Cain was the firstborn—the son in whom Adam and Eve placed their hopes. Abel was the insignificant one, a mere “breath” or “vapor.” Yet God rejected Cain’s offering and received Abel’s, because Abel offered his sacrifice by faith, clinging not to his own works but to God’s promise.

Cain and Abel reveal a division that runs throughout the history of the Church: the false church trusts in its works, its institutions, and its own importance, while the true Church lives by faith in the promise of God. When called to repentance, Cain hardened himself, persecuted his brother, and finally shed his blood. But in murdering Abel, Cain could not defeat him. Abel became the first martyr, and his blood cried out from the ground.

In this Trinity 11 sermon on Genesis 4:1–15, we consider Cain and Abel, true and false worship, faith and works, the per ...