Why was Cain's offer rejected?
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You offer thanks to God by saying, "Thanks, God". It's that simple.
As to your income, you are free to use it as you see fit, though I would encourage you to use some of it to support your local Christian fellowship (if you have one) and to support organizations that further the kingdom of God by serving the poor and needy and/or spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, take care of your family.
As to your income, you are free to use it as you see fit, though I would encourage you to use some of it to support your local Christian fellowship (if you have one) and to support organizations that further the kingdom of God by serving the poor and needy and/or spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, take care of your family.
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Heb 11:4
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Abel's sacrifice was accepted because it was offered "by faith," and I will seek to briefly explain to you exactly what that means.
1Pe 1:18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
When it comes to our redemption, or when it comes to the price that God had to pay to purchase us back unto himself, that price was "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world." In other words, God, in his foreknowledge, knew that Adam and Eve would sin before the world was ever created, and he already had a plan of redemption established before sin ever entered into this world.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they sought to cover their nakedness with fig leaves, but God had a totally different covering in mind.
Gen 3:21
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
In order for God to provide coats of skins for Adam and Eve, at least one animal had to be slain, and the killing of that animal foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, when God addressed the serpent in the garden of Eden, this is what he said to him.
Gen 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
In theological terms, this is commonly called "the protoevangelium" which simply means "the first gospel proclamation." In other words, when God told the serpent (Satan) that he would bruise his heel, the "his" is Christ, and Satan accomplished this when Christ was crucified. Similarly, when God told the serpent (Satan) that "it shall bruise thy head," he was foretelling how Jesus would actually defeat Satan via his crucifixion or atoning sacrifice in that Christ would redeem us from our sins, and deliver us from Satan's power, by what he accomplished through his atoning sacrifice.
Somehow, whether directly from God himself, whether from Adam and Eve, or whether from an angel, this information got passed along to Cain and Abel. With this information before us, let us look at God's conversation with Cain.
Gen 4:1
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Gen 4:2
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Gen 4:3
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
By asking Cain "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?," we can know, of a certainty, that Cain understood what the acceptable type of sacrifice was. Abel's sacrifice was the firstlings of his flock, and his offering not only foreshadowed the eventual crucifixion of Jesus Christ who is "the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), but it was offered "by faith" (Hebrews 11:4) in the same.
Cain's sacrifice was not the type of sacrifice which God had ordained, in that it did not foreshadow Christ's atoning sacrifice, and, therefore, it was rejected by God.
How does any of this pertain to you?
In order for you to be acceptable in God's eyes, you need to place your saving faith in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death, burial, resurrection from the dead, ascension back to heaven, and glorification. This is the price that Christ paid to redeem you, or this is the price God desires to purchase you with.
I hope that you understand what I am saying. If not, then please feel free to ask more questions.
Rom 10:6
But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
Rom 10:7
Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)
Rom 10:8
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Abel's sacrifice was accepted because it was offered "by faith," and I will seek to briefly explain to you exactly what that means.
1Pe 1:18
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
When it comes to our redemption, or when it comes to the price that God had to pay to purchase us back unto himself, that price was "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world." In other words, God, in his foreknowledge, knew that Adam and Eve would sin before the world was ever created, and he already had a plan of redemption established before sin ever entered into this world.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they sought to cover their nakedness with fig leaves, but God had a totally different covering in mind.
Gen 3:21
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
In order for God to provide coats of skins for Adam and Eve, at least one animal had to be slain, and the killing of that animal foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, when God addressed the serpent in the garden of Eden, this is what he said to him.
Gen 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
In theological terms, this is commonly called "the protoevangelium" which simply means "the first gospel proclamation." In other words, when God told the serpent (Satan) that he would bruise his heel, the "his" is Christ, and Satan accomplished this when Christ was crucified. Similarly, when God told the serpent (Satan) that "it shall bruise thy head," he was foretelling how Jesus would actually defeat Satan via his crucifixion or atoning sacrifice in that Christ would redeem us from our sins, and deliver us from Satan's power, by what he accomplished through his atoning sacrifice.
Somehow, whether directly from God himself, whether from Adam and Eve, or whether from an angel, this information got passed along to Cain and Abel. With this information before us, let us look at God's conversation with Cain.
Gen 4:1
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Gen 4:2
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Gen 4:3
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
By asking Cain "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?," we can know, of a certainty, that Cain understood what the acceptable type of sacrifice was. Abel's sacrifice was the firstlings of his flock, and his offering not only foreshadowed the eventual crucifixion of Jesus Christ who is "the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), but it was offered "by faith" (Hebrews 11:4) in the same.
Cain's sacrifice was not the type of sacrifice which God had ordained, in that it did not foreshadow Christ's atoning sacrifice, and, therefore, it was rejected by God.
How does any of this pertain to you?
In order for you to be acceptable in God's eyes, you need to place your saving faith in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death, burial, resurrection from the dead, ascension back to heaven, and glorification. This is the price that Christ paid to redeem you, or this is the price God desires to purchase you with.
I hope that you understand what I am saying. If not, then please feel free to ask more questions.
Rom 10:6
But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
Rom 10:7
Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)
Rom 10:8
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Because Abel's offering was from his firstborn . . . Abel put the Lord first in his life.
Genesis 4:3-4
3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground.
4 Abel, on his part also brought an offering, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering; ~NASB
Hello Seeker_Of_Knowledge, as others have already said, we are not told why Cain's offering was rejected, just that it was.
Perhaps the Scriptures themselves (in this case from the NLT Bible) hold the key to why Cain's offering was rejected (see the ways that the brothers' offerings differed in the bold text in v3-4), but again, we cannot know for sure.
It also seems clear from the text that Cain knew that he had disobeyed God by making the offering to Him that he did, because rather than being surprised and asking God how he could correct whatever the problem was (so that his offering would be accepted by Him), he became "angry".
Finally, and far more importantly, you cannot buy $$ your way into Heaven, or even into God's good graces. Our relationship with our loving, heavenly Father (Abba) is one that is based on love and trust, NEVER on a quid pro quo. He is not a Cosmic Sugar-Daddy who we try to please in some way in the hope that He will do something to please us/give us what we want in return (because, in reality, we literally have nothing to offer Him, nor does He need anything from us .. e.g. Psalm 50:10-12). Also, He has already given us the very best that He had to give when He sent us His Son (to both live for us and then die for us on the Cross .. e.g. see Romans 5 below).
So, your $$ cannot save you from God's wrath, only the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can do so
God bless you as you seek to find Him and know Him!!
~Deuteronomy (David)
Genesis 4
3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.
4 Abel also brought a gift — the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift,
4 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
Perhaps the Scriptures themselves (in this case from the NLT Bible) hold the key to why Cain's offering was rejected (see the ways that the brothers' offerings differed in the bold text in v3-4), but again, we cannot know for sure.
It also seems clear from the text that Cain knew that he had disobeyed God by making the offering to Him that he did, because rather than being surprised and asking God how he could correct whatever the problem was (so that his offering would be accepted by Him), he became "angry".
Finally, and far more importantly, you cannot buy $$ your way into Heaven, or even into God's good graces. Our relationship with our loving, heavenly Father (Abba) is one that is based on love and trust, NEVER on a quid pro quo. He is not a Cosmic Sugar-Daddy who we try to please in some way in the hope that He will do something to please us/give us what we want in return (because, in reality, we literally have nothing to offer Him, nor does He need anything from us .. e.g. Psalm 50:10-12). Also, He has already given us the very best that He had to give when He sent us His Son (to both live for us and then die for us on the Cross .. e.g. see Romans 5 below).
So, your $$ cannot save you from God's wrath, only the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can do so
God bless you as you seek to find Him and know Him!!
~Deuteronomy (David)
Romans 5
8 God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Abel offered the blood of an innocent lamb, which was acceptable to the Lord because it foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice.
In contrast, Cain presented the fruits of his own labor, which was not acceptable and was therefore rejected by the Lord.
Similarly, our faith in Christ’s shed blood is what makes us acceptable to God, while those who attempt to earn their way to heaven through their own works will be rejected.
In contrast, Cain presented the fruits of his own labor, which was not acceptable and was therefore rejected by the Lord.
Similarly, our faith in Christ’s shed blood is what makes us acceptable to God, while those who attempt to earn their way to heaven through their own works will be rejected.
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It's not complex....
Adam and eve make clothes of themselves out of fig leaves... NOT ACCEPTABLE... Genesis 3:7
God makes them coats from Animal skins.
Gen 3:21
The VERY FIRST covering of sin in all the Bible required a death of a thing that is living... Man's own works were not good enough.
Now, the Bible reader will know these skins are LAMB skins because all the symbology of LAMB's blood in Scripture... It stands to reason the first skins were lamb skins.
Thus, Abel knows what offering is acceptable. Abel offers what God used to cover his mother and father...
Cain however was RELIGIOUS, cain presented his OWN works, what he made by his own sweat and labor.
Gen 3:17-19
So notice... Abel brought not what he made... He brought what God made, an animal... And asked God to cover his shortcoming.
Cain brought all the works that he made and planted and cultivated... NOT ACCEPTABLE
So why was Cain not accepted? Because NOTHING can please God but perfection. And none of us are perfect.
You don't want to provoke God to wrath? GET SAVED!
How do you get saved?
Jesus Christ is God, and He came down to earth and lived as a perfect man.
He then died on the cross for ALL our sins, using His death to pay the death we should have.
Then to prove He paid it all and that He is God, He rose from the grave the third day.
If you confess Jesus is the Lord, and believe that Jesus rose from the grave by the power of God... YOU ARE SAVED!
This is called IMPUTATION, God will IMPUTE His own perfection and righteousness onto you when you trust in what He did for you.
Start reading your bible, and find a KJV bible believing church that preaches the Gospel.
Adam and eve make clothes of themselves out of fig leaves... NOT ACCEPTABLE... Genesis 3:7
God makes them coats from Animal skins.
Gen 3:21
The VERY FIRST covering of sin in all the Bible required a death of a thing that is living... Man's own works were not good enough.
Now, the Bible reader will know these skins are LAMB skins because all the symbology of LAMB's blood in Scripture... It stands to reason the first skins were lamb skins.
Thus, Abel knows what offering is acceptable. Abel offers what God used to cover his mother and father...
Cain however was RELIGIOUS, cain presented his OWN works, what he made by his own sweat and labor.
Gen 3:17-19
So notice... Abel brought not what he made... He brought what God made, an animal... And asked God to cover his shortcoming.
Cain brought all the works that he made and planted and cultivated... NOT ACCEPTABLE
So why was Cain not accepted? Because NOTHING can please God but perfection. And none of us are perfect.
You don't want to provoke God to wrath? GET SAVED!
How do you get saved?
Jesus Christ is God, and He came down to earth and lived as a perfect man.
He then died on the cross for ALL our sins, using His death to pay the death we should have.
Then to prove He paid it all and that He is God, He rose from the grave the third day.
If you confess Jesus is the Lord, and believe that Jesus rose from the grave by the power of God... YOU ARE SAVED!
This is called IMPUTATION, God will IMPUTE His own perfection and righteousness onto you when you trust in what He did for you.
Start reading your bible, and find a KJV bible believing church that preaches the Gospel.
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Firstly it had nothing to do with Cane or Able's goodness or worthiness.. God was not rejecting Cain when He rejected His offering..
God was establishing to humanity the type of sacrifice needed to pay for sin.. In this case Able sacrificed animals, So symbolically the Blood sacrifice of the animals pointed to the later animal sacrifices in the temple and all these sacrifices where pointing to the Final Holy Sacrifice of the LORD Jesus who is called The LAMB of God for a reason. Lamb being the Passover sacrifice..
Able gave a sacrifice of vegetables/ of his crops.. God was making it clear that the sacrifice that would count was the Blood sacrifice..
During the story you will note that God actually came to Cain and reassured him that if he did well he would be accepted, letting him know that the rejection of his sacrifice was not a personal rejection of Cain.. And of course it wasn't a personal rejection.. But Cain simply failed to understand and ended up being consumed by jealousy..
God was establishing to humanity the type of sacrifice needed to pay for sin.. In this case Able sacrificed animals, So symbolically the Blood sacrifice of the animals pointed to the later animal sacrifices in the temple and all these sacrifices where pointing to the Final Holy Sacrifice of the LORD Jesus who is called The LAMB of God for a reason. Lamb being the Passover sacrifice..
Able gave a sacrifice of vegetables/ of his crops.. God was making it clear that the sacrifice that would count was the Blood sacrifice..
During the story you will note that God actually came to Cain and reassured him that if he did well he would be accepted, letting him know that the rejection of his sacrifice was not a personal rejection of Cain.. And of course it wasn't a personal rejection.. But Cain simply failed to understand and ended up being consumed by jealousy..
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It was by or "out of" faith that Abel offered a sacrifice. Abel's faith was evidenced by obedience to God's requirement for sacrifice by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. (Hebrews 11:4) Cain, who was of the evil one, demonstrated an evil heart by evil deeds, while Abel demonstrated a righteous heart by his righteous deeds (1 John 3:12); and that Abel offered his sacrifice by or "out of" faith and Cain did not. Cain's sacrifice was evidence of his lack of faith. Abel's offering was a demonstration of his faith in regards to sacrifice, which was not demonstrated by Cain's offering.
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