Loving One Another: Lessons from Cain and Abel

Canaan Fellowship

Loving One Another: Lessons from Cain and Abel

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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="2wkqDikbWf"><a href="https://www.canaanf.org/2026/09/20/loving-one-another-lessons-from-cain-and-abel/">Loving One Another: Lessons from Cain and Abel</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.canaanf.org/2026/09/20/loving-one-another-lessons-from-cain-and-abel/embed/#?secret=2wkqDikbWf" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Loving One Another: Lessons from Cain and Abel&#8221; &#8212; Canaan Fellowship" data-secret="2wkqDikbWf" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://www.canaanf.org/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

Bill Teubl begins by briefly addressing a tongue and interpretation that occurred earlier in the service, acknowledging three possible responses among the congregation and urging unity of spirit despite differing understandings. He then transitions to the story of Cain and Abel, reading from 1 John and Genesis 4 to explore how conflict between brothers and sisters in the church arises and how to avoid it.

1. Addressing the tongue and interpretation

   • [00:00:00] Bill notes that a tongue and interpretation occurred and that the congregation may respond in one of three ways: grateful past experience, open but with questions, or skeptical.
   • [00:01:04] He points to 1 Corinthians 14, urging listeners to wrestle with both the call to earnestly desire prophecy and the command not to forbid speaking in tongues.
   • [00:01:32] He encourages the congregation not to let differing understandings disturb the unity of the Spirit.

2. Reading 1 John 3:12 and Genesis 4:1-16

   • [00:01:51] He reads 1 John 3:12 about not being like Cain, who murdered his brother because his deeds were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
   • [00:02:24] He reads the account of Cain and Abel from Genesis 4:1-16, including the offerings, Cain’s anger, God’s warning, the murder, and Cain’s curse and mark.

3. The call to love one another

   • [00:05:14] Bill explains that 1 John teaches that we learn to love God by walking in the light and loving our brother.
   • [00:05:37] He emphasizes that while loving our brother is not more important than loving God, we will not learn to love God unless we learn to love our brother.

4. Conflict as the first fruit of the fall

   • [00:05:51] He observes that immediately after the fall and the curse, the first recorded event is two brothers in conflict.
   • [00:06:08] He notes that one of the greatest challenges to the Christian community today is conflicts that arise between believers.

5. Thankfulness for brothers and sisters

   • [00:08:34] The first main point: God’s gift of brothers and sisters is a good thing, and we should form the habit of thanking God for them.
   • [00:09:44] We should maintain thankfulness even amid conflict, and single people should view the body of Christ as God’s gift of brothers and sisters.
   • [00:10:32] God did not bring Abel into Cain’s life for evil; His purpose was for good, but Cain missed that and it ended in trouble.

6. Why God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s

   • [00:11:01] Bill acknowledges this passage is difficult and initially seems unfair, since Cain could only offer what he grew from the ground.
   • [00:11:51] He explains the passage must be read in context, immediately following the fall and the curse.

7. The curse as the beginning of redemption

   • [00:12:06] God chose not to eliminate Adam and Eve but forebore with them because His heart is to redeem mankind.
   • [00:13:02] The curse is God’s first step in redemption and is meant to be a blessing, placing constraints that drive us to God.
   • [00:13:17] Examples include trouble in childbirth and the cursed ground not yielding easily, yet Christ became a curse for us to relieve those consequences in part.
   • [00:15:38] We should turn to the Lord for fruitfulness, as Moses prayed in Psalm 90 for God to establish the work of his hands.

8. The difference between Cain’s and Abel’s offerings

   • [00:17:25] Abel brought a lamb from the flock, while Cain brought produce from the ground.
   • [00:18:35] The key difference is blood: the life of the lamb is in its blood, and redemption comes by the shedding of blood, not by plant life or self-effort.
   • [00:19:22] Abel’s sacrifice was redemptive because it spoke of blood; Cain’s was a picture of self-effort.

9. How self-effort versus grace causes conflict

   • [00:19:41] A key source of conflict between brothers and sisters is what they learn about their relationship with God.
   • [00:20:05] As we mature, we realize we cannot meet God’s requirement of perfection and that even a perfect present cannot undo past sins.
   • [00:21:30] Conflict arises between the person operating in self-effort and the person learning they need grace that only God can give.

10. Responding with humility and prayer

    • [00:22:18] When troubled by a brother or sister’s faults, we should recognize we are what we are by God’s grace and not lord it over them.
    • [00:23:19] We should examine why their faults bother us, since we may be taking personal credit for not being lazy or wasteful ourselves.
    • [00:25:19] A congregant notes that when we start using “I” more than “I” language about God, we know we are not doing the right thing, which Bill affirms.

11. God’s appeal to Cain and ruling over sin

    • [00:25:32] God appeals to Cain, asking why he is angry and why his face has fallen, showing that acting like Cain is not the end of the battle.
    • [00:25:57] Looking at a brother or sister’s face can reveal what is going on in their heart, and we should bring that to the Lord.
    • [00:26:20] God warns Cain that sin is crouching at the door and he must rule over it, which is a fundamental dimension of life after the fall.
    • [00:27:02] Cain could not overcome sin partly because he did not understand the need for a blood sacrifice; we should name sin and bring it to the Lord, knowing we have been redeemed from its power.

12. Practical step: pray for those who trouble you

    • [00:27:36] Bill offers a practical thought: when irritated with a brother or sister, bring it to the Lord and pray for them.
    • [00:28:02] He testifies that praying for someone who troubles him makes it much harder to maintain anger toward them.
    • [00:28:28] With a large church family, we can be thankful for every person daily and pray for some each day, especially those who irritate us.

13. Closing exhortation and audience questions

    • [00:28:54] Learning to live at peace and love one another forms the foundation for understanding who God is and appreciating His love, which then rises up in our hearts to share with others.
    • [00:29:26] In response to a question, Bill agrees that seeing someone struggle in an area we also struggle with can threaten us, and that is a call to bring our lack to the Lord.
    • [00:30:20] In response to Mike’s question, Bill clarifies it is wrong to condemn a brother or sister but fine to judge that what they are doing is wrong, while believing God to act and being grieved without condemning, as Jesus was.

Scripture References

• 1 Corinthians 14
• 1 John 3:12
• Genesis 4:1-16
• Genesis 3
• Psalm 90
• Galatians 3:13

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