Jesus, the Better Abel
Some of the men of our church are memorizing Romans 8, which is among the most comforting chapters in Scripture, highlighting the Spirit’s help in prayer and in overcoming sin, God’s sovereign protection over our salvation, the empty charges against God’s elect people because of our justification, and the impossibility of being separated from Christ’s love. But these promises are reserved only for those who have escaped God’s judgment. We could say that all of the riches contained in the chapter are unlocked in verse 1: “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Only those who have been pardoned can claim the promises.
When we look to the garden, where the relationship between creatures and the creator was severed because of sin, we soon recognize that the effects of sin were not merely vertical, but horizontal. Adam and Eve’s separation from God quickly manifested in their separation from each other. There would be a new tension between husband and wife, but that’s not all. Brother against brother is soon manifested, to the tune of murder. Abel offers up a sacrifice that pleases God—not so for Cain. And so Cain takes his brother’s life. Shortly after, God takes notice: “And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.” (Genesis 4:10-11) Abel’s blood cried out for justice—God’s own vengeance for the murder Cain committed. And so God curses Cain, and from his line comes a host of children who go on to commit wickedness against the Lord.
As we consider Jesus’ rescue plan, we recognize that he and Abel have a lot in common. Both are righteous men. Both were wronged by their brothers—Abel killed by Cain, Jesus as a result of the scheming of his countrymen. Both offered up a bloody sacrifice in faith—Abel from his flocks, Jesus offers himself. But it’s in their contrast that we see displayed the glory of the New Covenant. While Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance, Jesus’ blood cries “Mercy!” The death of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sin, demonstrates God’s love and his unfathomable mercy towards sinners. As the author of Hebrews wrote in 12:24 of Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Jesus blood, because He, Himself absorbed the justice of God for our sin, speaks mercy to sinners like you and me. Without Jesus, there’s no Romans 1:8. Like Cain, we would bear the curse for our own sins against a holy God. But by faith in Jesus, the blood of the New Covenant is applied, and we can rejoice that “there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
