Scripture Reading: Gen. 3:7, 21; 2:15; 4:1-8; Rom. 8:6-8; Phil. 3:3-4
Genesis 2—4 are very familiar to us. We often preach the gospel from them. But what God says to His children in these chapters is actually more than what He says to the unbelievers. Through these few chapters of the Bible, God shows us the way He has established for us to walk in.
One
After Adam sinned, he immediately employed a way and a method to save himself: He used fig leaves to sew himself an apron. The fig leaves were grown from the ground, and they were the result of Adam and Eve’s dressing and keeping of the garden of Eden. In other words, they tried to use what they produced themselves to cover their shame. Man realized before God that he had fallen and sinned, so he quickly devised ways to remedy the situation. The first act of man after his fall was to improve his behavior.
When we first believed in the Lord, we did not realize the depth and extent of man’s works. We thought they just stemmed from man’s wish to do good to save himself. Actually, man’s work implies that, after his fall, he wanted to satisfy God with the best that he could produce with his own effort. He realized that he was naked, that he was shameful, and that he was not acceptable before God. Hence, he devised a way to cover himself. He wanted to do good to satisfy God’s heart.
While man was struggling with his own ways, God gave him a revelation by making coats of skin to cloth them. This signified that not only did the redemption of man require blood and the death of another but also that man’s own works could not cover his shame before God or satisfy God’s heart. Since man has sinned, there is only one way of obtaining salvation, and that is through the cross and through death.
Coats of skin signify not only the death of the Savior but also the death of the sinner. Second Corinthians 5:14 clearly says, “One died for all, therefore all died.” It does not say that since one died for all, then all do not need to die. It says, “One died for all, therefore all died.” In making coats of skin for Adam and Eve, God was pronouncing death upon them. At the time of the Passover, the blood of the Lamb was put on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses. God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exo. 12:13). By clothing Adam and Eve with coats of skin, God showed that salvation not only requires the forgiveness of sins through the death of the Savior, but also the death of the sinner.
Salvation involves not only resolving the problem of our sin but also the termination of us as a person. God dealt not only with sin but also with our person. Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; this was sin. They sewed aprons of fig trees; this was their good work. We must realize that God rejected not only the eating of the fruit but the sewing of the aprons as well. If a man sins, he displeases God. If he performs good works by his own effort, he also displeases God. Man’s need consists not only of blood but also of death.
Two
If we understand Genesis 3, we can readily understand chapter four. After Adam sinned, he sewed aprons with the result of his labor — the fig leaves — to cover himself. Cain, the son of Adam, followed the same principle. He offered the produce from the land, the results of his own cultivation, unto God. Cain did exactly the same thing as Adam. The only difference was that Adam’s work was for himself, while Cain’s work was offered to God. Adam wanted to cover himself with his works in the hope of making himself a good man, whereas Cain offered God the produce from the land in the hope of pleasing God. In principle, their works were the same.
While this was occurring in Genesis 3, God clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skin, signifying that the cross must be upon them and that death must work upon them. This was God’s revelation to Adam. In Genesis 4, Abel took God’s way. Abel offered unto God the firstling of his flock and of their fat. What was so special about Abel was that he understood the need of the cross. He realized that man had sinned and had to die and that without his death man could not please God.
What were the results of the offerings of Cain and Abel? The Bible tells us that “the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect” (vv. 4-5). God accepted Abel and his offering, but not Cain and his offering because Abel pleased God in accordance with the way of salvation established by God, while Cain tried to please Him through his own flesh.
Cain’s offering implied that even though man had sinned and was fallen, he did not need to die; rather, he could work on his own and use the labor of his work to please God. Man thinks that the leaves he cultivates can cover his shame and produce from the land can be offered to God to please Him. Cain relied upon his works to come before God; he had not passed through death. He thought he could please God by his own effort. But God did not look upon it and would not accept it.
Abel’s offering seemed to say, “O my God, the skin You have ordained enabled me to be a proper man. I now offer You the fat under the skin to please You. The skin is for me and the fat is for You.” Both the skin and the fat are the results of death. Only through death could Abel obtain skin to clothe himself, and only through death could he obtain the fat to offer to God.
Three
Romans 8:7 says, “Because the mind set on the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither can it be.” The man who minds the flesh is the natural man, the original man, the man who is according to his natural birth. This man is not subject to the law of God, neither can he be. Yet the Word of God tells us not only that the fleshly man sins but also that the fleshly man attempts to do good, because verse 8 says, “And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” This obviously indicates that the man of flesh attempts to please God. No matter how hard he may try, in the end he still cannot please God. Regardless of how man serves God through his flesh, the result is always the same — he cannot please God. His offering, like that of Cain, can never be accepted by God. Only one offering is acceptable to God: our cross and our death. This is like the fat — a sweet-smelling offering before God.
Therefore, our greatest service to God is not how much we can do for Him or how much we can accomplish for Him but how much we can die. But this is not acceptable to many self-righteous men. Man often measures everything by his own work, thinking that if he can have fruit, if he can help others repent and believe in the Lord, he can bring all these offerings to God. But we should know one thing: We cannot serve God according to our work. Man’s greatest offering to God is to be on the altar, which is death. Was there ever an offering accepted by God which did not pass through the altar? Was there ever an offering that passed through the altar and still lived? All offerings to God must go through death.
Brothers and sisters, perhaps your emphasis is revival, the repentance of many, and many great works. We acknowledge these as being important, yet they are not the primary need; they are secondary needs. The first thing we should do is confess before God: “Lord, I know I am useless, I am weak, and I am unclean. I know I am full of the work of the flesh. Therefore, Lord, I only look to You. I want to please You; I am willing to lay myself on Your altar as a burnt offering.”
As an offering, Cain brought success and fruit, instead of the knowledge of the cross. Cain was successful, and he bore fruit. Yet death is the only condition that enables God to accept man’s offering, and Cain’s offering lacked death. God’s Word says that a man of flesh cannot please God. You may try, but it will be in vain. Cain could offer his offering, but it was not acceptable to God. The pursuit of God’s pleasure to many is just an activity of the flesh; there is no mark of the cross or any sign of death in it. However, there are some brothers and sisters who truly know the cross. When you touch them, you discover that they are broken and bruised and have the wound of the cross; we can sense the presence of subjective experience and the result of blows upon them. God desires this kind of person; He desires this kind of mark in a man. Therefore, work, zeal, or the fruit of work is not acceptable to God. Everything must come from the Holy Spirit. God cannot accept the fruit of man’s labor for Him; He only accepts the fruit from man’s reliance upon Him. We can only prostrate ourselves before Him and say, “I am only a channel, Lord. I pray that You pass through me.” If we do this, we will see blessing, and we will see God’s acceptance.
Paul said, “For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). At that time there were people who worshipped God in the confidence of the flesh. It is possible for man to worship God in the flesh, as Cain did; however, God cannot accept man’s worship in the flesh. God can only accept man’s worship in the spirit.
Our mistake is to infer God’s acceptance of a thing by its merit or demerit. But God does not ask whether a thing is good or bad. He asks whether it comes from Him. The goal of many children of God is for Him, but their strength is from themselves. They have a heavenly purpose, but they employ earthly strength to achieve it. The purpose of Cain’s offering was not improper, because he wanted to please God just as Abel did. The difference between Cain and Abel was in what they offered. It would be a gross error for us to presume that as long as our purpose is to serve God, to please Him, to do His work, and to bring about spiritual revival among His children, we can employ whatever means there are. We may not say it this way, but this is a fact. If we serve God with our own strength, it is the flesh. The flesh is man’s own strength, the strength he has originally. If we serve God with this strength, it is the same as Cain’s offering.
Do not think that Abel had a loftier goal than Cain. Both of them had the same goal, that is, to make an offering. Abel was accepted not because he had a loftier goal than Cain but because what he offered was better. Abel’s offering signifies the fact that man has no place before God, that man can do nothing, that man must die and not live, that man should tremble before God, and that man should have no confidence before Him. Abel’s offering seemed to say to God, “God, I know that whatever comes from me is not acceptable. I cannot serve You. I can only trust in Your life and Your Spirit. I can only depend on the law of the Spirit of life.” Abel’s offering was made under these circumstances, and this became a sweet-smelling offering to God.
Therefore, brothers, in serving God it is not how much you have done for God. Your work may not be for the service of God, and the service of God may not need your kind of work. In serving God, the most necessary thing is the cross. The crux of the matter is this: “We are…the ones who serve by the Spirit of God…and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). These are Paul’s words. You may have heard this many times, but, brothers, what is your standing today? Where do you stand? What kind of an offering are you making? I am not asking whether you have offered something up. I am asking what you have offered. An offering acceptable to God must go through death. Anything that has not gone through death cannot be counted as an offering. An offering that has not gone through death can never be acceptable to God.
Four
However, this does not mean that we only have to adopt an attitude of looking to God, believing in God, and waiting and trusting in God, when we come before Him. Our attitude alone cannot replace God’s work. Perhaps after some brothers and sisters hear a message on the cross, they change their attitude. They may say, “In the future I have to learn to be more humble and gentle before God. In the future when I work, I have to learn to rely on Him more.” Even this does not mean they have the sign of death. We need to realize that the cross is God’s work upon us. One day the Lord will enlighten us in His mercy, and through this enlightening, we will be crushed and an eternal mark will be left upon us. From that day on, we may still move, but every time we move, we will feel the pain and the absence of strength. A day will come when the cross does its work on us, and we will no longer please God according to our flesh.
Therefore, it is useless to have a mere change in our attitude; what is needed is the true experience of the cross. A person may try to change his attitude, but it will not last long, and he will soon forget the change. When something happens he will become bold in himself again. When others say a few words of praise to him, his face will shine again. When his work is making good progress, he will feel as if he is treading on the clouds again. Have you seen this? What is the use of having just a change in attitude? It is useless to have the attitude of the cross without the experience of the cross. There must first be the experience of the cross before there can be the attitude of the cross. Paul said, “And I was…in weakness and in fear and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). He was a person who knew the cross, so he could have the attitude of the cross. If we pretend to be in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling, this will go away in a few days and be forgotten even by ourselves. It is easy for us to have the right attitude and the right message, without the experience of the cross. When this happens, we will easily forget about the whole matter after some time. Once a brother said, “I used to preach the cross, but for some unknown reason I have not touched this subject for the last ten months.” Is this surprising? No. If it is only a subject, it will soon be forgotten. If God has done a work on me and touched me, I will spontaneously become a weak person. I will not have to try to be a weak person; I will be weak. I will not have to imitate Paul and be in fear and trembling; I will be in fear and trembling. There will be a sign of the cross on me, and I will be changed into another person. This is having an offering before God, and this is pleasing to God.
This was the experience of Jacob at Peniel. He limped because his thigh was crippled, and he remained this way for the rest of his life. Yet many Christians do not suffer a wound after falling. They fall repeatedly, but after getting up they can still run. Before they fall they are one kind of person, and after they rise up they are still the same kind of person. But when the cross does its work on such a person, he will fall and not be able to get up again. When he finally gets up, no matter how hard he tries, he will not act the same way as before; there will be an indelible mark on him. From that point on, even if he wants to be great, he will be unable to try. A Christian who is truly touched by God finds no heart for his own idea; he cannot be proud even if he tries. God has done a work in him, and he makes his offering through this work. This is the meaning of death, and this is the meaning of the cross.
In conclusion, we must repeat that the cross is not a mere doctrine or teaching; it is God’s enlightenment. Once God enlightens us, we can no longer live as we did before. This is the cross. Men like Peter, John, and Paul in the New Testament and Job, Jacob, Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel in the Old Testament all experienced a one-time intense enlightening from God. After they saw the light, they could no longer live as they did before, and their lives could never be the same. This is the cross. When God’s light exposes the self, we will no longer live the same way. This is the cross. We will realize that nothing from ourselves pleases God and that we can only prostrate ourselves before Him. This is the cross. Then we will serve God according to this cross, not serving by the flesh and not trusting in our own works; we will serve by the Holy Spirit and trust in God’s life. May the Lord deliver us from mere doctrines, and may the cross truly work on us so that we may make an offering which is acceptable to Him and become a person who is acceptable to Him.