Dr Paul Allen

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...

A widespread cynicism toward giving exists in our culture. Some nonprofit organizations have mismanaged funds. Thus, many people are reluctant to support these organizations with their donations.  But the cynicism extends even to the Christian community . Some unscrupulous televangelists have given tithing a bad name, so many believers do not contribute to the work of the church. This, I believe, is a significant error, for the Bible commands Christians to be good stewards of their resources for the sake of the kingdom of God . The whole concept of stewardship begins with creation. Creation is celebrated not only in Genesis but throughout Scripture, especially in the Psalms , where Israel celebrated God’s ownership of the whole universe. “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” ( Ps. 24:1 ). God is the author of all things, the Creator of all things, and the owner of all things. Whatever God makes, He owns. What we own, we ow...