Dr Paul Allen

By faith, Abel offered God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous; God commended him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. (Heb. 11:4) Few biblical stories are more intriguing and saddening than that of Cain and Abel—the Bible’s first scene of death, martyrdom, and sibling rivalry. The book of Hebrews mentions Abel twice, in Hebrews 11:4 and Hebrews 12:24. For now, we will focus on the first of these two references, though the second is both profound and edifying. In Hebrews 11:4, we are given the first instance of an Old Testament hero of faith.  Abel is the first “witness” to testify to the better things that God promised to the saints of old and has now fulfilled in these “last days” (Heb. 11:3) in Christ. It is important to remember that in the book of Hebrews, God has not simply spoken to the Old Testament saints; he has also spoken through them.  Thus, the revelation of the better thing...

There are two aspects of Cain’s offering, which found him unapproved before God: (1) his attitude and (2) the type of offering. Eventually, Cain and Abel came before God with their offerings. “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Jehovah.” (Gen 4:3, ASV) “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.” (Gen 4:4, ESV) It is likely that both Cain and Abel were close to 100 years old at the time, as Adam was 130 years old when he fathered his third son, Seth. (Gen 4:25; 5:3) We can establish that the two sons became aware of their sinful state, and sought our God’s favour. How they garnered this knowledge is guesswork, but it is likely by way of the father, Adam. Adam likely informed them about the coming seed and the hope that lie before humankind. Therefore, it seems that they had given some thought to their condition and stand before God, and realized that they needed to try to atone for their sinful condition. The Bible does...

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. (Heb. 11:4) Few biblical stories are more intriguing and saddening than that of Cain and Abel —the Bible’s first scene of death, martyrdom, and sibling rivalry. The book of Hebrews mentions Abel twice, in 11:4 and in 12:24. For now, we will focus on the first of these two references, though the second is both profound and edifying. In Hebrews 11:4, we are given the first instance of an Old Testament hero of faith. Abel is the first “witness” to testify to the better things that God promised to the saints of old and has now fulfilled in these “last days” (v. 3) in Christ.  It is important to remember that in the book of Hebrews, God has not simply spoken to the Old Testament saints, He has also spoken through them. Thus, a revelation of the better things to come in...

Hebrews 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith" or the "Faith Hall of Fame." In this noted Bible chapter, the writer of the  book of Hebrews  introduces an impressive list of heroic figures from the Old Testament --remarkable men and women whose stories stand out to encourage and challenge our  faith . Some of these heroes of faith are well-known Bible personalities, while others remain anonymous. Take a tour through the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith: The sacrifice of Cain and Abel (circa 1800).  Getty Images •   Abel - First Martyr in the Bible The first person listed in the Hall of Faith is Abel: 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.   (NLT) Abel was the second son of  Adam  and  Eve . He was th...