way of Cain is unbelief.
"By faith Abel offered..."
...and Romans 10:17 tells us that...
"...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (NKJB).
It was by faith that Abel brought his offering to God. Abel had heard that God required a sacrifice, he believed, and he obeyed.
The way of Abel is faith.
"...Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29.
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that we were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake" 1 Peter 1:18-19 (see also Romans 3:21-25).
The Scripture says that there are two things of Abel that still speak:
"The Lord said, 'What have you done?' Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground" Genesis 4:10.
"By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righeous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead" Hebrews 11:4.
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life...'" John 14:6.
Through the Cross of the Christ, the two elements of the way of Abel - the blood and faith - have also been opened to us:
"You have come...to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel" Hebrews 12:24.
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" Hebrews 11:6.
"...'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness" Romans 4:3-5.
Through Jesus, the way of Abel is now open to us:
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" Matthew 7:13-14.
The roots of our righteousness are either in Cain or Abel.
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Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, © New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.
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