The faith of Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Key Verse Hebrews 11:4

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.

In this passage we can learn the work of faith which keeps a man in a right relationship with the Lord and his neighbor and from there on enables him to bear good fruit from generation to generation, fruit that lasts forever, expanding God's kingdom forever. 

Abel's example of faith bears great importance because all peoples on earth are either in the line of Abel or in the line of Cain. There is no middle ground. 

There are so many people here on earth doing many different things having different standards of life, but the outcome of their lives is classifiable into two categories, that is, some bear good fruit, some bad. But what enables him or her to bear fruit either good or bad? Why do people succeed in bearing good fruit, or fail, bearing only bad fruit? Or why do you bear good fruit at one point of your life but bad fruit at another point? What makes the difference? The answers are all here, in the stark contrast between the life of Abel and the life of Cain. All the tales of human beings in human history are only the tales of two people: Abel and Cain. 

** By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice

1. Read vs.1-4a and describe the difference between the offering brought by Cain and the one brought by Abel.  Hebrews 11:4a says that Abel's offering is better than Cain’s.  In what way is it?  Why is it not always easy to bring “to the Lord” what you “earned” as a “sacrifice” to the Lord?  Yet, we are told that Abel was able to offer God a better sacrifice “by faith.” What does “by faith” mean?  What can we learn from Abel?

** Abel's is better in that it was "fat" portions of the some of the "firstborn" of the flock, whereas Cain's was from merely "some of the fruits of the soil." 

Abel's represents the best of the best. Nowadays people regard fat as bad but as used here, "fat" means best. Firstborn is also a biblical idiom for what is best.

Some say Abel's is better for it involves blood, and Cain’s is bad for it does not involve blood. But this line of thought sounds invalid, for the Lord also ordained that the Israelites bring grain offerings as well. Read Lev. 2. 

** It is not easy maybe for a number of reasons: 1) Lack of understanding that all things are from God; 2) Lack of thankful heart, for his heart had been stopped up with worldly desires, particularly greed, being unable to give thanks to God for all that God has done and is doing for us; 3) Lack of faith that believes that God is good and that he can fill all of one's needs, etc. and so forth.

Living in this fallen generation, it is so easy for us to look at what is visible, like money in one's bank account, or the boss who cuts a paycheck for you, etc., but not the Lord who created the entire universe and sustains everything in it. It is also easy to give credit to oneself rather than God for his own "earnings". One might say, "Oh, I got this thanks to all of my hard work and effort." But who gave you the ability to work in the first place? 

In the case of Cain, (and Abel as well) he must have known the fact that God is the Creator and He is the one who makes man's life prosperous, for example by sending rain so his crop would prosper. But, still living in a fallen world where it is only through toil  and sweat that one can put food in his mouth, it is so easy for one to get caught in a   materialistic way of thinking. But remember: even after the Fall, and the curse that fell on earth, still the Lord opened the way for men to come to Him by faith and get blessed by Him!

** Faith is defined in Heb 11:1-3. ‘By faith’ means the life that lives according to what this Hebrews passage says. 

** And this definition answers the question. That is, he saw the invisible (God) who provided him with all he had. When we have this faith, with many thanks to God, we naturally can bring what is the best to the Lord. 

** By faith he was commended as a righteous man

2. Read vs. 4b-5a and compare this passage with Hebrews 11:4b.  What do the expressions “Abel and his offering” and “Cain and his offering” indicate about the relationship between the one that offers and the offering he brings?  Why is it significant for the Lord to look upon one and one’s offering with “favor” or commend anyone as a “righteous” man? 

 

** 1) They are not separable, even as what we hear people say, "Money talks." 

2) It also says that God sees not only who we are but also what we bring, but first things first, that is, we must give our heart first and then bring what we have to the Lord. 

Read: 2 Corinthians 8:5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.

Read also 2Co 8:14-9:8. 

** The Biblical truth is that the Lord God is the source of all blessings. James 1:17. So it is a very serious problem for one and his conduct to not be viewed favorably by the Lord. 

One of the meanings of the word righteous is to be in the right relationship with the Lord. By the same token, not to be righteous means you are on your own, meaning you remain cut off from the Lord. This then says you are like a branch cut off from a tree planted by the streams of water. 

3. Consider the meaning of Hebrew 11:4b again.  What does “by faith” show about the way for one to secure a “righteous” standing before the Lord? 

** The way to secure it is not by our own efforts, but by acknowledging the existence of God, and by believing that he is good and perfect. Then, we can ask God for help in many different areas of our life, particularly in times we need his sin-forgiving love. Then in his love and mercy, he graciously forgives us of our sins. Through his word and Spirit he transforms us into a man of God, restoring His image in us.

** By faith he still speaks 

4. Read vs. 5b-24.  How did Cain fare in terms of his relationship with: 1) the Lord; and 2) his neighbors?  What does this show us about the kind of fruit his life bore?  Why did he end up living this way?  In what respect do many still walk in the way of Cain?

** His relationship with God went from bad to worse, until it became not only remote and distant, but non-existent.

His relationship with his neighbors such as his brother also went downhill fast, sliding down the downward slope of quick downfall, until his sins worsened not only in terms of quality (heinousness) but also in quantity (like frequency). 

** He bore only bad fruit, in an increasingly worsening and more brazen manner than before. 

** When you remove God from your life, you are condemned to be subject to either or both of the following: making either men or money your god. There is no other way. Then as you let either men or money dictate your life, you end up bearing fruit that is only humanistic and materialistic. It never has God's dimension, the God who is perfectly good and good all the time. 

5.  Read vs. 25-26 along with Hebrews 11:4c.  What is the significance of men beginning to call on the name of the Lord?  Physically Abel is dead.  Yet, Hebrews 11:4c says, “By faith he still speaks.”  What does Abel’s example tell us about the work of faith? 

** It is significant in that man started having fellowship with God, inviting God's influence into human society.

** Faith is a spiritual commodity, if you will. It is spiritual and eternal. It exists beyond a material level. Figuratively speaking faith is like a seed which is sown in fertile soil (i.e., God himself). Then this tree of faith grows and bears fruit again and again. 

Example 1: Abraham's faith is still bearing fruit among those who walk in the footsteps of his faith. 

Example 2: Dr. Samuel Lee lived by faith in the Lord. He is physically dead. But still he speaks by his faith, and his faith that is living in the lives of many keeps bearing fruit. 

The end. 

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