Faith

Posted by Karah

DSC_3641Pause

What is faith? Take a moment to consider the importance of faith as you prepare to spend time with God today.

Reread Genesis 4:1-12, focusing on verses 1-4. Pay close attention to the words used to describe Cain and Abel’s offerings. Ask yourself:

How were the two offerings different?

Why is it important that Cain only gave “some” of his crops, but Abel gave the firstborn of his flocks? What does that say about Cain’s attitude toward God?

Now, read Hebrews 11:4 in your Bible.

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By this he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.” —Hebrews 11:4

Think through these questions:

According to this verse, why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted? What does that mean?

Abel’s sacrifice was accepted because of his faith, but Cain’s was rejected. What does that reveal about Cain’s attitude toward God?

What does this teach you about the importance of faith? Explain.

The Point

Faith was—and is—the key to pleasing God.

Respond

God’s acceptance of Abel’s gift centered on the attitude of the giver. Abel approached God with faith, holding nothing back from God, willing to sacrifice in order to honor and obey God.

Evaluate your attitude toward God. Are you holding something back from God? Have you submitted every part of your life to Him in order to honor and obey Him? Do so today.

Spend some time in prayer, asking God to help you to live in faith, like Abel did.

Behind the Story

The Bible doesn’t specifically state why God rejected Cain’s offering and accepted Abel’s, but it certainly gives us clues, like those found in Hebrews 11:4. Some theologians believe God accepted Abel’s offering because it was a blood sacrifice and Cain’s wasn’t. Other scholars believe Cain’s sacrifice wasn’t accepted because he didn’t give God his best, while Abel did. Hebrews 11, however, seems to suggest that it was neither the nature of the sacrifice or the quality of it that mattered—it was the faith in which it was given. Furthermore, 1 John 3:12 tells us that Cain’s works were evil, while his brother’s were righteous.


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One thought on “Faith”

  1. I love the story of Cain and Abel and is a good thing to reread it sometimes to know that to please god give him faith please keep posting love camp

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