Faith And The Most Acceptable Sacrifice
Hebrews 11:4; Gen 4:1-16
“Because God loves me and accepts me, I do not have to do things just to build up my résumé.” - Tim Keller
Big Idea: Because Christ is the most acceptable sacrifice, we are approved and can by faith exclusively seek his glory.
When We Know We’re Fully Accepted
“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts.” v4a
There is a sad reality and subsequent tragic consequence of religiosity as a means of earning the approval of God.
Cain and Abel narrative from Genesis 4:1-16
Out of all that happens in the narrative of Genesis, Hebrews 11:4 keys in on the sacrifice.
Genesis 4 doesn’t outright indicate how Abel’s sacrifice was in fact better.
They both offered sacrifices according to their vocations. Cain from the ground; Abel from the flock.
The sacrifice itself can’t be the object of our attention.
“By faith...” or further, “because he trusted God…”
There was a faith that preceded the sacrifice given.
The focus turns to Abel; (“the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.” Gen 4:4).
Why did the Lord have regard for Abel, and not for Cain (Gen 4:5)? Because Abel’s sacrifice was preceded by faith.
But there’s more: “he was commended as righteous”.
His faith in fact made him righteous, not the act of sacrifice itself.
Rom 4:6 “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
The commendation or testimony was this: God had declared to Abel “You are righteous! so therefore I can accept your gift.”
Jesus highlights this in Matt 23:35 “righteous Abel” as opposed to John’s words about Cain “he was of the evil one” and “his deeds were evil” 1 Jo 3:12).
This doesn’t devalue or diminish the obedience of Abel. It gives it more meaning.
“Grace isn’t opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning.” - Dallas Willard
When We Know We Are Untouchable
“And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” (4b)
By faith, we are untouchable! There isn’t a trial, circumstance, person, (not even death), that can touch us.
Because of Abel’s “faith”, he was untouchable.
Even though he suffered injustice of the greatest kind, losing his life by the hands of his own brother, “he still speaks”.
Glimpses of this thought were given in the original narrative; Gen 4:10: “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” But what does this mean exactly?
How could Abel still speak if he was dead? How can his voice still be crying out?
Because the faith that he had still resonates throughout history.
God is a God of justice who cares about those of his who lose their lives unjustly because of their faith (Abel was the first according to Scripture).
Abel didn’t have a dead religiosity like Cain.
Cain was a Pharisee of sorts whose religious activity was birthed out of self-righteousness rather than the righteousness that comes by faith.
Abel had a living faith because of a living God, and therefore he wouldn’t ever be offering dead sacrifices.
Our obedience to God never falls flat.
The faith Abel had wasn’t revealed in the efficacy of his sacrifice.
However, it was validated!
And it pointed to an even greater offering; the most acceptable sacrifice by Christ on Calvary!
Think about it: If I am fully accepted by Christ because of his sacrifice on the cross, in what ways can this fuel a faith-filled obedience in my life?
