| | | | The way of Cain - Jude 1:11 As we continue our study of Jude's call to the church against false teachers, Jude reaches back to some early examples of people who've veered from the faith, one of these being Cain.
Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain... Jude 1:11
What is "the way of Cain?" Let's look to the account of Cain is given in Genesis chapter 4:
And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. Gen 4:3-5
Cain and Abel were the son's of Adam and Eve, and this account tells us that bringing an offering to the Lord God was apparently a normal part of life for this first-generation family. Now the question of the day is, "Why did God reject Cain's offering?" For this answer, we can look to the writer to the Hebrews, who explained why the offering of Abel was accepted and the offering of Cain was rejected:
By faith Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain… Hebrews 11:4
According to the writer, Abel's offering was made in faith, a desire to worship God in spirit and in truth. In contrast, Cain's offering was a work of his hands, a work of the flesh. A work of the flesh could be described as something that I want, something I decide is best, something that fits with my agenda, and I bring that work to God and ask Him to bless it. In contrast, a work of the faith is something that is initiated by the Holy Spirit that lives inside me. To God, an offering by faith is good and acceptable; an offering of the flesh isn't.
If we put this truth into the context of false teachers going "in the way of Cain," you might ask, "how do I know if this teacher's offering is of faith, or flesh? How can I tell the difference?" Truthfully, often we can't… but God can. God is the one who searches the heart and examines the mind (Jer 17:10). We cant see the heart, but we can observe the fruit. Cain's offering led to disappointment, jealousy, and murder.
While we should be vigilant to watch out for teachers who've gone the way of Cain, I believe there's also a personal application here, in that we as Christians must remain vigilant in our own spiritual walk to not go the way of Cain. We must be on guard against our own flesh, our desires, and not allow ourselves to embark on our own agenda of the flesh, and think we can bring it before God and expect Him to bless it.
Pastor Clay | | | | | | | |
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