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...

Jesus Christ (Photo credit: MichaelHDJ ) He is the Way; men without him are Cains , wanderers, vagabonds:— He is the Truth; men without him are liars, like the devil, who was so of old:— He is the Life; without him men are dead, dead in trespasses and sins :— He is the Light; without him men are in darkness, and go they know not whither:— He is the Vine ; those that are not grafted in him are withered branches, prepared for the fire:— He is the Rock; men not built on him are carried away with a flood:— He is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the author and the ender, the founder and the finisher of our salvation. Related articles Salvation's Work (hackingagag.com) Salvation is of the Lord. Jonah 2:9 (lacykitkat.wordpress.com) When Boasting is a Good Thing (kingkurtissmith.wordpress.com) False Teaching (nickbabineaux.com) Can a Christian lose their Salvation? Exposing Satans schemes (prepareforthelamb.wordpress.com) Rick Perry: Being Gay Like Being an Alcoh...

The First Mourning (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain , and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” ( Jude 1:11 ) Jude compares the awful examples of three Old Testament characters to leaders in the New Testament church who have used their influence for evil. Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve and had every opportunity to excel. Yet he chose a “way” that not only ended in the horrible murder of his brother but also resulted in an entire culture in rebellion against God . The murder was preceded by a flagrant disobedience that was expressed when the family came to offer their sacrifices to the Creator. Cain brought an offering of the “fruit” of his own labor from tilling the ground. Abel’s offering was a “firstling” from the flock that he kept ( Genesis 4:3-5 ). Why did God “respect” Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? God’s commentary on this event ( Hebrews 11:4 ) tells us tha...

Cain And Abel (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 tells much more about Cain than Abel. In fact, not one word is recorded from living Abel. But the author of Hebrews says that, “through [Abel’s] faith, though he died, he still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). So what is dead Abel speaking to us? It was dusk. Cain was working late. Not wanting to face his parents, he was trying to disguise his guilt-infused fear with a preoccupation with his crops. Then suddenly the unmistakable voice of the Lᴏʀᴅ sent a shock through his core: “Where is Abel, your brother?” Cain had grown to loathe Abel. It had been building for years. No matter what, Abel always seemed to turn a situation to his advantage. Was there a conflict? Abel the Humble loved to be the first to reconcile. Did anyone need help? Abel the Servant loved to be the first to offer it. Was there an injury? Abel the Compassionate loved to be the first to comfort. Even when Cain showed greater endurance and ...

The First Mourning (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” ( 1 John  3:12 )   These two brothers stand as contrasting prototypes. Cain was the first child born after the Fall who embraced the “wicked one” in spite of all the firsthand and face-to-face knowledge of God’s redemptive plan and offering of grace ( Genesis 4 ). Cain’s arrogant lifestyle is noted in  Jude 8-11 . Abel, in contrast, was a man of great faith ( Hebrews 11:4 ) who was both righteous ( Matthew  23:25 ) and a prophet ( Luke 11:50-51 ).   Adam and Eve would have taught the boys (and their other children) about God and the knowledge of the sacrifice (covering of skins) for their own sin. It is clear that sheep were not kept for food ( Genesis  2:16 ) since Cain provided food (as instructed by God— Genesis  1:29 ). Abel provided clothin...

English: Cain and Abel (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." ( Genesis 6:8 ) Genesis 3:15 clearly implies that Satan 's offspring and the woman's offspring will be at war until Satan is finally and fully crushed. Hence, we would expect to find accounts of battles between the two parties until the final blow is struck. Genesis 6:1-8 is one such account. "Sons of God " (their exact identity is unknown) were producing offspring with the daughters of men ( 6:1-2 ). Whatever these reproductive unions were, God was displeased with them: "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years" ( 6:3 ). Both the word "striving" and the fact that God limited the existence of that generation to 120 years indicate His disapproval. Why would God have been angry? Shortly after these procreative acts, violence and wickedness were widespread ...

The First Mourning (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The word “sin” first appears in the Bible when God speaks to Cain , warning him not to give in to his anger against his brother: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). This is not the first sin, though. Romans 5:12-14 teaches that Adam’s fall was also a sin and, of course, the origin of all human sin. But what precisely is sin? The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it well: “ Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” In Genesis 3 this involves Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil despite God’s clear prohibition against doing so. In chapter 4 it takes the form of murder when Cain kills Abel. Through the rest of the Bible we see countless other expressions of sin: lying, stealing, idolatry, and impatience and anything else the heart of man can concoct. But what is the root that unit...

The First Mourning (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Cain and Abel (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Ancient writers and theologians talked about it a lot, even suggesting that it was the second most serious and second most prevalent of all the sins, and yet today it has almost disappeared from our vocabulary or it has been confused with related sins like jealousy or covetousness. That sin is Envy. Proverbs says that whoever walks with the wise will be wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm (13:20). What I found out is that Envy has been a friend of mine for a long, long time. I just didn’t realize it until recently. He has infected me with his foolishness. Let me tell you how he’s worked in my life. Nine years ago I slapped together a little web site so I could share a couple of articles with my parents. The Lord took that site and has done something amazing so that today tens of thousands of people read it every day. Not only that, but I have been able to write books and I have ...