DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Genesis 4:8-15
(3/18) 1st
Beyond
Eden-II ~ Sin Exposed: Genesis 4:8-15, especially vs. 10:
“And the Lord said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood
cries to Me out of the ground.”
We are inclined to grade sin by degrees and to dub the
transgressions of Adam and Eve as “relatively harmless”- a mere
yielding to a minor and understandable temptation. But God does not grade sin, for all
disobedience separates us from Him, which is why, at its depth, sin is
death-dealing. Behold! “Sin
entered the world” with Adam and Eve (Rom. 5:12), and it should not be
perceived as “relatively harmless,” but as the prime source of
“capital crime.”
Sin’s dread potential is revealed along with irreversible
consequences, bondage, and resistance to self-examination.
The tragedy of Cain’s fratricide reveals sin’s
consequences. The voice of
Abel’s blood cried out to God (Gen. 4:10), and along with it, the blood
of history’s countless slaughtered victims. Despite grief, the dead are not restored
to life. Sin of every sort brings
irrevocable consequences. King Saul's
disregard of the Lord's commandment cost him his kingdom and his life (1 Kings
13 and 31). King David's crime
against Uriah the Hittite haunted his reign, despite repentance and gifts of
psalmody and prophecy. The stain of
adultery remained. Whispered lies
return with ghastly results, which even retraction does not undo.
However, the consequences of sins still may be beneficial, if one
understands rightly, and does not whine like Cain: “My crime is too great
for me to be forgiven” (vs. 13).
As Christians, Beloved, we know that there is another way. The sinner and Prophet, David, teaches
us that “a heart that is broken and humbled, God will not despise”
(Ps. 50:17).
The truth is, our response to sin is crucial. By the grace of God, consequences may
provoke contrition and the breaking and humbling needed for healing. Denial is a demon with a thousand
forms. Cain’s denial produced
a terrible, downward spiral into a hardened, personal resistance. The rejection of his offering brought no
reflection but sorrowfullness (Gen. 4:5).
Presented with the alternative of offering “rightly” (vs.
7), Cain transferred his anger to Abel and murder resulted (vs. 8). Asked where his brother was, he evaded
with a question, “am I my brother’s keeper?” (vs. 9). Faced with his crime and its consequences,
he whined (vss. 13-14).
Sin often enslaves, blinds and binds, and always holds:
“Iniquities ensnare a man and every one is bound in the chains of his own
sins” (Prov. 5:22). How
simple is the path to freedom, and how often it is resisted! Admission is the doorway out of the
bondage of sin. Beloved, the Lord
speaks clearly: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the
door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev.
3:20).
By God’s grace, let us admit our sins. Open the door to those convoluted, dark
passageways that sin burrows into your heart! Cain would not examine his anger, nor
what was morally twisted within him, nor the enormity of his crime, nor the
shattering of the bond of fraternal love and trust that he severed. Yet, Beloved, see how God encourages
us. With no repentance nor any sign
even of remorse, our patient and loving God did not abandon Cain. Rather, He marked him and continued as a
covering over Cain to his life's end (vss. 15,16).
God usually leaves time and space that we may change our hearts: admit
our sin, examine our souls, and confess.
The thief on the cross found sufficient time. Let us remember, “If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:8,9).
Cleanse us from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and may our soul, our body and our spirit be enlightened by the light of Thy divine knowledge, that we may be saved by Thy mercy.[1]