From my humble and limited perspective, there seems to be only two types of "religious" people today. There are those who are sadly going in the "way of Cain", and then there are those who are thankfully going in the way of Abel. The Bible speaks of Cain's path as a degenerate one: "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain" (Jd 11). Clearly, Scripture distinguishes between these two paths, motives, acts, and states of the human heart: "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 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" (1 Jn 3:10-12).
We know these are two "religious paths" because of their initial occurrence in Genesis 4. Both men sought to bring an acceptable offering to the Lord. Both men seemed to be concerned with Godly acceptance. However, this is where the road forked.
But what are the major distinctions between these two religious paths? What are the evidences that one is treading in the "way of Cain", or the way of Abel?
Observe..
The way of Cain:
- Cain must have heard the Gospel from his father, Adam. This means that he would have understood the reason for the Fall, and God's gift of atonement by blood sacrifice. God symbolically displayed justification by faith in the atonement when He clothed Adam and Eve with the coats of skin (Gen 3:21).
- But Cain did not allow the word of the Gospel to create faith in his heart.
- Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground - the very ground God had cursed (Gen 3:17).
- Cain's offering was produced by the sweat of his brow; it was the product of his own works.
- Cain was a "religious" man, and came to worship God by way of self-effort.
- Cain's offering was a blood-less offering, but there is no way of approach to God apart from blood atonement.
- Cain was a liar and a murderer, taking on himself the characteristics of the devil, who also is a liar, a murderer, and a blood-of-the-Lamb rejector.
- Cain represents the man who is content to casually ignore clear Bible truths, trusting in his own modes and methods of operation, that which seems right. This is the heart of Babylon. Sadly, compromise is the crux of her foundation.
The way of Abel:
- Abel also must have heard the word of the Gospel from his father, Adam. He understood the proper way of approach to God through the blood of a sacrificial victim.
- Abel allowed this word to create faith (Rom 10:17). He made his offering by faith: "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain..." (Heb 11:4).
- Abel brought a sacrificial victim, and thus a proper relationship was established between him and God through the body and blood of a sacrifice. Abel displayed faith in a blood atonement.
- Abel brought that which God had created, not man. He brought a lamb. It was nothing that he had worked for, but something he had faith in, pointing to Jesus, THE Lamb of God (Jn 1:36).
- Therefore, Abel was a faith-righteous man (Matt 23:35).
- Abel was willing to die for his faith in God, and became the first martyr.
- Abel represents the man who chooses to cling to the Word of life, seeking to heartily possess every jot and tittle of divine instruction. Even though his flesh may oppose at times, he has chosen to surrender his own will to that "holy will" which is revealed in the Word of God. This is the heart of Zion!
These same truths hold true (in type) all throughout Scripture: Ham and Shem, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Pharaoh and Moses, and the list goes on. Volumes could be written in describing these opposing "religious" avenues.
Reader, Abel models the man who is the firstborn after the SPIRIT. He is a man of faith, a man who trusts in blood atonement, and a man accepted of God as faith-righteous. Cain, on the other hand, models the man who is the firstborn after the FLESH. He is a man who trusts in what self can do, seeking God's acceptance by perversity, that is, by the way of one's works. He tried to make himself presentable to God, and thus was rejected.
And so it shall be in these last days, when the REAL church (those born after the Spirit) are distinguished out from among the FALSE church (those born after the flesh). Although the false church is appealing to men, and the true church seems to be despised, in God's eyes the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Of this false church, the Bible describes it's outward (yet deceitful) appeal: "the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication... And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication..." (Rev 17:1, 2, 4). Babylon indeed appears "great" in the eyes of carnal men (Rev 18:2). But she will fall in utter rejection, even as she has rejected the proper means of approach to a holy God. Just as Cain was first born, but became the last, so shall Babylon become! That which is highly esteemed in the eyes of men will surely crescendo in their abominations toward God, and fall to the earth in judgment. Similarly, just as Abel was last born but became the first in God's eyes, so shall that pure, holy and undefiled "church of the firstborn" be brought to the pinnacle of righteousness and Holy Ghost power! The last indeed shall be first!
Friend, you must choose one path or the other; all mankind must make this decision. Which avenue will be your possession?
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