(Genesis) Genesis 4:3-5 — J. Vernon McGee

Cain and Abel Bring Offerings at the Appointed Place

Now, will you notice, it says, in process of time. Actually, it means at the end of days, which would mean on the Sabbath day, I think, on the day that God had rested. And in process of time, it came to pass, that came brought.

And the idea of brought here means to an appointed place. So they are bringing an offering to God to an appointed place to worship. And all this would indicate, of course, they're doing it by revelation.

Abel's More Excellent Sacrifice Was Offered by Faith

In fact, I know they are. You say, how do you know? Well, if when we turn to the 11th chapter of Hebrews, we read, By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. By faith. How could he offer it by faith?

Faith Comes by Hearing God's Word

Well, faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God. So God had to give his word about this, or this boy could never have come by faith. And that's the way he came. Now, the other boy didn't come that way.

Cain's Fruit and Abel's Firstlings

But we find here that Cain brought the fruit of the ground. And there's nothing wrong with the fruit. Don't think that he brought the leftovers. He's not giving old clothes to the mission now. I think that the fruit he brought would have won the blue ribbon in any county fair or state fair in the country.

He brought delicious fruit. And he brought that as an offering to the Lord. And Abel, he also brought the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.

The Way of Cain and the Denial of Sin

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Now, the thing that Cain did, somebody says, I don't see anything wrong in it at all. Well, Jude, in his epistle, the 11th verse says, speaking of apostates in the last days, they've gone in the way of Cain.

Well, what is the way of Cain? Cain, when he brought an offering to God, he didn't come by faith. He came on his own. And the offering that he brought denied that human nature is evil. God said, you bring that little sacrifice which will point to the Redeemer who's coming in the world.

Human Separation from God

And you come on that basis. Don't come by bringing the works of your own hand. And it also denies that man was separated from God. He acted like everything was all right. And that's what liberalism does today, talks about the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man.

Friends, things are not all right with us today. We're not born children of God. We are born again children of God. Man is separated from God. Cain refused to recognize that. And multitudes today refuse to do that.

Salvation Is Not by Works of Righteousness

Then the third thing, he denied that man cannot offer works to God. He felt he could. God says, it's not by works of righteousness which we've done. It's according to his mercy he saved us. And we find that actually the difference between these two boys wasn't a character difference at all.

The Offering, Not Human Character, Makes the Difference

It's the offering that they brought. These two boys had the same background. They had the same heredity. They had the same environment. There wasn't that difference between them. Don't tell me that Cain got his bad disposition from an alcoholic uncle.

He didn't have an uncle. And don't say that Abel got his from a very fine aunt on his mother's side. The other was on the father's side, of course. But that wasn't true. You see, they just didn't have aunts and uncles then.

And they had the same heredity and same environment. The difference is in the offering. And that offering makes the difference in man today. And no Christian takes the position that he is better than anyone else.

A Sacrifice Takes the Sinner's Place

The thing that makes him a Christian is he recognizes that he's a sinner like everyone else and that he needs an offering. He needs a sacrifice. He needs someone to take his place and die. And Paul says in Romans 3 26, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.

God's Righteousness Versus Self-Made Righteousness

And therefore, Paul again could write, they being ignorant of God's righteousness, they go about to establish a righteousness of their own. And that's the picture of multitudes of people today. They are attempting through religion and joining a church and doing something that they make themselves acceptable to God.

May I say, God's righteousness can only come to you because you have to have a perfect one. It can only come to you through Christ providing it to you. He was delivered for our offenses. He was raised for our justification, that is, for our righteousness.

Christ Provides Righteousness by Faith

He was the one who took our place. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And that's the righteousness. Paul says that I might be found in Him not having mine own righteousness.

That's Cain. But the righteousness which is by faith, Jesus Christ. That's Abel, if you please. Why did Cain get angry? We'll look at that next time.