Salvation Before and After the Cross

Question: "How were people saved before Jesus died for our sins?"

Answer: Since the fall of man, the basis of salvation has always been the death of Christ. No one, either prior to the cross or since the cross, would ever be saved without that one pivotal event in the history of the world. Christ's death paid the penalty for past sins of Old Testament saints and future sins of New Testament saints.

The requirement for salvation has always been faith. The object of one's faith for salvation has always been God. The psalmist wrote, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12). Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham believed God and that was enough for God to credit it to him for righteousness (see also Romans 4:3-8). The Old Testament sacrificial system did not take away sin, as Hebrews 10:1-10 clearly teaches. It did, however, point to the day when the Son of God would shed His blood for the sinful human race.

What has changed through the ages is the content of a believer's faith. God's requirement of what must be believed is based on the amount of revelation He has given mankind up to that time. This is called progressive revelation. Adam believed the promise God gave in Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of the woman would conquer Satan. Adam believed Him, demonstrated by the name he gave Eve (v. 20) and the Lord indicated His acceptance immediately by covering them with coats of skin (v. 21). At that point that is all Adam knew, but he believed it.

Abraham believed God according to the promises and new revelation God gave him in Genesis 12 and 15. Prior to Moses, no Scripture was written, but mankind was responsible for what God had revealed. Throughout the Old Testament, believers came to salvation because they believed that God would someday take care of their sin problem. Today, we look back, believing that He has already taken care of our sins on the cross (John 3:16; Hebrews 9:28).

What about believers in Christ's day, prior to the cross and resurrection? What did they believe? Did they understand the full picture of Christ dying on a cross for their sins? Late in His ministry, “Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Matthew 16:21-22). What was the reaction of His disciples to this message? “Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” Peter and the other disciples did not know the full truth, yet they were saved because they believed that God would take care of their sin problem. They didn't exactly know how He would accomplish that, any more than Adam, Abraham, Moses, or David knew how, but they believed God.

Today, we have more revelation than the people living before the resurrection of Christ; we know the full picture. “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Our salvation is still based on the death of Christ, our faith is still the requirement for salvation, and the object of our faith is still God. Today, for us, the content of our faith is that Jesus Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Recommended Resource: Salvation: God's Marvelous Work of Grace by Lewis Sperry Chafer.

What's new on GotQuestions.org? What does it mean that a Christian is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-wrath view of the rapture? What is the New World Order? Why is a bronze serpent used to save the Israelites in Numbers 21:8-9? Are the demons the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim? What was the meaning and importance of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)? Is Christianity a white man's religion? What is Federal Vision Theology? What is theosis? What was the significance of the ephod? How does one handle conflict in a marriage (or any relationship for that matter)? What is a kinsman redeemer? Website: www.gotquestions.org

Why did God allow it?

The Sifting Of Peter

Q. When the devil asked to ’sift Peter as wheat’(Luke 22:31) what exactly does it mean? Why would he want to do this?

I know that he also asked to persecute Job in the old testament and that God allowed this in order to cure Job of his self righteous attitude.Does this mean the devil has to ask permission to attack us directly, and if so are all our afflictions down to him?

A. The sifting of Peter took place in his triple denial that he knew the Lord on the night before the crucifixion. It was an attack against an attribute of his that Peter took much pride in, his bravery. Earlier, he had single handedly stood up to the contingent of soldiers who came to arrest Jesus (John 18:10), but then he wound up being intimidated by a slave girl, the most powerless of all possible adversaries.

It was done to demonstrate two things to Peter and to us. One, we’re most vulnerable after a victory. Three days earlier they had all rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. And two, when Satan attacks it will often be in an area where we feel strongest, most self-sufficient. Job’s strongest area was his righteousness, Peter’s was his bravery. This is to show our need for utter reliance upon the Lord.

Yes, all our afflictions are ultimately caused by Satan because he is the author of all the evil in the world. But our own sinfulness is what gives him access to us. God uses Satan’s attacks to expose our sinfulness and our need to confess and be forgiven. This is the point of both Job’s and Peter’s experiences. Both were forgiven and restored after recognizing their sin and confessing. After his sifting, Peter was a changed man as his performance in the Book of Acts clearly demonstrates.

Peter, Do You Love Me?

Q. John 21:15-17 records Jesus asking peter three times if he loves him, Was this Jesus way of letting Peter know he was forgiven for denying Him three times?

A. That’s a reasonable interpretation. But John 21:15-17 also contains a fascinating use of words that we miss in the English because we only have one word for love. In the Greek two different words for love are used, and they have different meanings. In verse 15 when Jesus first asked Peter, “Do you truly love me more than these?” He used a word that means to be totally given over to someone irrespective of the response. It’s the highest, most intense form of love in the Greek language. We would call it unconditional love. But when Peter responded, he used a different word for love, a less intense one that describes the love one has for a brother.

When Jesus asked the second time it was the same, with Jesus using the stronger word and Peter responding with the lesser.

The third time, Jesus downgraded His expectation and changed His question to use the same word Peter had used, allowing Peter to respond in kind. In verse 17 Peter said, “Lord you know all things. You know that I love you.” He meant that he knew that the Lord knew of his inability to respond unconditionally to God’s love.

In this interaction we learn two things. The first is Peter’s admission that it’s impossible for man to love God with the same intensity that God loves man. The second is that God understands this and accepts man’s weakness.

Peter would not describe His love for the Lord as unconditional until after Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit had come and Peter had given himself completely over to serving Him. This is to show that it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we’re able to respond to God’s love in kind.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

Work force of the Lord

The Parable of the Workers in the Field

So the last will be first, and the first will be last. Matt 20:16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. “He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matt.20: 1-16)

What’s That All About?

I’ve been a management consultant most of my life and before I became a believer I thought the Lord had violated all kinds of motivational principles, not to mention the theory of fair compensation, with this story. Seemed to me like the landowner in the parable was training his workers to show up late. They’d still get paid for the full day.

Then I was born again, and learned that the Lord’s objective in teaching through parables was to enlighten His followers on the ways of the Kingdom, while confusing everyone else. (Matt. 13: 11-13) It had sure worked with me.

I learned that a parable is a heavenly story put into an earthly perspective, and that all the characters represent someone or something else. This one was no different. As usual the landowner represents the Lord, the workers His followers, and the vineyard, His Kingdom. The pay stands for the rewards of salvation. The work is what His followers do to deserve the reward, and the day is the length of time they’re given to do it, normally their lifespan. This parable wasn’t meant to be a management seminar. It was given to illuminate three critical principles having to do with the Kingdom of Heaven.

Three Principles

First, no matter when in your life you decide to join His Kingdom, you are entitled to all the rights and benefits pertaining thereto the moment you do. (Ephe 1:13-14) The last ones hired got the same pay as the first.

Second, you have to sign up before the end of the day. (Hebr. 4:7) No one was hired after the end of the day and as I said, the day represents our lifetime.

Third, if you think you deserve more in the Kingdom because you worked longer or harder or lived a better life than someone else, then you’ve forgotten how you got in. You weren’t saved because of your merit or worthiness, but because of His mercy and grace. Thinking He owes you something extra is a sin that if left unconfessed won’t get you thrown out, (remember every worker is a believer) but it could put a strain on your relationship with the Lord during your life and will certainly diminish your joy at having been accepted into the Kingdom.

Is Your Work All Done?

So what about the work that everyone, whether first or last, had to do to earn their pay? I thought salvation was free, and couldn’t be earned. Earlier, the people had asked the Jesus, “What is the work God requires of us?”

“The work of God is this,” He replied. “Believe in the One He has sent.” (John 6:28-29)

What a perfect opportunity to point out all the things required of us; the 10 Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, or some new list that combined them both and added regular church attendance, tithing, with maybe some missionary work thrown in. No. “Believe in the One He has sent.” Period. End of Story.

The workers who worked all day represent those who have believed in the One He has sent, but then for the rest of their lives have labored long and hard for the Kingdom. Nothing wrong with all their hard work, and it has probably achieved much good, but at the end of the age, if they think they’ll be in for some extra credit, their true motives will be exposed. The jealousy they feel when a terrible sinner makes a last minute confession and is saved without any good works to his credit shows they haven’t been working to express their gratitude to the Lord for what they’ve already been promised, but to earn something more for themselves. (1 Cor. 4:5)

And The First Shall Be Last

When the Lord said, “The last will be first, and the first will be last,” He was describing the spiritual equivalent of being sent to the end of the line. Something like that actually happened to me once. I arrived early for a popular seminar, found a good parking space, took my place near the head of the line that was already forming, and began mentally selecting the great seat I’d head for when the doors opened. As the line quickly got longer and longer, I began gloating over the fact that I wasn’t going to be one of those losers who always arrive at the last minute and get terrible parking and worse seats. No sir, not me.

Finally the doors did open and to my shock I discovered I’d been standing in the wrong place. The first ones there had been misinformed and had started the line in front of the wrong door. The real entrance was at a different door and suddenly I was nearer the end of the line than the beginning. Bummer! I had been feeling so smug and superior, and now I was the loser. I mentally missed the first 15 minutes of the seminar trying to calm down, and never did get over the fact that I had waited all that time to get preferred seating and now my seat was no better than anyone else’s. Going from first to last stole my joy that day, and my superior attitude made it all the worse.

Take Home Pay

If you’re one of those believers the Lord could accuse of being jealous over what someone else is getting, confess and do it now. Don’t let another day go by, estranged from Him by your jealousy.

And here’s one way the parable is different from life. Everyone knew the workday was 12 hours long, so all could predict its end. But who among us can predict the end of our lives? If you’re someone who hasn’t yet fully committed to becoming one of His followers please heed the advice from Hebrews 4:7, “Today if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart” and from 2 Cor. 6:2 “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Join Him now, the wages are great and they pay eternal dividends. Selah 2-7-04

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

-Matthew 19:30

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, “You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, “Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?” “Because no one has hired us,” they answered. “He said to them, “You also go and work in my vineyard.”

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.” The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. “These men who were hired last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.” But he answered one of them, “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last. (Matt. 20:1-16)

What Good Thing Must I Do?

This parable is given as the conclusion to a discussion that began a chapter earlier with a rich young man asking what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life (Matt 19:16-30). By the way, some believe this young man was Mark, future gospel writer and companion of Paul.

As you know, a parable is a heavenly story set in an earthly context. Everyone and everything is symbolic. The key to unlocking a parable is to correctly interpret the symbolism. Here’s my view.

The vineyard represents the body of believers and the landowner is the Lord. The workers are those who respond to His call, the day is their lifetime and the wages eternal life. All through our lives God is calling. Some respond early in life, some later and others at the very end. But all who respond receive eternal life. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not by works (Ephe. 2:8-9).

Some workers in the parable resented the fact that all were paid equally, believing that since they worked longer they should have received more. This attitude reflects the spiritual pride found in some long term believers who think their years of service should automatically count for more. It actually betrays their works based theology, showing that they’ve forgotten that we serve the Lord to express our gratitude for what He’s already done, not to earn more of what we expect Him to do. We should be grateful for long years of service because it means we’ve had more opportunities to say thanks. The landowner responded to these malcontents by saying that they had received everything he’d promised them. If he wanted to be generous with the others wasn’t that His right?

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8).

Here on earth an employer who paid his people that way would be considered unfair and could actually be in violation of wage and hour laws. Compensation is normally based upon performance and length of service. That was also the attitude of the rich young man who had asked, “What good thing must I do?” All his life he had been taught the relationship between effort and reward, and he wanted to know what he could do to earn his salvation.

But the Lord looks at things differently. His love for us is derived from who we are, not what we’ve done. And who are we? Children of the King, the highest example of His creative capability, His work of art (Rom 8:17 & Ephe. 2:10). We don’t have to work to earn eternal life, we just have to accept when He offers it. It’s our inheritance, after all.

Riches And Righteousness

The Israelites had been taught that riches were an indication of righteousness and when Jesus now told His disciples that it’s hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom, they asked, “Who then can be saved?” “With man this impossible,” Jesus replied, “But with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:23-26). Still not willing to abandon their works theology Peter said, “We have left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?” (vs. 27)

Then the Lord illustrated the distinction between the free gift of salvation and the rewards that come from properly motivated service. (Read ) They would sit in judgment of the 12 tribes of Israel, and indeed everyone who has abandoned the things of this world in favor of a life of service would receive similar rewards, plus eternal life (vs. 28-29).

Many who perceive themselves as deserving of superior rewards based solely on their hard work or length of service will discover that the Lord’s criteria for such rewards is far different from their own. They will learn the meaning of His phrase, “the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (vs. 30) It’s the motive of our heart while serving Him that matters, not the duration or outcome of our effort. (1 Cor 3:10-15) Their pride has disqualified them for special rewards.

So the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard teaches that no matter when in your life you heed His call, you will gain Eternal Life. It’s a gift freely given to all who will receive it, irrespective of effort. The only problem is that you can’t determine in advance when your last chance to accept will come. Better make sure you’ve got it now.

Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebr. 4:7).

Class Differences In Heaven?

Q. I was just reading one of your lessons, and the writer was concerned about class differences in heaven based on our works for the Kingdom after we are saved.

I recalled the parable Jesus taught about the workers who were hired late in the afternoon receiving a penny, the same wage as those who went to work early in the morning. The early birds complained, but the owner of the field said it was his field and his money, and he could pay whatever he wished to whomever he wished.

It seems to me that this teaches that the Blessed will not make invidious comparisons regarding who gets the most rewards in the Kingdom or Eternity. What do you think?

A. The Parable of the Workers In The Vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16) is actually about the fact that no matter when in our lives we accept the Lord’s pardon, we get the same package of benefits as everyone else. Those who have a lifetime of religious work will find themselves no more completely saved than those who confessed with their dying breath. This is because it’s our faith that saves us, not our work.

Even so, you’re right in saying that none us will feel any envy, jealousy or animosity toward another believer. These are emotions of the sin nature from which we’ll have been freed in the resurrection/rapture.

Eternal Service Status?

Q. I read an article about the rapture and the author mentioned the Bema Seat. He wrote:

“Those who have lived carnal lived–lives that are not walking in the will of God will lose rewards at the bema, or judgment seat of Christ. The believer must do his or her best to live the way God expects of His children while still in this mortal flesh. The child of God should take this truth very seriously. How he or she attempts to walk righteously here on earth will determine his or her eternal service status when they look into their Lord’s omniscient eyes.”

What is disturbing me is this “determined eternal service status”. Is there any hint in the Bible for the validation of this statement? I’m not happy that I will probably lose rewards but it’s OK. However I don’t want to be “doomed” to an eternal kind of state or status, whatever it is, that is unchangeable. It would be depressing that in eternity despite I’m in heaven, there isn’t a chance or a single ray of hope to change our state or status if this kind of things really exist. What is your opinion on this?

A. The phrase “eternal service status” is man made and doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. Neither is there any guidance given that connects our behavior here with our relative status in eternity, only for the crowns we’ll be given.

But there’s no way we’ll spend eternity regretting things we did or didn’t do here. That would conflict with everything we’ve been taught about our joy in the presence of the Lord.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com

The model of grace!

Cain and Abel

The mark of Cain… a model of grace.

Adam lay with his wife Eve and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel (Gen. 4:1-2). The Hebrew root for Cain means to procure, while Abel means transitory or meaningless. From Eve’s comment and Cain’s name we discover that the Lord had delegated the procreation process, enabling obedience to His command to multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28) with out requiring a direct act of creation for each person born. We can also assume from Abel’s name that she believed Cain would be her redeemer, and therefore felt Abel was unnecessary. (Discovering the meanings of Biblical names can be so fascinating! Whether it’s a person or place, you’ll almost always gain added insight into the passage.)

Now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the first born of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and his face was down cast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? Why is your face down cast? 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 (Gen. 4:2-7).”

Everything Written In The Past Was Written To Teach Us … Rom.15:4

Here we learn that the remedy for sin was first taught to Adam in the Garden, not to Moses at Mt. Sinai. By offering the firstborn from his flock Abel illustrated the concept of innocent blood shed for the remission of sin, a model of the Messiah, while Cain brought the works of his own hands, an offering of thanksgiving. Because the Lord reminded Cain to “do what is right” it’s clear that He had instructed them on this. The sin offering, an act of confession, purifies us and permits our reentry into the presence of God. Only then will our offerings of praise and thanksgiving be acceptable. Formalized in the Levitical system, and simplified in 1 John 1:8-10 this was actually revealed at the instant of the first sin. It demonstrates our need for a Redeemer while teaching the futility of either providing our own remedy for our sins or ignoring them altogether (as Cain did) both of which are actually offensive to God.

Confess Early And Often

Now Cain said to his brother, “Let’s go out into the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:8-9) As was the case with his father Adam the Lord asked the question, not because he was seeking information, but because He was seeking confession. Adam gave a flimsy excuse (it was the woman’s fault) but Cain showed callous indifference. In fact, isn’t it hard to see anything good in Cain’s behavior? He ignored the Lord’s command about offerings and then became angry when his was rejected. Instead of confessing, he let his anger become jealousy toward Abel and lured him into the field for a pre-meditated act of murder. Then he lied about it, and expressed only indifference when confronted. Little sins, left unchecked, become big ones (James 1:15).

The Lord’s warning, “Sin is crouching at your door and desires to have you” bears a closer look. The Hebrew word translated crouching was used in ancient times to describe the way a demon would lie in wait for a victim, perhaps because of this passage, and the word desire is the same one used to describe Eve’s attitude toward Adam in Gen.3:16, meaning “to long for.” Our enemy has a passionate interest in us and will lie in wait, longing for the opportunities presented by our sins. Having failed to apply the prescribed remedy for sin, Cain was fair game and the enemy took full advantage. Please remember, Cain had a relationship with God, spoke with and was taught directly by Him, and still committed a grievous sin. It’s a striking example of the pervasiveness of the sin nature introduced into the human gene pool at the fall, and should remind us all of our tendency toward sin, no matter how “spiritual” we think we are, or how strongly rooted in our faith. (See 1 Peter 5:8 and 1 John 1:8-10).

The Mark Of Cain … A Model Of Grace

So Cain was driven from the land to live as a fugitive and vagabond. He was afraid that he would be forever banished from the presence of God and deprived of His protection. “Not so,” said the Lord, and put His mark on Cain saving his life (Gen. 4:15). The collective mind of scholarship has been probed in vain to determine the nature of this mark, but that’s not the point. All through the chapter the covenant name of God has been used, indicating the scope of Cain’s relationship with Him. Cain sinned and refused to confess, and therefore put himself out of fellowship with God. But God didn’t revoke His covenant, nor did He withdraw His protection. Unconfessed sin interrupts our relationship with God and causes us to wander in spiritual wilderness, but it doesn’t sever our family ties and it doesn’t put our eternal life at risk.

Cain serves as a model of so many Christians today; out of fellowship for refusing to recognize and confess their sins, but still in the family and still living protected (eternal) lives. Objects of the enemy’s passionate interest and fair game for his trickery but marked by the Grace of God as off limits to the stealer of their souls.

The Mark Of Cain

Q. Here’s a question I am sure has been asked and answered a million times. But, I have never seen an answer. Does God reveal to us anyplace in scripture what was the Mark of Cain? Many thanks for your answer.

A. The mark of Cain is mentioned only in Genesis 4:15. In the passage the Lord has banished Cain from the Garden for killing his brother Abel. Cain was afraid that one of his other brothers or sisters would find him and kill him, so God put a mark on him to warn others of the consequences of killing him. There’s no mention of anyone other than Cain receiving the mark, and the Bible doesn’t say what the mark was.

In the past, some speculated that Cain’s skin color was changed to make him look different from his brothers and sisters, but there’s no Biblical basis for this. Neither is there any basis for believing that any of Cain’s offspring inherited the mark. But even if they did we need to remember that all of them perished in the flood. There are no biological descendants of Cain on Earth today.

If You Do What Is Right, You’ll Be Accepted

Q. Re: Genesis 4:3-5.

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 favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Why did God not have respect for Cain’s offering ?

A. After the fall God taught the first family how to prepare and present acceptable offerings to Him. We know this from Genesis 4:6-7

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 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.”

God told Cain that if he did what was right his offering would be accepted. This proves that Cain knew how to present an acceptable offering. Abel’s offering was the life of an innocent animal, an early model of the Messiah. Cain’s was some of the produce he had grown, the works of his hands. From verses 6-7 we also learn that the offering was for sin.

From this passage we see that right from the beginning man was taught that the shedding of innocent blood was the only remedy for sin, and we also see that right from the beginning man has tried to justify himself with the works of his own hands. As Cain soon proved by murdering his brother, this always leads to death.

More On Cain And Abel

Q. I am teaching Sunday school ages 5-11. I am going to teach the story of Cain and Abel but, I’m not having a good understanding of it myself or I may be thinking too deep into the story.

When I get asked question why wasn’t Cain’s offering accepted is there an easy way for me to explain it or do I have to go deep into the whole thing about blood sacrifices. I don’t want them to get more confused. What offering was God initially looking for from Cain?

A. You don’t have to go into the whole blood sacrifice issue. Abel brought an acceptable sacrifice and Cain didn’t. God told Cain that if he did the right thing he’d be accepted like Abel was. So God was looking for the same kind of sacrifice that Abel had brought, because that’s what He had taught them.

But it’s not the sacrifice that’s important, it’s the principle, and that’s what you should focus on. If we do the right thing we’ll be accepted by God. What’s the right thing for us to do? That’s what the people asked Jesus and here’s what He told them:

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29).

It’s a great opportunity to share the simplicity of the Gospel.

Website: www.gracethrufaith.com