Genesis 4:1-12 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

1And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said. 2Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil. 3So in the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD, 4while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.

6“Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.” 8Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

10“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Cain and Abel

In reading this we might wonder why God accepted Abel’s offering and not Cain’s. The Scriptures do not tell us why, although we could speculate by Cain’s response to God accepting Abel’s offering and not his offering. For Cain did not have the heart of God, but the heart of the flesh. For Cain responded to God’s decision in anger, jealousy, resentment, and bitterness which then drove him to murder his brother who had done him no wrong. And when confronted by God, he gave a very glib (superficial) response.

And we read in 1 John 3:12 that we are to “not be like Cain who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous.” And we read in Jude 1:11: “Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed for profit into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.” And what was the path of Cain? Out of bitterness, anger, jealousy, and resentment, he murdered his brother. Sin was at his door!

Pride and Jealously

In our world and in the gatherings of the “church” today we have some people like Cain and others like Abel. We have those whose hearts are filled with pride, envy, jealously, bitterness, and resentment against those approved of God and those living for the Lord in purity of devotion to Him who are serving Him with their lives, and who have forsaken their sins, and who are sharing the truth of the gospel of Christ with the people of the world. For they are an offense to many who are still walking in sin.

And “murder” doesn’t have to be the literal putting to death of someone. Someone can “murder” others in their hearts and in the way that they treat people by sinning against them and mistreating them and speaking evil against them and telling people lies about them in order to get other people to turn against them. They can destroy another person’s reputation by speaking lies against them which will then lead others to think evil of them. And you can “kill” someone by killing their hearts by how you treat them.

Persecution Promised

But God promised us that if we follow Him with our lives in faithful obedience to His commands that we will be hated and mistreated and spoken evil against by those who oppose the teachings of Christ and of His New Testament apostles and who refuse to give up their sins to follow our Lord in obedience to His commands. If we are standing on the truth, and if we are speaking that truth to the people, those who are lying to the people will not like us and they will want to shut us up and to keep people from hearing us.

And today’s market-driven “churches” which are partnered with the world and with the government are mostly speaking lies to the people, it would appear. So many of them are teaching a “gospel of salvation” absent of repentance and obedience to God, and absent of living to please the Lord, while accusing those of us who are sharing the biblical gospel as those who are teaching “works salvation.” So they want to silence us, and some of them will invite us to leave their gatherings in order to shut us up, too.

And I am not inferring that anyone was speaking out of turn or causing a disturbance. That would be a different situation. But I am speaking of Christians given permission to speak but then rejected because what they spoke was the truth of what the Scriptures teach which so many people and so many “churches” are rejecting today. And I am speaking of “church people” rejecting followers of Christ who take God and His word to heart to obey it and to share its truths with others, because the truth offends people.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; Hebrews 12:3-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

So don’t be one of the ones persecuting and/or rejecting the righteous who are walking with the Lord in obedience to His commands just because their lifestyle and their walk with the Lord makes you uncomfortable or it offends you in some way because it doesn’t agree with your lifestyle. Abel didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t do anything deserving of the treatment he received. He was killed because he obeyed God and did what was pleasing to God. Don’t be a Cain. Be an Abel who loves and who serves the Lord Jesus.

Don’t Be Like Cain
An Original Work / September 25, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Why Are You Afraid?

Based off Various Scriptures
An Original Work / December 5, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Do not be afraid.
Your Lord is always by your side.
Serve the Lord in righteousness
Before Him all your days.

Those who hate the light
Will not come to the Lord.
They fear their deeds
Might be noticed.
So, they hate the light,
And they embrace the night.

Do not be afraid,
Although your enemy attacks.
Dare to share your testimony
Of God’s saving grace.

Do not fear their threats,
But honor Christ, your Lord.
Be prepared to give an answer
For the hope you have,
With gentleness; respect.

Why are you afraid?
For all that’s hidden will be shown.
What I tell you, speak in daylight.
Let the truth be known.

Do not be afraid
Of those who’ll take your life.
Fear the Lord with understanding.
Trust Him with your life,
And give not up to strife.

Do not be afraid.
Take courage, it is I, your Lord.
Bow before Me; now adore Me.
Oh, why do you doubt?

Listen to the Lord.
Get up and bear His name!
Run and tell the world He loves them.
Jesus came to save.
Give Him your all today.