Grace And Works

‘If thou doest well, shall thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire…' Gen 4:7
Here we see the outcome of two sacrifices offered by two brothers. From a casual reading one might feel sympathy for Cain. Was God partial to Abel or harsh with the firstborn? In the preceding chapter we read that God had put Adam after his fall to till the ground (3:23). The ground had become a constant reminder of his fall. For all that would God hold it against Cain because he chose to follow the footsteps of his father? I think not. Does God hold anything against farming? Of course not!
Cain joined his father to till the ground and naturally brought the fruit of the ground as an offering. It was his own work that Cain highlighted. So far, so good. Then where did he go wrong?
Didn’t Cain present in self-righteousness the fruit of his labour? In my opinion he presented it in bad spirit. It was made clear when he resented Abel. The Reason? God preferred those of Abel over his gifts. Cain felt injured.
Jesus shows how we are to serve in the gospel of Luke, ‘ …we are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do.’(Lk 17:10) If we maintain that outlook would there be any need for envy as Cain demonstrated? We are unworthy like the prodigal son to be called as sons (Lk 15:21). We are unprofitable in His service but His abundant grace covers our shortcomings in everything that we do. It ought to be always our credo as stated in Lk 17:10.
Cain was given by God (Gen 4:1) but did he give himself in his sacrifice? He held back his best part to himself. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.’(Ps.51:10)
Benny