4
.
● Heb 11:4 . . By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.
I'm going to edit the wording of that just a bit to bring out an important
point.
"By faith Abel offered God a sacrifice"
The missing word "better" is a modifier; which serves to show that both
men's offerings were sacrifices; only the quality of Abel's sacrifice was
superior to the quality of Cain's.
Sacrifices should never be assumed always lethal and/or bloody. Take for
example:
● Rom 12:1 . . I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices
● Heb 13:15-17 . .Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do
not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Heb 11:4 also testifies that Abel's offerings were gifts. The very same Greek
word is used at Matt 2:11 to categorize the treasures that the wise men left
with baby Jesus.
Their gifts were not sin offerings; they were tributes: defined by Webster's
as (1) something given or contributed voluntarily as due or deserved
especially a gift or service showing respect, gratitude, or affection and (2)
something (such as material evidence or a formal attestation) that indicates
the worth, virtue, or effectiveness of the one in question
In other words "gifts" are acts of worship; which is the primary reason why
Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays.
_
● Heb 11:4 . . By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.
I'm going to edit the wording of that just a bit to bring out an important
point.
"By faith Abel offered God a sacrifice"
The missing word "better" is a modifier; which serves to show that both
men's offerings were sacrifices; only the quality of Abel's sacrifice was
superior to the quality of Cain's.
Sacrifices should never be assumed always lethal and/or bloody. Take for
example:
● Rom 12:1 . . I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your
bodies as living sacrifices
● Heb 13:15-17 . .Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do
not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Heb 11:4 also testifies that Abel's offerings were gifts. The very same Greek
word is used at Matt 2:11 to categorize the treasures that the wise men left
with baby Jesus.
Their gifts were not sin offerings; they were tributes: defined by Webster's
as (1) something given or contributed voluntarily as due or deserved
especially a gift or service showing respect, gratitude, or affection and (2)
something (such as material evidence or a formal attestation) that indicates
the worth, virtue, or effectiveness of the one in question
In other words "gifts" are acts of worship; which is the primary reason why
Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays.
_