When we are troubled by sin, God does not leave us without help. He does not tell us to leave Him alone until we’re over it. Rather, He wants us to call on Him so He can personally see us through it. He wants us to go to His Word for words of counsel, wisdom, advice, encouragement and strength.
God is creating His character in us. That requires us conquering the satanic thoughts and moods that are broadcast at us each day. The spring holy day season is a time when God emphasizes how much He wants sin out of our lives! And He is heavily involved in this process, working hard with each one of His precious people to clean up their lives.
Some valuable insight into this process can be found in the earliest chapters of the Bible.
How God Worked With Cain
Long after Adam and Eve were driven from the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel had become productive adults. “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he [God] had not respect …” (Genesis 4:3-5).
When Cain brought the wrong type of offering, God was forced to administer some loving correction to him.
What was Cain’s response? “… And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (verse 5). Cain did not appreciate God showing respect toward Abel’s offering and not his. This reaction to God’s correction reveals a lot about Cain’s character. Cain was a grown man, but this is the reaction we often associate with a spoiled child.
God sought to address Cain’s bad attitude, saying, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it” (verses 6‑7, Revised Standard Version).
Notice, God did not immediately punish Cain for bringing the wrong offering, nor even for having the wrong attitude once this fault was pointed out. Rather, God sought to teach Cain. Exercising patience and mercy, God respectfully gave Cain some valuable instruction. The truth is, God was asking Cain to repent.
The New Living Translation put it this way: “You will be accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it.”
This is great advice for every one of us. Whenever we make wrong choices, there is a right way and a wrong way to respond when correction comes. If we respond the wrong way, watch out! Sin is crouching at the door—ready to attack! We must subdue sinful thoughts and master harmful attitudes. If we don’t face sin head-on in the early stages, it will only get worse! If we do not overcome and conquer our sin—it will eventually destroy us.
Notice, Cain did not have the Holy Spirit, yet God still told him to master sin and subdue it. If God expected Cain to confront sin, overcome it and do what was right in the future, how much more does God expect this from His firstfruits, those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them?
Cain’s Response
Rather than gain the mastery over his attitude while it was still manageable, Cain began to ruminate over perceived injustices and his own hurt feelings.
“And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him” (verse 8). Why? How could a rejected offering lead Cain to murder his brother Abel?
James supplies this answer: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14‑15). Cain’s anger had nothing to do with Abel. It really came from within—the result of his own selfish lusts. Cain judged everything by how it made him feel. Cain thought God had been unfair; that God had made him look bad in front of his family. Cain was more angry with God than with Abel, but he no doubt became envious of his brother, who had received God’s favor and respect. That envy turned to hatred, and then to murder. Cain allowed sin to destroy not only himself, but his brother Abel also.
We must face the fact that, like Cain, we all have a tendency to follow our own lusts. We have similar tendencies to allow sin to enter in and entice us to do evil. In fact, we could begin to think like Cain—that God is not always fair or just. We must learn to catch ourselves before such thoughts conceive and bring forth sin. We must all come to realize that everything God does is right and just!
Ezekiel 18:25 reads, “Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal [not fair].” What was God’s response to these Israelites? “Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?”
God is not a respecter of persons but a respecter of righteousness. He judges all men according to the same law.
It is sobering to realize that God did not prevent Cain from killing his brother—not even a righteous brother. Though it may seem unfair that Abel’s life was cut short and Cain was allowed to live, Hebrews 11:4 says, “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.” Abel lived by faith, he died a righteous man, and his example still speaks to us today.
What is the destiny of the righteous—those who, like Abel, make choices to please God? “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).
Although Abel was the first man to go to the grave, he was also the first man to qualify for eternal life. Of course, he still resides in the grave—awaiting his change at the last trump (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16). Jesus Christ was the first to be born from the dead (Colossians 1:18; John 3:13). This is why God looks upon the death of the righteous as “precious” (Psalm 116:15).
But why did God allow Cain to live? 2 Peter 3:9 gives one possible answer: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us‑ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Was it impossible for Cain to begin making the same right choices Abel had? Not at all. God doesn’t keep anyone from making right choices. In fact, God expects every man to do so once they have been given the truth and corrected in love. God allowed Cain to live—no doubt with the hope he would one day repent.
Still, Cain was severely punished! He had been a tiller of the ground. He had placed the fruit of his labors above obedience to God, so God placed a curse upon his labor—the land would no longer bear good fruit for him. In addition, God separated him from society. He was to be a disfellowshiped fugitive and a vagabond (Genesis 4:12). Such punishments would no doubt have been lifted, however, if only Cain had ever become truly repentant and developed a humble, contrite, teachable attitude.
Cain was given many opportunities to master sin and change his attitude, but there is no indication that he ever did. In the resurrection, Cain will not receive the same end as Abel. He will be dealt with according to his works. God is no respecter of persons. In the long run, God will judge everyone by the same standard. God’s primary enemy is sin! Any man who has submitted to the way of sin will be dealt with accordingly. Any man who subdues sin will be saved.
All this considered, Cain had no reason to be angry at God—only at himself. He had the same opportunities to obey God as Abel. He also had every opportunity to confess his sin and repent at any time, though he failed to do so.
The Lessons of Cain Are for Each One of Us
We, like Cain, have that tendency to let selfishness and vanity rule over us. We may think we would never murder anyone as Cain did, but if we find ourselves jealous, envious and angry with a family member or a member in the Church, then sin is at the door. We are in danger of the judgment as we may even be guilty of murder by the spirit of the law (Matthew 5:21-22).
If we think God is not always fair, we may transfer such evil thoughts and attitudes to others—even to those righteous individuals whose offerings are respected by God.
If we become bitter with God’s ministers when they offer instruction or correction, then we are going the way of Cain.
God has not given ministers the power to prevent sin or wrong attitudes from creeping into a congregation, nor do they always respond immediately to correct someone who is known to be in a wrong attitude. Usually, God’s ministers are longsuffering, patient, loving, kind and encouraging. Most often they simply give instruction and allow time for repentance and conversion to take hold. It is up to each individual to respond in the right way.
Through Sabbath services, Bible studies and publications, the ministry continually teaches God’s people how to recognize sin and overcome it. God hopes that His people will respond to the gentle correction given in this way. If not, the ministry may begin to provide instruction and correction on a more personal level, hoping to bring about repentance before the problem becomes bigger or out of control. When people repent, they are accepted by God, their sin is forgiven, and their honor restored. All is well!
But if not, sin is still at the door, ready to attack! Like Cain, we often bring more sin into our lives by failing to quickly repent. As with Cain, this “way of sin” may begin a downward spiral toward destruction of ourselves and others. Like Cain, some have ended up disfellowshiped and cursed because they have not learned the value of repentance.
Destruction most often begins when we bring the wrong type of sacrifice or offering before God. We can become careless in our personal devotion to God, and expose ourselves to temptations; and perhaps fall into the worst imaginable sins.
We know that Cain passed up one chance after another to repent. He did not ask God to help him adjust his attitude—he just continued to bemoan what he considered to be unjust treatment. All his focus was inward, with a total disregard of God’s desires and God’s instruction.
May God help us all to see clearly when the attitudes of Cain enter our thinking and do something about it before it is too late. God is patient. He will give every man plenty of opportunities to repent and master sin.
Notice James 1:12-13: “Blessed is the man that endureth [perseveres over or masters] temptation: for when he is tried [approved], he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”
We need to be on guard and ready to subdue temptations every day. Obey God. Stand strong in the truth. Never accuse God of bringing evil into your life or being unfair. He is always right and just.
Abel’s death was not a curse for him; he will soon receive a crown. The curse, the “sting of death” belongs to Cain and everyone like him who refuses to repent when correction comes. Cain became the first truly wicked man on Earth, and the “way of Cain” will forever portray the concept of evil that leads to curses and death (Jude 11).
“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:56–58).
That victory does not come simply through the death of Jesus Christ. It comes from the power to accept and follow His instruction made available by His Spirit dwelling in us.
Jesus Christ doesn’t just give us the victory over physical death; He also will give us victory over sin when we repent and gain the mastery over sin through conversion.