CAIN?S EXPRESSION OF SIN
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." Genesis 4:1 (NKJV)
Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This had a fundamental effect on them. It twisted their nature from something innocent into something guilty. They had become less than what God wanted and desired for them. Sin had infected their hearts, and the process of death began in them.
Yet even though Adam and Eve were now sinners destined to die one day, they still carried the capacity to reproduce. Eve gave birth to a son named Cain, who inherited the traits of his parents. Sadly, his inheritance included their sin, and it's interesting how suddenly it reveals itself:
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (Genesis 4:8 NKJV)
It's sobering to think that Cain, who represents the second generation of mankind, is a murderer-and a murderer of his own brother! Notice that it didn't take long for sin to bring man to rock bottom. Just one generation removed from the first sin, man already resorts to the ultimate crime.
Here's what we need to understand; sin isn't passive, neutral, or even slightly abrasive. Sin is highly aggressive and prolific. Left to itself, sin will compound and multiply in both quantity and quality, and Cain graphically illustrates this.
In our own lives, we need to be on guard against sin's aggressiveness. We can't afford to turn our back on it because when we finally turn around to face it, it's going to be much worse than it was before.
Discuss, Dig, Decide
Discuss with your group what you think it would have been like to be the first family on the planet. Share what you would have liked or disliked had you been there. How do you see your own family of origin in this family of origin?
Dig into Genesis Chapter 4. What does this account say to you about the “chain reaction” of sin? What’s significant about verse 24? Based on this verse, why is it so important to resolve conflict within the family? How does your own family handle conflict?
Decide with your group how you might guard against sin creeping into your life. Determine some practical ways to put these preventive measures to use. Put some accountability into place in the areas where you need it.
