CAIN AND ABEL - TWO BROTHERS OUTSIDE EDEN
In this section we will continue to look at how sin affected Cain's actions.
We will note how wrong thinking can distort our world view and cause us much pain. Right thinking comes about when we feed on God's truth.
Have a look at the questions below and see if you can answer them.
1. How did Cain deceive himself?
2. How can we avoid being deceived by our own thinking?
3. What does the work 'emotion' mean?
4. To do its worst - evil needs to look its best"
Preamble: A Reminder Concerning Grace.
God desires a relationship with man, and this relationship comes about through covenant (Hosea 6:7). In breaking the covenant man's life is forfeit. God's covenants are covenants of grace, simply because the object of them all is man's blessing.
Since man is a sinner, blessing can only be bestowed on the grounds of grace, it is not bestowed through man's good works. Grace never sets aside the claim of righteousness against sinners (the claims of the Law being summed up in Matt 22:37-40). The claim of righteousness must be fulfilled if man is to experience the fullness of God's love.
How well do you think man does in fulfilling the following claim?
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
God's workings in history reveal the extent of His love. He loves those who can give back nothing in return. Note the following scripture.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48"
In revealing His love and holiness man is brought under conviction. In order to experience the fullness of God's love man needs to accept God's gracious invitation to approach God through the work of Jesus Christ, the only way whereby sins can be forgiven.
An ancient Babylonian covenant shows how the cut-up flesh of an animal spoke of what would happen to the transgressor of a covenant. "This is not the head of the goat: it is the head of Mati-ifu. If Mati-ifu breaks his oath, as the head of this goat is cut off, so shall the head of Mati-ifu be cut off. This is not the loin of the goat: it is the loin of Mati-ifu." (and so on).
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Through the life, death and resurrection of Christ we see that one of the functions of divine grace is to meet the claims of God's law of righteousness on behalf of sinners. This, and only this, makes it possible for God to bestow blessing on men without sacrificing the claims of righteousness against them as transgressors of His law.
Love and holiness meet in Christ and without compromise to each other, show the fullness of grace to a rebellious and suffering world.
Until the advent of Christ man was called to approach God through the blood of an animal. The blood of an animal pointed to the fact that ultimately it was God who made provision for fallen man to find forgiveness and reconciliation. It is not that the animal in and of itself had the power to cleanse from sin. Note Heb 10:5 & 11. The blood of an animal pointed forward to Christ (1 Cor 5:7)
Cain and Sin
Sin is the refusal to live as a son of daughter of God (note David's words:
Against you and you only have I sinnedPsalm 51:4
When we sin, and pretend we haven't, or fail to accept that we have, we sow seeds of psychological destruction, because sin will reap a harvest Galations 6:6-7
The reality of sin and its power to pervert and destroy is seen in the story of Cain and Abel. In Cain we see envy, anger, murder, lying and a total lack of repentance.
"If the word sin has any useful meaning at all it must speak about a distortion so severe that the recognisable self is blotted out or lost."
Mary Catherine Gordon.
Although we do not want to generalise, a lot of emotionally disturbed people think themselves into their difficulties and suppress guilt instead of coming to Christ in repentance and faith. Cain initially thought himself into difficulty.
Counselling and talking things through with people have their place, yet too many fail to see that guilt is dealt with in repentance and faith. The purpose of God's conversation with Cain was to reveal God's love and encourage Cain to put things right.
Cain approached God on Cain's terms. He was focused on his own actions. In a sense Cain was deceiving himself (as indeed Adam and Eve deceived themselves.
Samuel Johnson writing on self-deception had this to say:
"A miser who once relieved a friend from the danger of a prison, suffers his imagination to dwell for ever upon his own heroic generosity; he yields his heart up to indignation at those who are blind to merit, or insensible to misery, and who can please themselves with the enjoyment of that wealth, which they never permit others to partake.
From any censures of the world, or reproaches of his conscience, he has an appeal to action and to knowledge; and though his whole life is a course of rapacity and avarice, he concludes himself to be tender and liberal, because he has once performed an act of liberality and tenderness."
Sometimes we just don't want to hear the truth, and almost willingly believe a lie. We need to stand for the truth. A graphic illustration of this, (recorded by Prof Oz Guiness) was seen in the small town of Le Chambon in German-occupied Southern France. This town sheltered and saved over 5,000 Jewish children who would otherwise have gone to the death camps.
The truth
Theological students at that time wrote to the Minister of Youth for Vichy France and said:
"We feel obliged to tell you that there are among us a certain umber of Jews. But, we make no distinction between Jews and non-Jews. It is contrary to the Gospel teaching. If your comrades, whose only fault is to be born in another religion, received the order to let themselves be deported, or even examined, they would disobey the orders received, and we would try to hide them as best we could."
The Lie
At that time the Germans had a Nacht und Nebal (Night and Fog) policy which revealed, in part, why death camps were so successful (from their point of view). Part of the fog the Nazis had created around the camps were stories like that of a Polish Zionist state for Jews. The student pastor at that time (Andre Trocme) stated in his notes, "Many French let themselves be deceived in 1942".
Cain was not a representative of religious indifference or open denial to God. Cain deceived himself. He was into "I've done this", rather than pointing to the work of our heavenly Father.
When we build on our 'successes' we deceive ourselves into thinking we have done well, instead of saying 'thank you God.' We get into self-redemption and then wonder why things go wrong. We can often try and excuse our sin by saying "well, at least I'm not as bad as so-and-so", instead of admitting that "there but for the grace of God go I."
We deceive ourselves when we allow sin to well up in us as a response to the words or actions of others. Righteousness and evil are not simply a matter of what we think is right or wrong, and are only defined by God's word. Cain lived by his own thinking. His sacrifice may have looked good, yet was devoid of all goodness.
"To do its worst, evil needs to look its best. Evil has to spend a lot on makeup. Hypocrites have to spend time polishing their act and polishing their image."
Prof C. Plantinga, "Not The Way Its Supposed To Be" p 98.
Today's society looks up to pop-stars, athletes, soap-stars and models.
Schools and universities have no recognised moral foundations on which to build a moral code, and the Bible is simply dismissed as outdated and naïve.
The break-up of the family unit shows that sin is not static. It certainly was not static in Cain. Cain murdered his brother.
Emotions
The word 'emotion' is derived form the Latin word 'emovare' meaning, 'to move.' Of emotion, the Oxford English Dictionary says
"Any agitation or disturbance of mind, feeling, passion, any vehement or exited mental state."
"Only in Christianity is human emotional life given such a place of prominence. God clearly recognised that love, joy and awe have to be the predominate emotions if persons are to have happiness, so he gave us himself so that this might be accomplished."
Baker Dictionary of Psychology and Counselling, p 396.
There are a few people who try to live emotionless lives because they have been so hurt and disappointed by life that they just switch off. They avoid everybody in their bid to cope with life. Bitter experiences have taught them to believe that no-one cares and they end up trusting no-one. Any feeling of discomfort is automatically avoided, yet in protecting themselves they destroy the very self they seek to nurture.
We need to confront such people with the love of God so that they will not be afraid to allow Him to help them re-engage with life.
This may involve pain, but not all pain is destructive (eg dentists drill?)
Right Thinking
"We are not saying that there shouldn't be any experience or emotion. There is and should be. But neither experience nor emotion is the basis for our faith. The basis for our faith is that certain things are true. The whole man, including the intellect, is to feed upon the fact that certain things are true. That, of course, will lead to an experiential relationship with God."
Dr F. Shaeffer, "A Christian Viewpoint of Spirituality", p 391.
Our emotions must stem from our knowledge of the truth because emotions are designed as 'motivators' to help us get the absolute best out of life.
Emotion does not exist by itself, but is always attached to ideas. For example, think of how someone might feel if they walk into a room and assume everyone has been talking about them. Their emotions then provide them with the force for action, whatever that might be.
If we receive bad news the heart automatically beats faster, the breathing rate changes and so can blood pressure. Emotions are based on information. When that information is wrong, or distorted, then we find ourselves in serious trouble, as did Cain.
Is it really surprising to see so many tormented and struggling people in today's society, when our view of life and self is so distorted?
"Alienation is always a separation - a split, a tearing, an estrangement. The man who feels the need to regard his own life as ultimately significant and yet firmly believes that his "self" is no more than a chance configuration of atoms is literally torn apart."
Prof C.S. Evans, 'Existentialism and the Quest For Hope', p95.
Due to the influences of the theory of evolution man is led to believe that he is simply an insignificant blob amongst billions of other blobs. Man riles against this and strives for significance.
In seeking significance man often attaches value and worth to that which is transient and passing - wealth, position, etc - often with disastrous consequences. Such a person lacks wholeness.
"The man who recognises an unconditional obligation to love his neighbour, but also knows in his heart that his life is orientated toward the satisfaction of his own desires likewise lacks wholeness." continuing the quote from Prof Evans.
We need to really know that we can do nothing apart from God.
Thinking and feeling are inextricably linked, therefore it is hardly surprising that some mental disorders are characterised by disturbances in both. Cain viewed his own offering as sufficient. In being rejected he took it out on Abel, as if his discomfort was Abel's fault.
Cain's thinking, feeling and actions were destructive. His words to Abel were in order to lead Abel to his death, "Let's go out to the field."
How does our thinking affect our emotions? How powerful are our words and actions in the ways of the Lord?
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. Proverbs 12:25-26
Life could have been so different for Cain, for even amidst difficulty God is willing to help those who call upon Him.
Part of a poem written by a prisoner of war for fellow prisoners at Christmas in 1943.
O God, early in the morning do I cry unto you.
Help me to pray, and to think only of you.
I cannot pray alone.
In me there is darkness, but with you there is light.
I am lonely, but you leave me not.
I am feeble in heart, but you leave me not.
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
Your ways are past understanding, but
You know the way for me.
Thus we see that man's only hope against the destructive forces of his own thinking is to find help in God through a close relationship with Him.
Now revisit the questions at the beginning of this course and review your answers. What does this session tell you about God?