Abel offered in faith and his faith was acceptable in God’s sight: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11 verse 4). Paul says “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11 verse 6).Abel’s offering was accepted because it was what God asked. Here we have the first example of faithful obedience to God. A man cannot honour God more than in believing what He promises and doing what He commands. Abel’s offering showed his faith in God’s promise of the Redeemer and his action demonstrated his faith.
Cain offered what he thought God should accept. Possibly it was the very best of his fruits, but it was not what God required. No doubt he was proud of what he had to offer, but it did not reflect faith and obedience to God’s requirements. His offering was therefore not accepted.
We are not told directly, so we need to work it out from other places. God’s instructions about offerings in the law describe giving animals, not vegetables. Some grain and other offerings are included, but not vegetables. Tithes could include vegetables, but offerings didn’t. As well as the example of Abel, we read about Noah’s offerings of clean animals after the flood in Genesis 8:20-22 which prompts God to promise never to flood the earth again. Jesus’ sacrifice was as a perfect lamb and involved his death. The wine is a symbol of this, reminding us of the death that saved us. Vegetables aren’t good enough. Death came from sin and death was required for the forgiveness of sins.
same principles set out in Genesis 3.After Adam and Eve sinned they invented their own covering for their nakedness. (Their nakedness was typical of sin.) God showed that the covering of fig leaves for sin was unacceptable to Him and provided coats of skin. God had been wronged and only He could establish the basis for the forgiveness of sin.The word “religion” means “to rebind” and therefore to restore a person into fellowship with God. Since it was man who wronged God, it is not for man to design his religion. What man must do is find out what God requires. The many forms of religion in the world today reveal the many attempts men have made to formulate their own way back to God. These attempts are no better than the fig leaf covering that Adam and Eve made to try to cover their nakedness.
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself 2 Corinthians 5 verse 19 When God provided “coats of skins” for Adam and Eve, He was indicating that “the shedding of blood” was the basis for forgiveness of sin (without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9 v. 22) The lamb slain to provide their covering foreshadowed Jesus Christ, the promised Redeemer whom God would send “to take away the sin of the world” (John 1 verse 29) We were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1 verses 19 - 20)
