Cain and Abel: How the First Murder Reveals Humanity’s Fallen Nature
The world’s first murder occurred when the sons of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, got into a dispute. Cain killed Abel, and it did not take man long at all to fall from God’s good graces. It is also amazing that the first people lived for a very long time. Have you heard of Methuselah?
This Story is Still Relevant
Unfortunately, the world’s first murder was not its last. Man’s nature, revealed by Cain and Abel (in fact, proved by their parents, Adam and Eve), is to violate the will of God. That is why there is murder in this world. Cain and Abel are both very relevant to today, and what they did shapes our world.
What Happened Between Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Abel was a herder of flocks. Cain was a tiller of the ground. It was Cain’s idea to go into the field on that fateful day. Cain killed Abel in the field with a scythe used to cut wheat. When God appeared to Cain and asked him what had happened to Abel, Cain had one of the greatest responses ever when he asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Belief in this is Central to Western Christendom
The fall of man, as evidenced by Cain and Abel, embodies one of the key tenets of a major world religion. Essentially, man’s fallen nature explains sin and is the reason why people need to worship God. This highly salient point explains much of what is going on in the world today.
A Side Note: Some Old People
One of the striking juxtapositions in books three to seven of Genesis is the fallen nature of all people, which manifests in murder, incest, drunkenness, and other debauchery, alongside the exceedingly long lifespans of the Biblical characters in this story. Chapter five of Genesis is all about the genealogy of the first people. The first humans routinely lived for eight or nine hundred years, shorter when they were murdered. The oldest? Methuselah, who lived 967 years in total.
Important Symbolism
Man’s fallen nature is exemplified by Cain and Abel. Indeed, man’s fallen nature is exemplified by the broken nature of the biblical actors. Page after page of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, is filled with the horrible exploits of the first humans. These problems are recounted to demonstrate to people their utter dependence on God. They are also examples of what not to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened?
The murder of Cain by Abel. Cain killed Abel in the field with a schythe, which is meant to cut down wheat.
What is the source of the story?
The story is relayed in the first book of the Bible, Genesis.
Why is it relevant?
This is a central tenet of Western Christendom. Sin and the reliance on God are still relevant today. Cain killing Abel is important today because it both exemplifies man’s fallen nature and our reliance on God.
Parting Shots
Cain killing Abel continues to play an important role in our society today. The most immediate manifestation of Cain and Abel is all the murder and sinfulness of the world today. The incident also demonstrates our continued reliance on God. There does not seem, at first glance, to be a relation to today’s world. But, it does. The problems of the first humans, built in the image and likeness of God, are our problems today. Their sins are our sins today.
