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Pastor Scott Wiens continues the Faith, Hope, Love series by turning to one of the earliest and most sobering stories in Scripture: the offerings of Cain and Abel. The series itself is rooted in a pastoral burden that “strengthened Christians are best equipped for crisis,” and Scott frames faith not as a religious slogan but as one of the essential pillars God uses to steady his people. Building from Hebrews 11, the “hall of faith,” he focuses on Abel as the first person in Scripture commended as righteous, and he asks what Abel’s offering reveals about the kind of faith God receives.

Hebrews 11:4 says, “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.” Scott lingers over the phrase “by faith” because it explains what Genesis 4 only shows in narrative form. God’s acceptance of Abel and rejection of Cain is not a story about divine pickiness or arbitrary religious rules. It is a mirror held up to the human heart. The central question is not merely, “What did they bring?” but, “What kind of heart brought it?” Abel’s offering was acceptable because it flowed from faith. Cain’s offering was rejected because something deeper was wrong before the gift ever reached the altar.

Scott walks back into Genesis 4 to examine the account carefully. Cain was a worker of the ground, and Abel was a keeper of sheep. In the course of time, Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground, while Abel brought from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. That wording matters. God did not simply evaluate the object being presented; he regarded Abel and his offering, Cain and his offering. The worshiper and the worship were inseparable.

Scott explains that Christians have often offered several interpretations for why Cain’s sacrifice was rejected. One common view is that Abel brought a blood sacrifice while Cain brought produce, and therefore Cain’s offering was the wrong type. That view has understandable appeal because Scripture later teaches that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins, and because the whole Bible ultimately points to Christ, the Lamb of God. Yet Scott cautions that Genesis 4 does not explicitly say this was a sin offering, nor does it clearly state that Cain was required to bring an animal sacrifice. Grain offerings would later be included in Israel’s worship under the law, so the mere fact that Cain brought food from the ground may not be the full reason for God’s rejection.

A second view focuses on the quality and timing of the offering. Genesis describes Abel’s gift with language of priority and value: the firstborn of the flock and the fat portions. Abel brought the best, the first, the richest. Cain’s offering, however, is described more generally. Scott points out the importance of the phrase “in the course of time,” noting that Cain’s gift appears to come after the harvest had progressed rather than from the firstfruits. If that is what the text is showing us, Cain did not bring God the first and best of his labor; he brought something later, something less costly, something closer to leftovers. That contrast is spiritually piercing because it exposes how easy it is to give God what remains after we have already secured what we want for ourselves.

Still, Scott presses deeper. The third and most important view is the heart and faith position. Hebrews 11 does not say, “By technical correctness Abel offered,” but “By faith Abel offered.” Abel’s sacrifice was the outward evidence of inward trust. His faith moved him to obey God, honor God, and bring God what was most valuable. Cain’s lack of faith showed itself not only in the offering but in his response to correction. When God rejected the offering, Cain became angry and his face fell. He did not humble himself. He did not repent. He did not ask for mercy or another opportunity to obey. Even when God warned him that sin was crouching at the door, Cain continued down the path of jealousy and rage until he murdered his brother.

That response reveals the condition of Cain’s heart. Scott connects Genesis 4 with the New Testament’s later references to Cain. In 1 John 3:12, John says Cain “was of the evil one and murdered his brother,” and explains that Cain’s deeds were evil while Abel’s were righteous. Jude also warns against “the way of Cain,” using him as an example of corrupt, self-willed rebellion. In both places, the emphasis is not merely on a failed offering but on a corrupted heart. Cain’s wrong gift came from a wrong heart, and his anger under correction exposed what was already within him.

That is where the story becomes painfully practical. Scott does not leave Cain and Abel in the ancient world. He asks what it means for believers today to offer to God with Abel-like faith. The first answer is that we offer our whole lives. Romans 12:1 calls Christians to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is spiritual worship. This is not partial surrender or occasional religious attention. It is the willing presentation of the entire self to God. Faith does not keep certain rooms locked away from the Lord. It presents relationships, marriages, parenting, work, habits, speech, private desires, and public decisions before God and says, “This belongs to you.”

Scott describes this kind of life as the life of a bondservant, someone who willingly belongs to the Master. That can sound radical in a culture devoted to autonomy, but it is basic Christianity. Jesus is not merely an adviser or a helper we call upon in emergencies. He is Lord. To offer our lives in faith is to trust his will over our preferences, even when obedience costs us something. Scott illustrates this with the example of Derrick and Meaghan, who were stepping out in faith to serve another body of believers. Their obedience was not easy, but faith often requires sacrifice. Trusting God means obeying his voice even when the path is emotionally costly or personally inconvenient.

The second way believers offer to God in faith is through their physical treasures. Money has a unique way of revealing what we trust. It is easy to affirm that everything belongs to God until the budget feels tight, the bills pile up, or the numbers do not seem to work. Scott is careful not to use Scripture manipulatively or to guilt people into giving. God does not need our money; he desires our hearts. Yet finances are one of the clearest testing grounds of faith because giving asks whether we really believe God will provide.

Jesus says in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you,” and Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9 that whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, while whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Paul also says giving should not be reluctant or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver. Scott emphasizes that faithful giving is not legalistic box-checking. It is joyful trust. Abel did not bring his offering as a bitter transaction but as an act of worship. When believers give God the first and best rather than the leftovers, they are declaring that their security is not in the account balance but in the faithfulness of their Father.

The third way believers offer to God in faith is by stewarding their gifts for the common good. God has given every believer gifts, whether gifts of service such as helping, leading, administering, giving, and caring, or speaking gifts such as teaching, encouragement, exhortation, evangelism, prophecy, or words of knowledge. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul teaches that there are varieties of gifts, services, and activities, but the same Spirit, Lord, and God empowers them all. These manifestations of the Spirit are given “for the common good.”

That means no Christian is gifted merely for private fulfillment. The body of Christ is strengthened as each member offers what God has entrusted to them. Scott challenges the tendency to attend church without serving, to receive without pouring out, or to bury gifts because of fear, selfishness, or passivity. Abel-like faith says, “What God has given me is not mine to hoard. It is mine to offer back to him for the good of his people and the witness of the world.”

Scott closes the message with a sober but hopeful invitation to respond. Many believers can identify places where they have withheld part of their lives, struggled to trust God financially, or failed to use their gifts faithfully. The answer is not shame but repentance. Cain showed us the danger of resisting correction. Faith responds differently. Faith humbles itself before God, confesses unbelief, and asks for mercy.

Scott points to several practical ways faith grows. We repent for our lack of faith. We ask God for more faith, knowing that faith is a gift from him. We immerse ourselves in God’s Word and presence because Romans 10:17 says faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. We also learn faith through trials, as God carries us through difficulty and proves his faithfulness again and again. Abel still speaks because his offering still testifies: God receives the gift that comes from faith, and faith gives God the first, the best, and the whole life.