The Cain Factor

Outside of Eden, the first interaction we see in the Bible is the story of the relationship between Cain and Abel. Cain was the firstborn and was a raiser of crops from the ground—a farmer. Abel was born after Cain and became a sheepherder. When it came time to make an offering to the Lord, or tithe, as we call it today, the Bible tells us Cain did so by bringing a portion of his crop. Abel brought his offering, too, which the Bible says was the “firstling” of his flock. It goes on to say that Abel gave the “fat portion” thereof. Finally, it says that the Lord had respect for Abel and his offering, but did not have respect for Cain. Why not?

Cain wanted the same reward from the Lord that Abel received, even though he was told and knew that he didn’t do as well. In Cain’s mind, he gave what he thought was enough. He would have been happy had the Lord given each an equal reward. He wanted it to be “fair.” But there is something in this story that is very revealing about God’s character: God is a respecter of those who give their best. It wasn’t what Cain gave; it was the fact that he hadn’t given his best.

Cain wasn’t interested in principle or the bigger picture. He was angry that he received no reward, and his anger blinded him from seeing down the road. It occurs to me that it was instant gratification that he sought from the Lord when he didn’t get the recognition he wanted. He would have loved fast-food restaurants.

I have come to see that at the heart of the story of Cain and Abel is the choice between fear and faith. Abel, out of faith, gave the best he had. Abel knew where his sustenance came from and had no doubts about the future, and for this he was rewarded. Cain lived in fear. It was fear that kept him from giving his best or being able to peer into the future and glimpse one possible outcome he couldn’t see—a future that is only seen through the eyes of faith!

The Bible is chock-full of comparisons of these two distinct personalities. I have since realized that every political ideology falls in line behind one of these two simple views of life and the world. Every system of governing ever devised—or yet to be devised in the future—is merely a natural extension of one of these two basic life positions—fear or faith. I now call this fear the Cain Factor.

Cain was the first moral relativist. He didn’t believe that his brother’s willingness to excel warranted special recognition from God. Today, in order to satisfy the Cain factor desire for equality, we recognize mediocrity as equal to excellence. When we do that, we unwittingly destroy the possibility of recognizing excellence. Cain murdered Abel. Moral relativism is the basis of egalitarianism and the lifeblood of socialism.

“Doug, you don’t know what it’s like for these people. They are unwanted. If the government doesn’t look out for them, who will?” A lobbyist in the Washington state legislature was trying to convince me that a certain bill was needed. Anyone could see that she truly cared about the needy and gave more of herself than her salary probably warranted to try to help them. But I could see it in her, too; that blindness that overtakes us without our being aware; the contamination that causes us to overrate what we believe to be right; the anger of the perceived injustice we see; and our willingness to violate the laws of God to assuage our fears. Such is the case with abortion.

Our task in life is one of discovering which view is the primary life view of each person we are in relationship with, whether it be a casual or an ongoing relationship. To understand Cain is to know how to respond and act toward others. For example: if I know the person I’m talking with has a Cain-based or fear-based worldview, then I realize that in our communication, I must deal with the fear before we can make any progress, or else that person won’t be able to see any other point I might try to make. Fear is such a blinding agent.

With elections on the horizon, beware the candidate peddling fear to get your vote. Think about it: today, we are not talked into candidates, as much as we are talked out of candidates. “So-and-so can’t win, so I have to support so-and-so.” If you ever wonder why we end up with the lesser of two evils, now you know. Has this approach ever made anything better?

Former presidential candidate Howard Phillips once said: “Your vote is the currency of your virtue.” I agree.

Jesus calls His people to reject fear (the easy road), and replace it with faith in Him (the harder road). Only when citizens adopt a worldview of faith in God can our country, or any country, be truly successful (Joshua 1: 8).

Adapted from Looking for America by Douglas Simpson