The World and the Word

                                The Results of the Fall

At the time that God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, two different races of humans dwelt on the earth, the pre-Adamic race and the future descendants of Adam and Eve. This fact has to be true because according to Genesis 5:4, Adam and Eve did not produce a large number of descendants until after the births of Cain, Abel, and Seth. This fact can only mean that Cain's wife of Genesis 4:17 had to have been a woman of the pre-Adamic race.

Most of the descendants of Adam and Eve for hundreds of years believed in the promise of a coming Savior that God had given to Adam and Eve, and they displayed their faith by their continuance of the blood sacrifices that God had commanded them to do. Genesis 4:4. The descendants of Seth were especially faithful to God as shown by his lineage as traced in Genesis 5:6-32. These believers were all saved by grace down to Noah and his family. Genesis 6:8.

Cain happened to be the exception to this rule. Cain adhered to the dark and evil side of his nature and refused to offer the blood sacrifices. Cain was a farmer, and he felt determined to force God to accept the good fruit of his ground as his offering to God. In his excessive pride and self-righteousness, Cain became obsessed with the idea that through his good work, he could make himself good enough to be accepted by God. God had patience with Cain and reminded him in Genesis 4:6-7 that that which he attempted to do was impossible. God urged Cain to humble himself, obey God, and return to the blood sacrifices which symbolized the sacrifice of the coming Savior. God informed Cain that if he refused to obey God, then sin would gain the mastery over him, and he would be free to commit any sin that the evil side of his nature influenced him to do. In other words, Cain would become a slave to sin but possess free will within its bounds. Salvation by grace can never be earned by any good works of humans. Humans can simply never make themselves good enough. Salvation is solely a gift from God to those who display repentance and faith in Christ their Savior. Ephesians 2:8-9.

Cain became extremely angry with and envious of his brother Abel because God accepted his blood offering and rejected Cain's good works offering. The sense of Genesis 4:8 indicates that Cain flew into a rage and killed his brother after talking with him. Perhaps, Abel spoke about the peace and joy he felt because God had accepted him, and his witness engendered Cain's rage. The sense of this verse does not indicate premeditated murder but rather manslaughter. Perhaps, Cain did not intend to kill Abel, only injure him, but perhaps he hit Abel too hard with a tool in his hand.

When God again spoke to Cain, he lied to God because he tried to deny to himself that he had killed his brother. God had cursed the Devil and the ground when Adam and Eve sinned, but He had not cursed the living souls and spirits of Adam and Eve even though evil had become a part of their beings. Genesis 3:14-19. Evidently, God had protected the living souls and spirits of Adam and Eve and Abel from the full effects of their evil natures because they obeyed God in offering the blood sacrifices. But because Cain had rejected God and killed his brother, God removed His special protection from Cain. and He allowed the curse to enter into Cain from the plants that he grew and ate. Genesis 4:11.