Why Was Cain’s Sacrifice Rejected by God?

Nancy said:

Could it be that it was not offered in faith or because the fruits of the ground had no blood?
Anybody out there who might clarify this? @"ByGrace" @Butterfly @Pearl ...

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Probably all of that. Using Inductive Reasoning, we can examine known facts to draw a general conclusion:

• Abel was said to have brought the sacrifice "and the fat thereof" which means he separated it from the carcass.
• Later, we know God commanded Moses to do the exact same thing with the fat.
• Still, we further read that "without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (forgiveness)"
• Also, Romans 12 describes Cain's actions as "evil" which known sin would qualify as but weak faith really wouldn't, would it?

So, by this we can assume that God gave Adam and his family speicific instructions on what and how sacrifices were to be made but Cain decided he'd obtain forgiveness on his own terms, and thus was the originator of "the religion of Cain" aka "works based salvation".

CoreIssue said:

That is what Russell taught that JW and Bible Students believe. But it is false

All who come to Jesus Christ in repentance have spirits that are instantly born again by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

At the rapture resurrected bodies of the saints and still living Saints are glorified, not born again. Then rejoined into our eternal existence of born-again spirit in glorified flesh.

You are also avoiding defining the third option as annihilation, meaning ceasing to exist.

You are avoiding the issue in your belief 144,000 elite Saints will live in heaven with God and Russell while the others live on this earth for eternity.

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Sorry, but from reading many of your posts thus far it is apparent that you are still in bondage to Babylon and the errors taught there, this along with your apparent lack of humility and meekness as evidenced by your prejudice and bigotry toward others leads me to believe that you my friend are either a "tare" an imitation Christian, Christian in name only, or you are still but a "babe in Christ" confused and deceived through the doctrines and precepts of men.

As such you are not yet ready for the "meat" of the word, but rather as the Apostle admonishes have need that someone teach you the first principles doctrines again, that is if you ever learned them in the first place which I see little evidence. But alas I am fearful that your lack of humility and meekness will prevent you from this.

1stCenturyLady said:

After all where did Cain's wife come from if Adam and Eve only had two sons? He married his sister.

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What has this to do with the subject?

Thanks for explaining, but I will carry on writing as an individual- it doesn't mean I am not part of the body of Christ if I use singular wording. I can understand it in certain context, but not when you mention ' if you had read out post ' sorry that's just weird - but each to their own xx
Rita

Enoch111 said:

The answer is quite simple.

God has revealed to Adam and Eve, as well as Cain and Abel, that the only way to show their faith in God was to come to Him through a sacrificial lamb. A lamb without spot or blemish, whose innocent blood would be shed to make atonement for their sins. This principle continued under the Old Covenant until the time that the true Lamb of God (Jesus of Nazareth) shed His blood on the cross at Calvary. Even Noah understood what God meant by clean and unclean animals, and Noah also offered a satisfactory sacrifice after coming out of the Ark.

Abel took this teaching to heart, therefore BY FAITH He offered a sacrifice which was pleasing to God: 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. (Heb 11:4). Abel's faith was imputed to him for righteousness.

Cain, on the other hand (under the influence of Satan "that Wicked One"), rejected the significance of a blood sacrifice, and assumed that the bloodless sacrifice he offered would be accepted. This would represent salvation by works. However it was rejected, Cain was angry, murdered, his brother, and became an outcast. While everything here is not explicitly stated, it is certainly implied in what we read in Scripture.

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The fact that Abel separated the fat from the carcass - which not so coincidentally God later made known to Israel as the method of presentation - adds to what you're saying: that Cain knew better, but decided he'd obtain forgiveness from God on his own terms.

Nancy said:

"...Cain's actions as "evil" which known sin would qualify as but weak faith really wouldn't, would it?"
True, weak faith and evil are two different animals, lol.

I know there are several OT types of sacrifices and, of course the day of atonement would, obviously require a "blood" sacrifice for remission of sins. But, we don't really know which "type" of offering God demanded from Cain and Abel. Not that it really matters as, all we need know is that it was not pleasing to God.

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I notice animal sacrifices were the norm with believers long before Moses. Job and his friends. Abraham, so I wonder if they didn't see something in Abel's sacrifice which he might have gleaned from his parents when God killed an animal to cover their nakedness?

Phoneman777 said:

The fact that Abel separated the fat from the carcass - which not so coincidentally God later made known to Israel is the method of presentation - adds to what you're saying: that Cain knew better, but decided he'd obtain forgiveness from God on his own terms.

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A lot of assumptions here.

Did instruct them to sacrifice?

Did they do it on their own initiative, which God later used as a model for Temple sacrifices?

The Bible does not make those issues clear, so it is an open question.

Harvest 1874 said:

What has this to do with the subject?

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It is in response to your statement, so ask yourself.

Nancy said:

But, we don't really know which "type" of offering God demanded from Cain and Abel.

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Do you really think they merely stumbled into making their sacrifices without any idea of what God expected? We know for a fact that Abel made the right sacrifice from Hebrews 11:4, which starts off with "BY FAITH". By faith in whom other than God Himself?

Dave L said:

You are confusing the baptism of the Holy Spirit (from Pentecost on) with the new birth (from the garden of Eden on).

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They're the same thing. Circumcision of the heart occurs at Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

For people saying that Cain lacked real faith in God, I'm not entirely sure how you've arrived at that conclusion. In Genesis 4:6-7 God speaks directly to Cain and implores him to do right.

Nancy said:

Could it be that it was not offered in faith or because the fruits of the ground had no blood?
Anybody out there who might clarify this? @"ByGrace" @Butterfly @Pearl ...

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'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.'
(Hebrews 11:4)

Hello @Nancy,

The verse (above) tells us that Abel offered his sacrifice, 'by faith': and we know that faith comes by 'hearing' - 'and hearing by the word of God'. So, Abel had heard the means of approach that would be acceptable to God, and so also must Cain, but Abel exercised, 'faith obedience', by bringing a lamb: and obtained witness that he was righteous in so doing by the acceptance of his gift; which would have been by fire.

* Each man desired to approach God, and to gain His favour, but one gift was accepted the other not.

* Cain brought what he had grown in the soil, the fruit of his own labour, labour on a ground that had been cursed by God, in which weeds and thistles now grew, making the job so much harder physically, and affecting it's yield. Yes, Cain came his own way, not God's way; seeking to establish his own righteousness by his own efforts, and so his offering was not accepted. It was the offering that was made by faith, in obedience to the word heard from God, that was accepted.

'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.'
(Gen 4:7)

* This verse (above) is a strange little verse at first sight, and yet it does add a little more insight to the question you pose. For God is speaking to Cain, and the margin of my Bible tells me in relation to the words, 'sin lieth at the door', that 'sin' = 'sin offering'. In the Hebrew it reads, 'at the entrance (a male) is lying, a sin offering'. So a sin offering was provided for Cain, it was at the entrance, and at his disposal to use as he desired. He could also thereby have gained God's favour. Yet Cain chose not to avail himself of the opportunity afforded him; instead he went out and spoke to his brother, which led to him taking Abel's life.

'For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning,
that we should love one another.
Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.
And wherefore slew he him?
Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
We know that we have passed from death unto life,
because we love the brethren.
He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
(1 John 3:11-15)

Praise God! For His mercy and His grace.

Thank you.
In Christ Jesus
Chris

Nancy said:

It could have been a grain offering, a sin offering, a burnt offering, a peace offering and whatever other kind of offering for specific sacrifices but then..

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Since the Law of Moses was a long ways down the road, the only sacrifices made from Abel to Moses were whole burnt offerings [which represented Christ as the Lamb of God who offered Himself (body, soul, and spirit) for the sins of the whole world]. So that is the sacrifice which was made by Abel as well as Noah and Abraham and others (all prefiguring the cross).

And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour... (Gen 8:20,21)

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. (Gen 22:13)

Nancy said:

"...Cain's actions as "evil" which known sin would qualify as but weak faith really wouldn't, would it?"
True, weak faith and evil are two different animals, lol.

I know there are several OT types of sacrifices and, of course the day of atonement would, obviously require a "blood" sacrifice for remission of sins. But, we don't really know which "type" of offering God demanded from Cain and Abel. Not that it really matters as, all we need know is that it was not pleasing to God.

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You're right, we don't know what kind of sacrifice Cain was told to bring. However, to the best of my recollection, there's no record of any kind of sacrifice other than a blood sacrifice before the time of Moses, so I think it's safe to assume that's what God desired from them. And that Abel did it according to instructions revealed later to Moses suggests strongly that God communicated the same instructions early on. After all, I doubt they'd start killing lambs without having clear confirmation from God it was an acceptable practice. Imagine if God showed up and saw all this blood and burning animals without ever having told them to do it. Kinda like when I woke up one morning and my kid had pieces of bread thrown all over the room - looked like it snowed LOL

'And in process of time it came to pass,
that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground
an offering ['Hb.minchah' - H4503] unto the LORD.'
(Genesis 4:3)

Hello @Nancy,

The offering was a 'Minchah' (H4503 -' offering' ) - or the 'meat' or 'meal' offering, which was used to gain access and favour. It was a sweet savour to God. Intended to please - a gift. (found in, Genesis 4:3,4,5). See Leviticus 2:1-16.

In Christ Jesus
Chris

CoreIssue said:

A lot of assumptions here.

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Well, where the Bible is silent, we can speculate, right?

Did instruct them to sacrifice?

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They were HIS animals that HE created, so it just seems that humans wouldn't have just taken it upon themselves to up and start slaughtering HIS animals without first God instructing them to do so. Some things are just true about all ages and respect for another's property is a universal principle that transcends all time and space. That, and Abel's sacrifice was exactly as God later detailed how it was to be done is just too suspect to be coincidental.

Did they do it on their own initiative, which God later used as a model for Temple sacrifices?

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If you came home and saw me strangling a dog you bought and I said, "Chill bro, I'm sacrificing it to Baphomet", you'd likely have a conniption, so it just stands to reason that it would not even cross the minds of anyone to just start slaughtering animals that they knew God created.

Phoneman777 said:

You're right, we don't know what kind of sacrifice Cain was told to bring. However, to the best of my recollection, there's no record of any kind of sacrifice other than a blood sacrifice before the time of Moses, so I think it's safe to assume that's what God desired from them. And that Abel did it according to instructions revealed later to Moses suggests strongly that God communicated the same instructions early on. After all, I doubt they'd start killing lambs without having clear confirmation from God it was an acceptable practice. Imagine if God showed up and saw all this blood and burning animals without ever having told them to do it. Kinda like when I woke up one morning and my kid had pieces of bread thrown all over the room - looked like it snowed LOL

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It does not dismiss possibility that God honored Abel's sacrifice when Mosaic law.

Or that the sacrifices time of Abel to Moses was not per oral tradition.

Phoneman777 said:

Well, where the Bible is silent, we can speculate, right? They were HIS animals that HE created, so it just seems that humans wouldn't have just taken it upon themselves to up and start slaughtering HIS animals without first God instructing them to do so. Some things are just true about all ages and respect for another's property is a universal principle that transcends all time and space. That, and Abel's sacrifice was exactly as God later detailed how it was to be done is just too suspect to be coincidental. If you came home and saw me strangling a dog you bought and I said, "Chill bro, I'm sacrificing it to Baphomet", you'd likely have a conniption, so it just stands to reason that it would not even cross the minds of anyone to just start slaughtering animals that they knew God had spoken into existence.

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Sure we can speculate and that's all I am doing.

I simply did not set a land on one answer. Because I do not know.

We do not know if God told them or if God honored them later.

With the fact that God clothes Adam and Eve in skins of animals he had killed is a pretty strong hint that they picked up on that.

The way you are stating makes the blood sacrifice law. But the law at that time was the law of conscience. The next laws to be given were to Moses.