Abel's Sacrifice by Faith versus Cain's Sacrifice

Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, is the first person listed among many in Hebrews chapter 11
commended by the Holy Spirit for their faith. Of Abel it is said, "By faith Abel offered to God
a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was
righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks." (Heb. 11:4
NKJV) Men have long been troubled by this passage trying to figure out why Abel's sacrifice
was pleasing to God while his brother Cain's was not. It is a subject worth looking into.

In Gen. 4:2-5 we read about the offering as follows: "Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but
Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought
an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his
flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect
Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell." (NKJV)

It is probably worthwhile to read what followed seemingly immediately afterwards in

conversation between God and Cain. "So the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? And
why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not
do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.'" (Gen. 4:6-
7 NKJV) It doesn't seem like a lot to go on, these few verses, but there is more here than
meets the eye when one begins to study a little.

First, I ask the question how Abel and Cain knew anything at all about sacrifices and/or
offerings to God. Where did such a concept of making offerings to God come from? How did
the idea of such a thing even enter into their minds? We do not, we cannot, think about
things of which we have no background information. My grandparents died in the sixties.
How much time do you think they spent thinking about the Internet? It was impossible for
them to even have such thoughts and so I ask again where did Abel and Cain get the idea
about making an offering to God (the writer of the book of Hebrews calls it a sacrifice)?

The answer has to be such information was supplied by God himself either in direct speech
to them or through commandments given to their parents (Adam and Eve) and thus passed
on down to them from parent to child. That God spoke directly with not only Adam and Eve
but also with Cain we see from Gen. 4:6-7 and Gen. 4:9-15. Jesus, in the New Testament, in
Luke 11:49-51, includes Abel with the prophets so we know God spoke to him as well. A
prophet was one who proclaimed God's will and not just necessarily one who only fore-told
things to come.

Furthermore, I would add that without direction from God how could Abel know it would
please God to kill an animal? Adam and Eve were directed while in the Garden of Eden to
eat of herbs and the fruit of trees (Gen. 1:29) and when driven out of the garden were to eat
of the herbs of the field (Gen. 3:18). Nothing was said, that is revealed in scripture, about
killing animals in those early days of man's existence on earth. Thus for Abel to take this
bold step God must have revealed to him that it was okay to do so.

We are thus at the point where we (should I say I?) believe God gave directions for making
offerings/sacrifices. I think this can be further confirmed by a passage found in the New
Testament – Rom. 10:17. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
(NKJV) How can you have faith when you are flying blind without any word from God? Is an
"I think so" or an "it seems to me" faith? Is that the definition of faith? That is opinion, not
faith.

The writer in the book of Hebrews (11:4) says Abel's sacrifice was by faith. When one acts
by faith in the Bible he is acting in confidence, not in doubt. Well, how could Abel be so
confident about his sacrifice? There is only one way and that is if he had received
instructions from God as to how to sacrifice (which would include the procedure for doing so
and also what it was that was to be sacrificed) so that he would have no doubt about the
acceptability of that sacrifice with God. If you are just guessing or hoping your offering will
be pleasing how can it be said you are acting by faith?

Why is it that there is no text saying that Cain's sacrifice was "by faith?" Could it be because
it was not? Could it be because Cain had personal doubts about it himself? Why was it that
Cain did not sacrifice "by faith?" Surely, if Abel was able to sacrifice "by faith" Cain should
have been able to do likewise. Had Cain made a sacrifice "by faith" would God have been
displeased?

The Bible says God "did not respect Cain and his offering." (Gen. 4:5 NKJV) One has to ask
why not? If both were doing the very best they could why not? Could it be one (Cain) was
not doing the best he could? God asks Cain, "Why are you angry?" (Gen. 4:6 NKJV) God's
rejection of his offering had made him angry. God then says to him, "If you do well, will you
not be accepted?" (Gen. 4:7 NKJV) Evidently, then Cain had not done well. But, he could
only know how to do well if he had information as to how that was to be done. Thus again
we see that both Cain and Abel must have had information about making sacrifices
(offerings) that would please God and Cain had failed to follow the instructions.

By means of his sacrifice (and the manner in which it was made – by faith) it is said that Abel
"obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts." (Heb. 11:4 NKJV). This
was not said of Cain but I ask the question could it have been? Was it impossible for Cain to
make an acceptable sacrifice? That Cain knew all he needed to know to make such a
sacrifice is self-evident. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). Cain's failure was
just that – Cain's failure. He had none to blame other than himself.

1 John 3:12 gives some additional light as it tells us why Cain murdered his brother Abel.
"Cain...was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?
Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous." (NKJV) When God failed to respect
Cain and his offering it made Cain mad. He later killed Abel out in the field due to his anger
and jealousy. The text in 1 John says the motive was "his works were evil and his brother's
righteous." (NKJV) The question is whether this has reference to Cain's sacrifice or to other
things? We do know his anger and lack of love (we could say his hate) drove him to murder.

Rather than find repentance when God spoke to him in Gen. 4:6-7, a time when God was
giving him we might say a second chance to do right, Cain goes off instead and commits
murder giving full vent to anger, hatred, and jealousy. He lived not for God or even for his
own family.

This is a good time to make a point about faith and what it is. Faith that is pleasing to God is
not faith in God's existence alone. God even spoke to Cain. Cain had no doubt about God's
existence. We could go so far as to say he did not need faith in God's existence for he had
firsthand knowledge of it. So, faith that God is is not saving faith. There is more to it than
just that. "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and
tremble!" (James 2:19 NKJV) Do we believe Cain and the demons were saved? If not we
need to continue to study to learn what saving faith consists of. It certainly involves more
than just believing a God exists in the heavens.

The writer of the book of Hebrews says of Abel that he "obtained witness that he was
righteous." (Heb. 11:4 NKJV) Jesus declared him righteous in Matt. 25:35. He became such
by faith. Abel died a righteous man. He was a man of faith who heard God's word, believed
it, and obeyed it. There is no saving faith where a man simply hears God's words with the
ear and then goes off in disobedience doing his own thing. A man of faith trusts God's words
for God spoke them and thus they are trustworthy. In obeying them one is obeying God and
manifesting faith in him. We do not know what all Abel knew about sacrifice to God but we
do know he followed by faith what he had been told and did not deviate from it for his trust
was in the one who had directed him. The lesson for today – trust what God has told us in
his word and do it for in doing it we will be "by faith" acting as did Abel.