Abel – Coming to God on His Terms

Abel is an early example of a person who trusted in God and demonstrated his faith through obedience. Abel found favor with God because he trusted him enough to accept God’s commands for his life. He shows us that people of faith must come to God on his terms.

Abel is the first person mentioned in the faith hall of fame in Hebrews 11. Here is what we read about him:

Hebrews 11:4 It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

A Tale of 2 Brothers

Abel was the second son born to Adam and Eve after they were forced to leave the Garden of Eden. His older brother was Cain. The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about the boys’ childhood. We meet them as adults. Evidently, Abel had grown up to become a shepherd, while Cain became a farmer. One day, the two men brought offerings to God.

Genesis 4:3-5 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

Each brother brought an offering to God at harvest time. Cain the farmer brought some of his crops to God, and Abel the shepherd brought some of his lambs to God. God accepted Abel’s offering but rejected Cain. Why?

Genesis doesn’t explain why Cain’s offering was unacceptable. Some have wondered if it was because Abel’s offering was a blood offering, and Cain’s was not. During the period of the Israelite sacrificial system, animals were slaughtered as an offering to God. However, not all of the offerings in the Old Testament involved blood, so that was not the problem.

Others have wondered if Abel’s offering was acceptable because he gave the best of his lambs, but Cain did not give the best of his harvest. Again, the text doesn’t say whether Cain’s offering was from the first fruits or not. As the story continues, it seems that the real problem with Cain’s offering was the status of his heart. Cain’s story reminds us of a theme we see throughout the Bible: God cares more about our hearts than our religious rituals.

1 Brother Lacked Faith

Cain’s real problem was a faith problem. He didn’t actually trust God. He didn’t come to God on God’s terms.

Genesis 4:7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.

There are a few things to notice from this verse. First, although the exact terms of the offerings that God wanted from Cain and Abel are mysterious, they were not mysterious to Cain and Abel. Cain knew what God wanted from him. He knew what was the right thing to do, but he refused to do it.

Here we see clearly that Cain’s problem was in his heart. He was angry with God and angry with his brother, who was accepted by God. Of course, he couldn’t really do anything to hurt God, but he could hurt his brother. And, as we read in the next verse, Cain committed the first murder when he killed Abel.

This shows us the extreme results that can happen when we refuse to trust in God. God had explained to Cain how he wanted to be worshiped, but Cain refused to honor him in this way. Sin grew in his heart until he committed his terrible crime.

Sin works the same way in our hearts. It starts small with an attitude that doesn’t trust God, or care to follow what he says. But as it says in James 1:15, eventually sin “gives birth to death.”

1 Brother Demonstrated the Attitude of Faith

Let’s think again about Abel. If Cain’s attitude condemned him, Abel’s attitude toward God revealed him to be a person of faith and obedience toward God. Abel demonstrates the attitude that we need to have with God.

In the Pursuit, we say that saving faith is the combination of the right information with the right attitude. By the right attitude, we mean the attitude that accepts God’s word as true for our lives. In order to find salvation, you need to have the attitude that accepts that you are a sinner and Jesus is your only savior.

As we continue as Christians, we still need the attitude of faith. When we learn God’s perspective on something, whether it is marriage, sexual ethics, integrity with money, anger, or many other things, what is our response? Hopefully, our response is like Abel’s. We trust God on his terms, not our own.