The Way of Cain
Jude 11 – “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.”
Jude writes his small, yet powerful epistle to those who are preserved in Christ. Jude explicitly states his purpose for writing the epistle. “It was needful for me to write unto you,” he says, “and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” This epistle was written to provoke the people of God to earnestly contend for the faith. Webster defines “contend” this way – “to strive; to use earnest efforts to obtain, or to defend and preserve.” We are called to defend the faith. “The faith” that we are defending is not our personal faith in Christ for salvation, but rather the truths that were delivered to the church through the written word of God. And we cannot stand up for doctrinal truths without standing against those who promote doctrinal error. If you have the mentality that says, “Can’t we all just get along?” then you are not an earnest contender for the faith!
Now, before I get into this, let me say that when I first meet an individual who claims to be a Christian, I always look for reasons to fellowship, not reasons to not fellowship. You may belong to a different church than I do. You may not see eye to eye with me on everything. I do not require that in order to have fellowship. But when it comes to the fundamental truths of the Bible, these will affect our fellowship. You need not agree with me on every point of Bible prophecy, as long as you believe that Christ is coming to this earth visibly and bodily. We can differ on various points of doctrine, but when you conclude that there is no literal, burning hell, then our fellowship will be affected. When we contend for the faith, we do not have to cut everyone off who sees something differently than we do. But we must stand up for the fundamental truths of God’s word.
In identifying false teachers, Jude uses three Old Testament examples. First, he tells us that they, the false teachers, have gone in the way of Cain. Let us see from the scriptures what is meant by “the way of Cain.”
Cain was the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. Shortly after Cain was born, his brother Abel was born. The notable account of Cain and Abel is found is Genesis 4. Cain and Abel, though brothers, were very different from each other. Two contrasts between them are seen early in the fourth chapter of Genesis:
Genesis 4:3-4 – “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 had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.”
Two contrasts in these verses are noticed. First, there is a difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s offering; and second, there is a difference in the Lord’s response to the two offerings. Cain brought the fruit of the ground as an offering to the Lord; Abel brought the firstlings of his flock as an offering to the Lord.
There has been much preaching and teaching regarding these two offerings. I have heard some say that there was nothing wrong with Cain’s offering; it was his attitude, they say. I beg to differ with this way of thinking, for Genesis 4:3-4 plainly tells us that “the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and his offering He had not respect.” There was something wrong with Cain’s offering as opposed to Abel’s offering.
Cain Was Religious
False teachers of today, like Cain of old, are very religious. Cain brought an offering to the Lord. But his offering was not accepted. Make a mental note of this and never forget it – a person can be religious and be dead wrong. Being religious never saved anyone. There are a great number of religious people who have never been saved by the grace of God, and if they die in that unregenerate state they will end up in hell.
Cain’s Religion – A Religion of Works
So, let us examine the two offerings, and why the Lord accepted Abel’s offering but denied Cain’s offering. I can understand, to a degree, why Cain was so angry when his offering was denied while Abel’s offering was accepted. I believe I am correct in saying that Cain’s offering involved much more work than did Abel’s offering. Abel brought a firstborn sheep as an offering to the Lord. Abel had very little to do with the raising of this lamb. For a period of time, this lamb would be fed by its mother. Occasionally, Abel may have led the sheep to greener pastures. No doubt Abel fed the sheep. But outside of that, Abel had very little to do with keeping the sheep alive. The business of keeping the sheep alive was God’s business.
Cain, on the other hand, worked very hard for his offering. He began by tilling the ground. In the heat of the day, Cain walked in his field behind the oxen, guiding the plow. Then, after the ground was tilled, Cain again walked the field, planting the seed. Cain may have spent a good deal of time digging a trench that would carry water to the field so that the crop may be watered. There is no telling how many hours in the humidity of the summer Cain spent on his knees, pulling out the weeds, perhaps fertilizing the crop. Then, Cain spent a great deal of time harvesting the crop. Then, after cultivating, maintaining, watering, and harvesting the crop through the hottest season of the year, he finds that his offering is not accepted. How disappointing!
Abel, on the other hand, worked very little to give a lamb to the Lord for an offering. I know people who raise both cattle and a garden, and they spend much more time in the garden than in the pasture! I am convinced that Cain worked far more for his offering than Abel did for his. When it came time for Abel to bring his lamb for an offering, Abel shed the blood of the lamb. The lamb lay on the altar as the blood ran down. Ultimately, Abel suffered very little for the offering he presented. The lamb did the suffering.
Can you see Cain as he watches Abel present his offering to the Lord? I can see him seething with anger. He is already upset because Abel has worked very little for his offering to begin with. And now, Abel again suffers very little as the dying lamb suffers instead of Abel, after Cain himself suffered through the summer’s scorching heat.
Cain’s Religion – A Bloodless Religion
Cain watches his brother present his dying lamb to the Lord as an offering, seething with anger. Not only was Cain’s offering the result of hard hours of labor, but Cain’s offering was bloodless. This was a prime reason his offering was unacceptable to the Lord. I have heard it preached that Cain’s offering was not denied because it was bloodless. In the Old Testament law, there were offerings that were bloodless, some say. True, there were bloodless offerings. But when Israel was saved from the bondage of Egypt, it took the blood of a lamb to save the life of the oldest male child in the house! When Israel’s sins were forgiven, it took blood on the Day of Atonement to cover such sins! And we are told that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22)!
Cain’s Religion – A Religion that Kills
Because Cain was so angry that his offering was unacceptable, he slew his brother Abel.
I John 3:12 – “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”
Abel, the one whose offering was accepted, was killed by the one whose offering was denied.
“The Way of Cain” and False Teachers
What does the story of Cain and Abel have to do with the false teachers that have plagued Christianity through the centuries, as well the false teachers of today? In one word, the story of Cain and Abel is an illustration regarding the doctrine of salvation. Listen to me closely. If a man has a perverted view of salvation, that man is a false teacher. The most important doctrine in the Bible is the doctrine that answers the question, “How can fallen man become righteous before God?” If a teacher answers this question incorrectly, then you should not listen to anything else that teacher has to say.
Cain answered the sin question by offering his works as a solution. But good works never produce genuine salvation. The vast majority of churches in the world today teach salvation by works. If you think that every building that has a steeple is getting people to heaven, you are a novice in the area of truth. Some teach that baptism saves from sin. Others teach that we must be faithful to obey the law of God in order to be saved. Others teach that you must belong to a certain church or organization in order to gain salvation. Like Cain, who stood before God, presenting his offering that he had worked so hard to obtain, false teachers of today will find out that their list of works will save no one. Like Abel, who shed the blood of the lamb, those who are trusting only in the blood of Jesus Christ for their salvation will be accepted.
There is no doubt that Cain was religious. But he was as lost as he was religious. Because his offering was not accepted, Cain slew his brother Abel, as we have seen. So it is in the religious arena today. Those who are trusting in the shed blood of Christ for their salvation are always the ones who are persecuted for their faith. Surprisingly to some, those who are persecuted for their faith are almost always persecuted by the religious crowd. Persecution in the early church was done by religious Jews who denied Christ. Stephen was killed in Acts 7. It was a religious Pharisee named Saul who consented to have Stephen killed. It was the religious crowd who had Paul beaten, whipped, and stoned. Today, Christians are persecuted throughout the world. As I type this, Pastor Saeed, an American citizen, is imprisoned in Iran for his faith. Who is persecuting this pastor? It is none other than the religious crowd; a Muslim regime. God chose Isaac, not Ishmael. God spoke through His Son, Jesus Christ, not Mohammad. And the Muslims can’t stand it. They, like Cain, are seething with anger. Consequently, there is no such thing as a Muslim country that promotes freedom. Such an idea is a fairy tale. In countries where Muslims rule, Christians are persecuted heavily. The religiously wrong almost always do the persecuting; true Christians are almost always the persecuted.
If you should acquaint yourself with a minister or church, the first thing you should find out is how they preach salvation. If they preach that we are either saved or kept saved by anything other than faith in Christ, then they are a false teacher who has departed from the faith and have gone in the way of Cain.
