The Faith of Abel

March 18th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

Genesis 4:3 says that, Cain, a son of Adam and Eve, brought “an offering” to God from the ground. Perhaps Cain was a farmer. In contrast to this, his brother Abel brought God an offering from the “firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions” (4:4). As a shepherd, Abel brought animals, and the “firstling” (Heb. “birthright”) he brought is in reference to the firstborn animal of a shepherd’s flock. The “fat portions” Abel brought to God in worship imply that he brought the best of what he had. It is no surprise therefore that God had “regard” for Abel’s offering but “no regard” for Cain’s (4:5). Literally, God “gazed at” Abel’s offering; He “looked upon it with favor.” There is no indication of how God did this, but His physical presence among the men and their offerings seems evident. Perhaps this is a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ?

Now God’s acceptance of Abel’s offering and rejection of Cain’s caused Cain to become “angry, and his countenance fell” at God’s reaction to his offering (4:5). Actually, Cain was outraged, for the Hebrew word for “angry” means to “burn with anger,” and the superlative “very” that precedes it indicates that Cain was furiously livid. Perhaps since Abel’s offering was a blood sacrifice from the animals he tended, and Cain’s was of the cursed soil, God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and shunned Cain’s. It could be that God’s desire for blood sacrifices was demonstrated when He slew innocent animals to cover Adam and Eve’s shame with their hides in Genesis 3:21. But the narrative does not indicate this, and it is clear that God accepted both grain offerings and blood sacrifices as offerings in later Israel. Also, these were “offerings” and not “sacrifices” which did not have to involve blood. Each offering was suitable for the occupations of both men, Cain a farmer and Abel a shepherd. What the narrative does teach is that Cain was wicked and did not offer the best of what he had to God. Therefore, the better conclusion is not that Cain failed to bring blood with his offering but that he was a depraved and unrepentant sinner who brought religious offerings to God for selfish, sinful reasons.

It is apparent from the narrative itself that Cain was stingy in that he did not give God his best, that he was self-absorbed (4:7), and that he lacked a conscience (4:13). From the NT, it is evident that the “way of Cain” (Jude 11) is the evil way, for he was “of the evil one,” hating his brother and later murdering him (1 John 3:11-12). Given the proximity of the promise given in Genesis 3:15 to this narrative concerning the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, it appears that Cain is the first-fruits of that wicked, evil line prophesied by God. Therefore, God’s rejection of Cain’s offering was not due to the nature of his offering—whether grain or blood—but to the character of the one who offered it. In sum, God rejected Cain because he was evil.

Abel, however, gave his offering to God “by faith” (Heb. 11:4). It was his faith that added value to his offering, and that same faith “still speaks” (Heb. 11:4) even though Abel is dead. Yet through Scripture, God still testifies as to the validity of Abel’s offering. Since God sees the condition of every human heart, weighing the motive of each one of us (1 Sam. 16:7), He accepts what is offered to Him based on the heart and motive of the worshiper, not necessarily the gift. Yet the gift offered to God by one who does so in faith is always the best gift we can give.

Food For Thought
Cain was no God-hating atheist; rather, he was a religious man who gave back to God what God had given to him. Like Cain, many come regularly to church, even giving money and time to their church, but their hearts are not in it to worship the risen Christ. They do nothing “by faith” but for selfish motivations, falsely assuming that their religiosity will earn them favor with the Man upstairs. Is your worship marked by faith—one that gives God the best of your time, money, and life? Or is it selfish and man-made, an act you put on for others to see? We can see from Cain’s example that God disdains that kind of religiosity, and we are no better for offering it. In fact, we are worse! If we are known by our fruits (Matt. 7:20), we might be able to deceive those around us, but God knows our hearts. Does He gaze upon your life as a living sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1-2) as He did with Abel? Or do you give Him anything with which to gaze upon?