Part 4 of 5 –

God’s Gift for Man’s Fall from Innocence

Adam had been originally created in innocence – originally without a sin nature. But, we know that Adam and Eve fell from innocence when they believed the lie of the Devil – by believing, they took his words into them. It is by this that Sin and death entered the lineage of all mankind (Rom 5:12). Adam and Eve were deceived by the Serpent – they were deceived to think they could be “as God” by eating of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.” Actually, with the eating thereof, mankind fell from “innocence” to his presumed independence from God. But, actually they became servants of Sin by the Devil’s Sin nature. Thus, to this day all mankind is born into the world with the independent mindset that he can make his own way. Yet, the Bible makes clear that the thoughts of fallen man’s mind are NOT the way of the Lord. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Immediately upon this fall from innocence, God intervened to make a way for fallen man, pointing to a way for man to be rendered innocent once again. Adam and Eve recognized their nakedness and for this God must have killed an innocent animal. The skins of that innocent animal were used to cover the newly realized nakedness of Adam and Eve. No doubt innocent blood was shed in the process of God gathering those animal skins. This was the first incidence of the shedding of innocent blood to cover the sins of man. Of course this all points to the day when the shed blood of the innocent “Lamb of God,” Jesus, would come to actually “take away the sins of the world.” Jesus’ blood and life was to be offered upon the cross for the sins of all humanity.

With that, it becomes clear that the story of what God did in shedding the blood of innocent blood in the presence of Adam and Eve no doubt was passed onto Adam and Eve’s first sons, Cain and Able. We read of Cain and Able making offerings to God; Able made a proper offering of innocent blood, while Cain offered the fruit of his own labor on the earth, vegetables. This account portrays the importance of innocent shed blood to take away sins, whereas the work of man’s hands can never negate sin.

Hebrews 11:4 (NIV) By faith Abel offered God a better (innocent blood) sacrifice than Cain did (who offerred vegetables). By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings (of innocent blood). And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
1 John 3:12 (NIV) Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.

Leviticus 17:11 (AMP)For the life is in the blood, and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement (reparation) for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement (reparation), by reason of the life [which it represents].

Hebrews 9:22b (AMP) … without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and its guilt nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins.

Cain who killed his brother is typical of all fallen humanity; he refused to make a proper blood sacrifice. He chose to offer vegetables as the fruit of the earth, man’s realm, rather than innocent animal blood, which is a type or figure of the innocent Royal Blood of the Son of God, Jesus, yet to come. With that, Cain was essentially saying – No thank you, to the gift of innocent blood to cover his sins… “I’d rather do it my way.”

Cain’s way is the prevailing attitude of fallen mankind today. You see, mankind seems to do what's “right in their own eyes.” “In those days … every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6 (KJV). Tragically, in our society today, people are still rejecting the God’s Gift of Jesus’ Royal Blood offered for the sins of the world, saying, “No thank you, we’ll go our own way.”

We see this in that the US Supreme Court ruled a display of the Ten Commandment could not remain in an Arkansas court house. The European Union removed all references to God in its new constitution. Prayer has been banned in America ’s public schools for many years.

Yet, Christ’s innocent Royal Blood can redeem any man who will receive His substitutionary death as their own death.