Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 35:69 (Autumn 2022)
Article: Cain: Testing The Limits Of God’s Love
Author: Bob Bryant

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Cain: Testing The Limits Of God’s Love1

Bob Bryant

Cypress Valley Bible Church
Marshall, TX

I. Introduction

We read about Cain in Genesis 4:

Now the man had relations with his wife Eve. And she conceived and gave birth to Cain. And she said, “I’ve gotten a man child with the help of the Lord. And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel (Gen 4:1–2a).

In the NT, Jesus told us something significant about Abel as it related to Cain. Jesus told us in Luke 11 about the blood of all the prophets, from the blood of Abel until the blood of Zechariah (Luke 11:50–51). The point here is that Jesus told us that Abel was a prophet. And as a prophet, he had a message. That was the message of all the prophets. We know the message of all the prophets because Peter told us in Acts 10, also recorded by Luke, in which we read, “All the prophets witness that through His name whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43).

Now, from that statement by Peter we learn that all the prophets witness that through His name—and from the context, he is talking about Jesus—whoever believes in Him will receive the forgiveness of sins. This means to believe in Him for everlasting life. And with that comes the forgiveness of sins. So, if we put Abel in that verse, Abel

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witnessed that through the name of Jesus whoever believes in Him for everlasting life will receive forgiveness of sins.

II. Was Cain A Believer?

We can certainly assume that Cain heard the saving message through his brother Abel, who was a prophet proclaiming that message. Cain likely heard the saving message from his parents,2 but certainly, through his brother, because his brother was a prophet.

Thus, the question is: did Cain believe that message? Did Cain believe in the coming Messiah for everlasting life? Was he born again? I believe the answer to that question is seen in the evidence found in the story of Cain. I think the evidence is very conclusive that Cain was a believer who had everlasting life. He was a born again, regenerate child of God who tested the limits of God’s love.

III. Cain Versus Abel

Genesis states:

Abel was a keeper...