We will be continuing in our “By Faith” blog series; with today’s blog titled: “Live By Faith“. Our examples today will take us all the way back to the beginning; there we will review how the elders, Abel and Enoch lived by faith. Let’s go back to the beginning and get started!
Abel and Cain
To properly review the short life of Abel we must turn to the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis.
As recorded in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had two sons. Cain was their first born son and Abel was the second.
"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord." - (Genesis 4:1 KJV)
Cain was the tiller of the ground and Abel was the keeper of sheep. Both Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to the Lord however the Lord favored the sacrifice of Abel over the offering from Cain.
"And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."- (Genesis 4:2-5 KJV)
Knowing that Cain’s countenance had fallen, the Lord spoke to Cain of the sin that he would soon bring upon himself.
"And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." - (Genesis 4:6-7 KJV)
Shortly after having this conversation with the Lord; Cain would go on to murder his brother Abel.
"And 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 slew him."- (Genesis 4:8 KJV)
Cain is always at the center of the Abel and Cain story. Why? Why do we focus on the murderer when the story was about the one who was murdered? Our Father our God would testify to Abel’s gift’s; don’t believe me let’s turn and see what the writer of Hebrews had to say.
By faith, Abel
By faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice; a sacrifice that would lead to his death. And though being dead Abel would obtain witness of his righteousness.
“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 KJV)
God would testify of Abel’s gifts! So again, I ask why is Abel always the after thought? He should not be! For at the sound of the voice of the Son of God, Abel will rise! He will stand at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ; to give in account for his righteousness!
Then came Enoch
Staying in the book of Genesis, let’s turn to our second live by faith example; Enoch. We will find the record of Enoch’s life in the fifth chapter of the book of Genesis.
Similar to Abel, there is not much recorded regarding Enoch’s life. From the records that we do have, we know that Enoch came from the line of Seth. During Enoch’s life he walked with God and ultimately was taken up to be with God.
"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." - (Genesis 5:21-24 KJV)
For more information on what Enoch saw during his walk with God; we must turn to the book of Jude. Jude records, Enoch saw our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ coming to the earth with ten thousand of his saints; to execute judgment upon all!
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” - (Jude 1:14-15 KJV)
By faith, Enoch
It would be by faith, that Enoch would offer a testimony that pleased God!
Being pleased with his testimony, God would translate Enoch up to Him. Making Enoch, only one of two people to be taken up to heaven without dying first!
“Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”- (Hebrews 11:5 KJV)
So why do so many skip over Enoch’s record? For all we know, Enoch may be one of those ten thousand saints that will come in the clouds with the King of Kings when He returns to execute judgment upon all!
Live by faith
“For by it the elders obtained a good report.”- (Hebrews 11:2 KJV)
Saving this verse for last; it was by faith that the elders obtained a good report.
We know…
We now know that it was by faith that the elders obtained a good report; that Abel offered a more pleasing sacrifice unto God and Enoch offered a testimony that pleased God.
If you are one of those people who love to quote the seventh and eighth verse of chapter five of Paul’s second letter to Corinth:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”- (2 Corinthians 5:7-8 KJV)
I would ask you to remember Abel the next time you quote that scripture! Remember how in his example; he truly walked by faith, not by sight and how his walk cost him his life!
Also, do not lose sight of the fact that Abel had no Bible; he had no instructions like we do! He could not turn to the book of Hebrews to find examples of those who lived their lives by faith.
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If you missed the first part of this multiple blog series titled: “By Faith”; you can find it at this link https://atabran.com/faith-the-basis-of-our-belief/
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