Brother, I truly don't mean to bother you, but you didn't answer the question. What about Cain
This should serve as a start for beginning to learn more about Cain's situation.
The Cause of God and Truth.
by John Gill
Part 1
SECTION I.
If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted?", etc. - Genesis 4:7.
I. It will be proper to inquire, whether a wicked, an unregenerate man, as was Cain, can perform good works.
"To which may be answered,
1. Adam had a power to do every good work the law required;
which men, since the fall, have not. Men indeed, in an unregenerate state, might do many things which they do not; such as reading the Scriptures, attending on public worship, etc.
"No doubt but the persons in the parable, who were invited to the dinner, could have
gone to it, had they had a will, as well as the one did to his farm, and
the other to his merchandise.
"Men have an equal power, had they an
heart, a will, an inclination, to go to a place of divine worship, as to a
tavern, or alehouse; but it is easy to observe, that persons oftentimes
have it in the power of their hands, when they have it not in the power of their hearts, to do a good work; as a rich man to give alms to the poor. Unregenerate men are capable of performing works,
which are in a natural and civil, though not in a spiritual sense, good.
"They may do those things, which externally, in appearance, and as to
the matter and substance of them, may be good; such as hearing,
reading, praying, giving alms to the poor, etc., when the circumstances requisite to good works are wanting; for whatsoever is done as a good work, must be done in obedience to the will of God;
from a principle of love to him; must be performed in faith; in the
name of Christ, and to the glory of God by him.
"Therefore,
2. It must be denied, that wicked, unregenerate men, have a
power to perform good works in a spiritual manner; which is evident
from their natural estate and condition, according to the scriptural
representation of it, which is this: that the bias of their minds is to that which is evil, and to that only; that they are wholly carnal, and mind nothing else but the things of the flesh; that they are weak and strengthless, yea, dead in trespasses and sins; nay, that they are under an impossibility to do that which is spiritually good; There is none that doeth good, no, not one of them, nor are they able; they
are not subject to the law of God, nor can they be. When the Ethiopian changes his skin, and the leopard his spots, then may
they also do good, who are accustomed to do evil. Men may expect
as soon to gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles, as good fruit to
grow upon, or good works to be performed by, unregenerate men;
no, they must be created in Christ Jesus, have the Spirit of Christ put
into them, and his grace implanted in them; they must be believers
in him, before they are capable of doing that which is spiritually
good."
3. Is there any foundation for such a proposition in these words,
which are hypothetically expressed, and therefore nothing absolutely
to be concluded from them; that is to say, we are not to argue from
God’s saying to Cain, If thou dost well, therefore Cain had a power to
do well, or to do that which is spiritually good, well; much less
should we infer from hence, as one does, that "God could not have
proposed the doing of good as a condition, if he had not given Cain
sufficient strength whereby he was capable to do good."1 Since God
could not only have proposed the doing of good, but have required it
according to his law, without being under obligation to give sufficient
strength to obey; for though man by his sin has lost his power to obey
the will of God in a right manner, yet God has not lost his authority
to command; which he may use without obliging himself to find man
sufficient strength to act in obedience to it.
"Besides,
4. These words regard doing well, not in a moral, but in a ceremonial sense. Cain and Abel were very early taught the necessity, manner, and use of sacrifices; and in process of time they brought
their offerings to the Lord, each according to his different calling and
employment; the one brought of the fruit of the ground, the other of
the firstlings of his flock.
"Now to Abel and his offering the Lord had respect, that is, he accepted him and his offering; but to Cain and his
offering he had not respect; which made Cain very wroth, and his countenance fell; upon which the Lord expostulates with him after this manner, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance
fallen? If thou dost well, e,an ovrqw/j prosene,gkh|j, If thou hadst
offered rightly, as the Septuagint renders the words which though it
is not a proper literal translation of them, yet agreeable enough to
their sense, shouldst thou not be accepted?
"Cain failed either in the
matter or manner of his sacrifice; probably in the latter; since the
author of the Epistle to the Hebrews observes, that by faith, Abel
offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. (Heb. 11:4)
"Cain offered his sacrifice without faith, without any view to the sacrifice of Christ:
he performed this his sacrifice hypocritically, in show and
appearance only; he acted from no right principle, nor to any right end; and therefore his works, whatever show of righteousness they might have, are, by the apostle John, (1 John 3:12) rightly called evil;
"as are also all the works of wicked and unregenerate men."
