Lesson 4 – Cain and Abel

Even though Cain sinned, God still loved and preserved him. Even though we sin, God in Christ, still loves and preservers us.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 3 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees Abel making an offering to God.  Also paper and pencil will be needed.

 Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, no matter how hard we may try to hide the truth, You still know what is in our hearts. Thank You for Your Word, the Law and Gospel, which convicts us of sin and tells us of forgiveness through your Son, Jesus. Be with us as we study Your Word today. In

 Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Listen to the hymn "From All That Dwell Below the Skies".

God Speaks

Sometimes, we can tell who is telling us the truth; sometimes, it's harder to determine. But God always knows the truth, no matter how we try to hide it. In today's story, Cain tried to cover up his sins of unacceptable worship and of murder. But God knew the truth.

Read Genesis 4:1-5

Who were the first two sons of Adam and Eve? What were their occupations? Cain worked the ground and grew crops, and Abel tended sheep.

These passages record an act of worship. How did the brothers worship in the Bible account? They each gave an offering from their products.

What problem did the brothers have in this story? They each brought an offering, but God accepted only Abel’s offering.

Read Hebrews 11:4.

Why did God accept Abel's offering but not Cain's offering? Not because of the offering itself, but because Abel made his offering in faith, knowing that he was an unworthy sinner needing God's gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation. He believed that God is gracious and full of compassion. Cain's sacrifice lacked faith. God looked at the person rather than the work of the sacrifice. Nothing, including worship, is pleasing to God unless it is done in faith.  See Romans 14:23b and Proverbs 15:8-9.)

How did Cain's reaction make matters worse? He became angry.

Read Genesis4:6-7.

God is being loving in these verses. What is He trying to get Cain to understand? Because Cain lacked faith in God, his sacrifice was unacceptable to God. Perhaps Cain was relying on the fact that he was the firstborn son of Adam and Eve and more worthy because of it. By relying on himself, Cain was saying he didn't need God. He must love God with all his heart, mind, and soul.  See Matthew 22:37-38.

Sin is so big that it can only be removed by God's mercy, which must be accepted by faith. God wanted Cain to know and believe that the Savior promised to his parents and him was the person he needed to look to for forgiveness and salvation. Abel relied on God's grace and mercy, and his sacrifice was accepted.

Look at pages 6 and 7 in their Bible Discovery Guide to see how work changed after sin entered into the world.

Read Genesis 4:8-12

Cain’s anger caused him to kill his brother. Even though Cain didn't answer Go’s question truthfully, God knew what had happened. What was the consequence of Cain’s sin? Cain was sent away to be a wanderer. The ground would no longer yield its fruit easily for Cain, just as for his father, Adam.

Read Genesis 4:13-16

Does Cain seem sorry for his sin? No. He seems more worried for his life and that he will be an outcast.)

What did God do for Cain, and what does this tell us about God? He marked Cain to protect him. God is loving, but He doesn't like sin. He requires payment for sin.  God preserved or protected Cain. God preserves both the godly and ungodly. If Cain had repented, he would not have been sent away from God's presence. Instead, Cain lacked the faith to do so, and he suffered the consequences.

Read Genesis 4:25.

Eve understood that since Abel died and Cain was sent away, God gave Seth to fulfill His promise of a Savior. Many, many generations later, Jesus would be born as a descendant of Seth.

We Live

God preserved Cain by marking him when He sent him away so that no one would kill him. How does God preserve us? He cares for us and provides all things for us, including salvation through Jesus Christ.

Read the First and Second Articles of the Apostle’s Creed and Martin Luther’s explanation from the Small Catechism.

What mark does God place on us? We are marked with the sign of the cross at our Baptism. In worship, we are free to make the sign of the cross in remembrance of our Baptism.

Both marks are marks of God's mercy, but only Baptism gives us God's complete grace for salvation. Cain's mark preserved him for this life. Baptism is God's grace for this life and for eternity.

Because he would not rely on God's grace, Cain had to pay for his own sin. Does God expect payment for our own sins? Are we able to pay for our own sins? Yes, God expects payment. No, we could never pay for our own sins.

Since God expects payment for sin, who pays for our sin? Jesus died on the cross and is the final, perfect sacrifice for our sins.

How does this payment apply to my sin specifically? Through Baptism, we have received faith in Jesus Christ. We have been washed clean.

Did God want Cain to repent and turn to Him? Does God want all people to repent and have faith? Yes

On page 4 of the Lesson Leaflet, read Bible Words and review the Faith Words

For Jesus' sake, God forgives the sins of all those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin, death, and the devil. The Law shows us our sin, we are called to repentance, realizing we are not able to save ourselves. Faith comes from God through His Word and Holy Baptism and causes us to trust in Jesus for salvation.

Read the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed and Martin Luther’s Explanation from Luther's Small Catechism.

Complete the activities on page 2 of the lesson leaflet.

Read Matthew 5:21-22 and 1 John 3:15

The phrase "Sent away from God's presence,' means we are separated from God by our sins. Cain was sent away from God's presence because he was unrepentant, unfaithful, and angry at God. His reliance on himself separated him from God.

Even though Cain sinned, God still loved and preserved him. Though we sin, God in Christ still loves us and preserves us. He calls us to repent and gives us faith. Because of Jesus, we are forgiven of all of our sins. Jesus keeps bringing us back because He redeemed us by His death on the cross.

When we keep anger and hatred in our hearts, we are also guilty of breaking the Fifth Commandment. Read and complete page 3 of the leaflet.

We are different from Cain when we repent of our sins and turn to God for forgiveness. In Baptism, God has given us faith in His Son for forgiveness, new life, and salvation.

Closing

We, too, have sinned against the First Commandment because we have not loved God with our whole heart, mind, and soul. We, too, have sinned against the Fifth Commandment because we have killed in our thoughts and words and in actions that show our anger toward members of our families or friends. God knows our sin and sent Jesus to pay sin's penalty for us. Through Jesus, we are forgiven.

The back page of the leaflet provides a summary of this lesson and devotions for the week.

Again, listen to the hymn "From All That Dwell Below the Skies".

Prayer:  Dear heavenly Father, we thank and praise You that You continually provide for our needs and preserve us in our daily lives. Thank You especially for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who was punished for our sins by His death on the cross and who rose again so that we can live eternally in heaven. Help us to be more loving to our family and friends. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.