Joe Heschmeyer on the Acceptabilty of Abel's Sacrifice

"'And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard' (Gen. 4:4b-5).

"Why does God accept the sacrifice of Abel but reject the sacrifice of Cain?

"Exegetes have come to differing conclusions throughout the years. Both Luther and Calvin, for instance, thought it was simply a case of God's preferring Abel over Cain, and thus preferring Abel's offering. . . .

"But is the biblical text actually all that ambiguous? Scripture says that Cain resented Abel, not because God arbitrarily predestined the one and punished the other, but 'because [Cain's] own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous' (1 John 3:12). Hebrews likewise views the difference as this: 'By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts' (Heb. 11:4).

"So it wasn't God's 'secret reasons,' or his arbitrary preference for Abel over Cain, but because Abel offered a 'more acceptable sacrifice' in faith. And what makes Abel's sacrifice better? 'Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions' (Gen. 4:4a). That is, he offered the first-borns, the very best of what he has. But Cain doesn't offer God the first fruits of his harvest. Instead, he simply gives him 'an offering of the fruit of the ground' (Gen. 4:3). If Abel is giving God the equivalent of filet mignon, Cain is giving him ground beef. This is a difference in both faith and works. By faith, Abel gives God everything. Cain phones it in."

In a recent commentary. writer Joe Heschmeyer reflected on the difference between Cain's offering and Abel's offering and on how Scripture tells us not just to "give God whatever fruit we have left over and lying around," but to be generous with God in our poverty.

To access his complete post, please visit:

Catholic Answers: Why Abel’s Sacrifice Was Better (6 FEB 19)