Consequence

DEVOTION

GENESIS

CONSEQUENCE

Gen 4:8-16

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." 13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

NIV

This anger, this attitude of jealousy, this hatred within the heart of Cain festered to the point of bringing him to the action of murdering his brother. The pain both Adam and Eve must have felt, yet we are not privy to their emotions or responses but only of those of God. Why didn’t God stop Cain? Surely he was aware of what was in his heart as well as what he was about to do when he invited Abel to go out into the field. He intervened with Abraham when he was about to plunge the blade into his son, his only son, who was the promise from God. Why didn’t God intervene here? For what purpose did he stay out of the matter until it was all over? Did God want Cain to murder Abel? Absolutely not. But did he allow him?  It seems that is the case. God allows us to do things which are certainly unpleasing to him. He does not intervene in our lives every moment we act in a manner we should not. Yet we have the Spirit who should be speaking to our heart and mind regarding what attitudes, emotions and behaviors are acceptable and which are not acceptable. This may not be intervening, but we would think we surely know what is right and what is wrong. Cain certainly had to know as well, for surely God had instructed them all. He would not simply leave them all on their own. Although just prior to the flood it would seem he does leave mankind to its own choice in attitude and behavior. We are told the every inclination of the heart of man was bent toward evil all the time. The whole lot of them went on their merry way, ignoring anything God had ever told to them. Here we see what may have been the beginning of all that. Cain allowed his own attitude, his own emotions to control his behavior and the taking of his brother’s life was the result. Now God gets involved. Hey Cain, where is your brother? Did God not know? It is just as when he asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” He knows all things, but he was giving Cain and opportunity to response in a way of repentance, admitting his evil behavior. We would think that if Cain would have told God that he made a massive error in judgement and allowed his feelings to get the best of him and that he killed his brother and he was very upset over it, sorry that he did it, and asked God it he could ever forgive him, the outcome would be different. But we know he did not confess, but made some lame excuse about not being his brother’s keeper. We can see the response of God, and what happened to Cain, but our lesson is here also. God has given us the freedom to think as we please. He has given us the freedom to not only have improper attitudes toward people, but to allow these attitudes to control our behavior. Although he has sent his Spirit to convict us of sin, and lead us into all truth, he still has not taken control of our person. We are not a robotic, spirit controlled being, although we are told that we should be spirit filled.

Rom 8:5-8

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

NIV

This word used as the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace does not reflect the Greek word as we think it should. The phrase in the Greek interlinear more clearly says, “the spiritually minded” This goes back to Cain. If he had been spiritually minded he would not have become angry nor would he have acted out from his anger.  But he was not spiritually minded, he was living according to the sinful nature, his mind was set on the nature desires. This is the difference we need to see. We have to live spiritually minded, not earthly minded. We should not allow our natural desires to override those of our spiritual desires, eternal life. Some would say that all sin has consequences and this certainly is the case with Cain. He was once a settled farmer, enjoying the quietness of a peaceful life, and now because of his actions, and most certainly his refusal to accept responsibility for them asking God to forgive him, he now loses all he had, and is to become a wandering.  There is consequence for sin, it is death.

Rom 6:22-23

 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NIV

But we also note that there is a free gift as well, eternal life through Jesus Christ. If we are in Christ there is no more consequence for sin, he died for it, he paid the price, the consequence for our sin. Now that does not mean we should just go on sinning as we please, not at all. But the fact is even though we are filled with the Spirit, God allows us to be free to think and act in the manner we choose. If we are Spirit filled then we should be spiritually minded, thinking and behaving in accordance with the Spirit. However from time to time we fail at staying in tune with the Spirit and allow our own thinking to intervene. It is a real conundrum. How can we do the things we do not want to do, and not do the things we want to do? We know the Apostle Paul wrestled with the same feelings and he was such a man of God, used mightily by God to spread the gospel message. Surely it is the result of being in the human condition, although that is not an excuse, it is a fact. As long as we live in this body we will never attain perfection. But what is our attitude? We want to please God, and when we fail we seek forgiveness, we repent, and hope and pray we do not make that same error again. This was not the attitude of Cain, he neither repented, nor asked God to forgive him. We cannot allow this type of thinking to filter into our minds, we know who and where we are. We are believers, who are in Christ. Let us live like it, spiritually minded.  

Rom 8:1-3

8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,   2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

NIV

Because of who and where we are there is no condemnation and therefor no consequence for our sin. We have been set free from that consequence, death. But again we are not free to sin all we want, to live according to our sinful nature, but we are free to live as we desire, and we desire to please God for he has paid the consequence.