Articles
Abel Did It Right
Abel Did It Right!
By Greg King
We aren’t given much information about Abel. The only event of Abel’s life that is recorded is the event that leads to his death.
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. (Hebrews 11:4)
The writer begins by speaking about Abel’s act of worship. By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain. Abel’s worship was accepted by God, but Cain’s was not.
We live in a time when the religious world teaches that all that matters is that we worship God. It does not matter how we worship, but we just need to worship, each in his own way. We live in a world that says we should “go to the church of our choice.” We are told that it does not matter what religion you pick, as long as you have some sort of spirituality. We should us remember that Cain was not an unbeliever. Cain was not a heathen. In fact, he had spoken with God and God spoke to him, as we see in Genesis 4. We cannot think that Cain did not believe in God. He clearly did. So, what was the problem for Cain?
Obviously, how we worship God matters. This idea that we can go to any church is dangerously false. This notion that we can worship God however we like is dangerously wrong. If this were true, then Cain’s worship would have been acceptable to God as well. Abel knew that how we worship God matters. Therefore, Abel was able to follow what God had proscribed for worship. Cain, however, did not.
Cain was upset that his worship was not accepted. But God’s response was quite simple: “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:8).
I wonder if we would have the same reaction as Cain if God stopped our worship and told us if it was acceptable or not. How we worship God matters. We cannot worship God however we want. We cannot go to the church of our choice. We cannot turn worship into a time for entertainment or hobbies. God wants worship offered according to his will, not ours. By faith Abel offered a better offering than Cain. Abel trusted that God wanted the sacrifice offered the way God said. Cain did not trust God in that. Cain trusted in himself, thinking that his way was just as good. Abel did it right!
