Today, we are continuing our examination of what Christian faith entails. Last Sunday, we started with a review of an excellent definition of faith provided in Chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews. Let’s move on to Hebrews 11:4 which tells us: “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Hebrews 11:4 (NIV)
This is a very interesting way of showing us another dimension of Christian faith. The writer of Hebrews refers back to Genesis 4 to the account of Abel and his older brother, Cain. Abel and Cain, of course, were the first two children of Adam and Eve. Thus, they hold the distinction of being the first human beings born of a woman following the fall of humanity when sin and death entered this world. This is the narrative found in Genesis involving these two brothers: 2b “Abel became a shepherd, but Cain was a farmer. 3 After some time Cain brought some of his harvest and gave it as an offering to the LORD. 4 Then Abel brought the first lamb born to one of his sheep, killed it, and gave the best parts of it as an offering. The LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5 but He rejected Cain and his offering. Cain became furious, and he scowled in anger. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why that scowl on your face? 7 If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling; but because you have done evil, sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it.’ 8 Then Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out in the fields.’ When they were out in the fields, Cain turned on his brother and killed him.” Genesis 4:2-8 (TEV)
Notice that Genesis 4 does not expressly mention Abel’s faith. Fortunately, we are blessed that the writer of the Book of Hebrews was inspired by the Holy Spirit to allow us to read between the lines—for this portion of Hebrews draws our attention to Abel’s amazing faith. In addition, we are provided a glaring example of some Christians today whose faith is more like Cain’s than Abel’s. I will get to that in a few minutes. In the meantime, let’s analyze what Genesis 4 has to tell us. We need to understand why God accepted Abel’s offering, but rejected the one Cain presented. To do this, think about the differences between these two brothers.
First, we are told that they had different occupations. Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. But, certainly God has no preference based upon either line of work. When we consider their offerings, both of them gave God the products of their labor as acts of worship. Did this make a difference? Well, before answering that, another question comes to mind. Why were they bringing these things to God to begin with? Pastor, Tommy Higle, in his commentary, provides the following answer: “Apparently, God had previously given instructions concerning the time, place, and type of sacrifice that pleases Him in worship. Cain and Abel undoubtedly learned these instructions from their parents.”[1] Although both brothers apparently received God’s instructions regarding the proper way to worship Him, each one went about it differently—one was obedient, the other was not.
We do not know when God revealed to Adam and Eve the essential way to worship Him. But, Genesis 3 provides one possible answer. Adam and Eve had just disobeyed God by eating forbidden fruit. Scripture tells us what happened next: “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.” Genesis 3:7 (NLT2) Shortly thereafter, God came walking in the cool of the garden and found Adam and Eve as they were still clutching their fig leaves while trying to hide from Him. But, you can’t hide anything from God. Your sin will find you out every time.[2] It was then, through God’s questioning, that Adam admitted they had committed a great sin against the LORD by disobeying Him. God had previously warned them there would be severe consequences resulting from their sin. As the Apostle Paul would proclaim thousands of years later, “The wages of sin is death.” [3] That is exactly what God had told Adam when He gave him dominion over the Garden of Eden: 16 “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV) And now, they had disobeyed and sinned against God. A death penalty had to be paid. Someone had to die to satisfy God’s justice. And, that’s when we find the following description of what happened as Adam and Eve stood trembling with their fig leaves in hand to cover their guilt and shame. Genesis 3:21 says: “And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” (NLT2) This is an important verse—one that people often skim over without grasping its significance.
Think about it: The shift from fig leaves to God-given animal skin clothing suggests an early reference to blood-based sacrifice and atonement themes. In order for these skins to be fashioned into clothing, some innocent animals had to die. They had to die in order to provide a “covering” of Adam’s and Eve’s shame and guilt. Simultaneously, they reflect God’s mercy and grace through the “covering” of human sin by the shedding of blood.[4] Yes, God could have implemented the penalty of death against Adam and Eve immediately. But, in His mercy, God accepted the blood of innocent animals that were slain as substitutes for these two human sinners. And from this scene, God taught humanity to worship Him in a manner that would remind them of this painful lesson. Theologically, it was the first lesson of substitutionary atonement—in other words, the sacrifice of one that is innocent to take on the sin of evil-doers.
When Cain and Abel approached their altars to present their respective sacrifices to God, they were supposed to do so with a mindset of FAITH. It was faith in the fact that the LORD, through His mercy and grace, would redeem them. And, with such FAITH in his heart, Abel had slaughtered his most prized lambs. As its blood was spilt, he took the best portions of meat and placed them before God on the altar as an atonement for his sins. Since the spilling of blood, coupled with repentance, was the only remedy for sin, God accepted Abel’s offering. But, Cain’s offering of his farm produce lacked any blood. Although later Jewish ritual law would permit such offerings in the form of a grain offering, this was not what God required for the forgiveness of sins. Rather, grain offerings were given in connection with thanksgiving in the praise of God.[5] While thanksgiving to God is very important, the forgiveness of sins is paramount. The problem was, both Cain and Abel (like their parents—and like me and you) had committed sins during their days prior to this worship ceremony—for a day does not go by that we humans don’t commit sin. And so, God required a blood offering—something that Cain stubbornly refused to present. Accordingly, God rejected Cain’s offering. This is the basic reason Cain’s offering was unacceptable.
While the Book of Genesis does not specifically say all of this, all the pieces fall into place and match what Paul later explained about the concept of substitutionary atonement. If this theological concept seems difficult to grasp, listen to the simple clarification given by Paul and see how it is rooted in Genesis’ account of Cain and Abel. Paul wrote: 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a SACRIFICE OF ATONEMENT, through FAITH IN HIS BLOOD. . . 26 He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have FAITH IN JESUS.” Romans 3:23-26 (NIV) You see, what is being pointed to in the Scriptures beyond Abel’s sacrifice of a lamb is the far-in-the-future sacrifice of the LAMB OF GOD [6], Jesus Christ on the Cross. Jesus was the only completely innocent individual who, in His divine capacity as God’s Son, died for your sins and mine. So, when the writer of Hebrews said, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did,” he is revealing to us the link between Abel’s faith in God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness with our faith in Christ’s blood to wash away the sins of believers. Isn’t it amazing how interconnected the Word of God is from the beginning in Genesis right on through to the New Testament!
There is something else to notice here. Hebrews 11:4 also has something to say about “righteousness” as it relates to humans. It says: “By FAITH [Abel] was commended [by God] as a righteous man. . .” (NIV) A “righteous” person is one who has a right relationship with God.[7] But, righteousness is not something we can obtain through our own efforts. It is not a product of our “works” or “good deeds.” Rather, human righteousness, apart from God’s gift of grace, is no righteousness at all. The Prophet Isaiah points this out when he said: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) Only when we allow the Holy Spirit into our hearts can our righteousness become a reality. So, how can you allow the Holy Spirit inside to begin His work of righteousness in you? Paul has the answer: “This RIGHTEOUSNESS from God comes through FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST to all who believe.” Romans 3:22 (NIV) This is exactly what the writer of Hebrews means in verse 4. Like Abel, we must be aware we are sinners and, thus, in need of the LORD’s forgiveness before we can ever have a right relationship with God. And, having acknowledged our sinful state, we must seek God’s forgiveness and have FAITH that Jesus’ blood is sufficient to cleanse us of our sins. Abel had that kind of FAITH. Cain did not.
We often have this picture in our minds of Cain as being some stingy, grubby farmer who approached the altar with a bushel of rotten tomatoes and spoiling fruits that he haphazardly threw on the altar before God. That’s not necessarily the case. In fact, the opposite may have been true. Cain may have come forward well-groomed and in the cleanest and best attire of the day. He may have piously knelt before God and meticulously laid out ripe tomatoes, yellow ears of corn, lush grapes and fine grains—all arranged neatly on the altar with great care. After all, Genesis 4 doesn’t say anything negative about the condition of his vegetables, fruits or grains. It is quite possible that Cain worked hard to produce the things he laid before the LORD. But, as hard as he worked, having FAITH in God’s provision was even harder for him. Why? Because if he submitted to God’s way of doing things, it required Cain to live a different kind of life than he wanted to live. It would have required him to actually commit to resisting the sin in his life rather than clinging to his sinful ways. You see, Cain represents the classic case of those Christians today who say they believe in God, but try to save themselves through “works.” They go to church on Sundays, maybe even lead a Bible study, go on a mission trip, tithe regularly, etc. Like Cain, their mindset seems to be that if they do all these “good things”, it proves that they are a good person. They delude themselves into thinking their “good deeds” will counter-balance all those sins they love to participate in when they are outside the church. On Sunday, they’ll “lay the farm produce before God,” but never “slay the lamb and spill the blood” that shows a commitment to walking away from a sinful lifestyle. In a nutshell, they are like Cain.
Cain wanted to stubbornly do things his way. God had instructed him to obtain a lamb and sacrifice it. He could have done that if he had wanted to. You can’t say it was because he didn’t have any sheep. It would have been easy enough to trade a few bushels of wheat with Abel to get a lamb or two. Forgiveness of sins required blood to be spilled. But, to have sins forgiven in this way requires FAITH. Faith involves obedience to God’s commands. It involves a commitment to God’s way. The only thing Cain was committed to was himself and a sinful lifestyle. God warned him about the “sin crouching” like a hungry lion at his door. Eventually, sin consumed Cain. He killed his brother and was cast from the presence of God.
There is a New Testament parallel to the story of Cain and Abel. In Luke, Chapter 18, we find the following: 9 “Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 ‘Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to Heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 (NLT2)
The crowd to whom Jesus preached looked upon Pharisees as being holy, righteous men. But, Jesus knew that they were so much like Cain and completely unlike Abel. Notice that the Pharisee’s prayer is not so much a prayer as it is a declaration of self-praise for being such a “good” person. Like Cain, he never expressed his faith in God’s ability to cleanse him of sin. In fact, the Pharisee explicitly stated, “I don’t sin.” Jesus described him, and those like him, in another passage as being like cups that have the appearance of being spotlessly clean on the outside, but full of nasty, corrupt things on the inside.[8]
But, is this really a problem among Christians today? In other words, are there actually any people in the churches of America who think like Cain—or even like the Pharisee whom Jesus condemned? The answer is that “Cain” and his Pharisee buddies are filling church pews throughout our nation this very morning. How do we know this? Well, according to a Barna survey, that came out last month, six out of every seven (i.e., 86%) Americans who are self-identified Christians have a concept of sin that is biblically inaccurate. For example, despite clear biblical teaching to the contrary[9], one out of three Christians contends that not everyone sins. The survey defined “born-again Christians” as those who believe they will have eternal life in Heaven by confessing their sins and accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Amazingly, even among those “born-again” believers, over one-quarter of them refused to recognize themselves as sinners. (I guess you could say one-quarter are basically hypocrites who would fit in well with those Pharisees described by Jesus in Luke 18.) Once you get outside born-again believers and into those who merely “identify” as Christians, the percentage of those who say they are not sinners rises to about 40%.[10]
The Bible is very clear in teaching that “goodness” is not a natural human trait and that we are deeply marred by sin and evil. For example, the Prophet Jeremiah tells us: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT2) In Psalm 51, David acknowledges that we are sinners, not only from the time we are born, but even from the time we are conceived in the womb.[11] Referencing God’s Word, Paul confirms this in saying: 10 “As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.’” Romans 3:10-12 (NLT2) Despite the fact that these Scriptures, and other verses in the Bible, emphasize the evil that dominates all of humanity, 70% of born again Christians dispute this by claiming everyone has a basically good heart.[12]
How can this be? Are Christians really that ignorant of what the Bible has to say? Or, do they, like Cain, know what God’s Word says, but have chosen to ignore it? In this regard, the Barna survey suggests it is not only church pews that are filled with people like Cain. Many pulpits today are occupied by Cain as well. Barna concludes: “The job of the local church is to educate God’s people about God’s ways. Yet, a 2019 Pew Research study that analyzed sermon content across the nation determined that just 3% of all sermons preached even mentioned sin. That’s a devastating body blow to the Church world. Students will remain ignorant when their teachers fail to inform them of critical information and consequences. For an overwhelming majority of Christian churches to suppress the reality of sin, its consequences, and its solutions from the people those churches serve is a travesty.” In light of this, Barna noted that we should not be surprised to find so many so-called Christians “who accept abortion, homosexuality, lying, divorce, and tax cheating as moral behaviors.” He went on to conclude: “Describing all people as ‘basically good at heart’ is the culturally-comfortable dismissal of sin that millions of people use to ignore the possibility that their love affair with disobedience to God is a life-threatening spiritual disease with eternal consequences.” [13]
Our main Scripture text for today says, “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.” Hebrews 11:4 (NIV) Whose “faith” will you choose? Will it be the works-oriented, disobedient “faith” of Cain—that will leave sin “crouching at your door” waiting to devour you? Or, will you opt for the true FAITH of Abel that turns to God knowing that our only hope for the forgiveness of our sins is the cleansing of our evil hearts by the blood Jesus shed for us on the Cross? When Cain killed his brother, the Book of Genesis says that Abel’s blood cried out from the ground.[14] And, the Book of Hebrews says, that Abel’s voice can still be heard today.[15] What is he saying to you this morning?
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
October 12, 2025
©2025 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Higle, Tommy C. 2009. Journey into Pleasing God: A Study of Hebrews Eleven. Revised. The Journey Series. Marietta, OK: Tommy Higle Publishers, Inc.
[2] Numbers 32:23 “If you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (NLT2)
[3] Romans 6:23 “ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NIV)
[4] “What are biblical Garments of Skin?” BibleHub.com, https://biblehub.com/q/what_are_biblical_garments_of_skin.htm (accessed October 10, 2025),
[5] “Leviticus 2 Commentary: Grain Offering, God’s Provision,” UpliftingBibleVerse.net, https://www.upliftingbibleverse.net/leviticus-chapter-2-commentary-the-grain-offering-dedication-and-gods-sustaining-provision/bible-commentary/ (accessed October 10, 2025).
[6] John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (NIV)
[7] “Righteousness,” BibleHub.com, https://biblehub.com/topical/r/righteousness.htm (accessed October 10, 2025).
[8] Matthew 23:25-26 25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. (NLT2)
[9] Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (NLT2)
[10] Dr. George Barna, Director, “2025 American Worldview Inventory – Report #8 Millions of American Christians Deny Their Sinfulness,” Research Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/BARNA_CRC_AWVI-2025-8-Americans-Christians-Deny-Their-Sinfulness.pdf (Release Date: September 4, 2025).
[11] Psalm 51:5 “For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (NLT2)
[12] Dr. George Barna, Director, “2025 American Worldview Inventory – Report #8 Millions of American Christians Deny Their Sinfulness,” Research Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/BARNA_CRC_AWVI-2025-8-Americans-Christians-Deny-Their-Sinfulness.pdf (Release Date: September 4, 2025).
[13] Ibid.
[14] Genesis 4:10 “But the LORD said [to Cain], ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!’” (NLT2)
[15] Hebrews 11:4b “And by faith he [Abel] still speaks, even though he is dead.” (NIV)
