By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Hebrews 11:4
What was it that made Abel’s sacrifice more excellent than Cain’s? According to the inspired apostle, it was the fact that Abel’s sacrifice was offered ‘by faith’. The unacceptable offering of his wicked brother, on the other hand, showed that Cain was ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
Furthermore, Paul declares that in offering up ‘of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof’, Abel ‘obtained witness that he was righteous’. A witness is something that comes from another party, and the only faithful witness of a man’s righteousness is God. Thus it may be understood that after Abel performed this work, God bore witness to Abel’s conscience that his sins were forgiven, that they were covered by the blood of the promised Messiah. ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God’ (Romans 8:16). Moreover, as Hebrew tradition affirms, fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice made by Abel. By this sign, God testified to the entire human family alive at that time, as well as to holy and unholy angels, that Abel’s gifts were accepted.
Indeed, ‘the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering’ (Genesis 4:4). Take notice that it was not simply the offering he made, but unto Abel himself that the Lord had respect. Unlike his brother, the second-born son of Adam yielded to the convictions brought to his conscience. By faith, Abel grasped the promises made to his father and mother of a Saviour to come. By faith, Abel moved his hand to complete the agonising and humiliating task of slaughtering a type of his Saviour - the most beloved lamb in his flock. By faith, Abel received not his own righteousness, but ‘the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ’ (Romans 3:22). Abel’s offering was accepted because Abel himself, through contrition of soul, had been made ‘accepted in the beloved’ (Ephesians 1:7).
Truly, ‘faith wrought with his works, and by works was [Abel’s] faith made perfect’ (James 2:22). But make no mistake, it was by faith, and not by works, that Abel was justified in the sight of God. And by the witness that Abel obtained, ‘he being dead yet speaketh’ of the righteousness that we too may obtain by faith.
Christopher Sparks