What if you were one of only four humans alive, and only the fourth human to ever live? That was Abel—human No. 4. He was the son of Adam and Eve, and the younger brother of Cain, who callously murdered him in the prime of life.

Although Abel’s life was cut short, God canonized his impressive history for our benefit. His brief biblical biography is ripe with helpful lessons. It is a fascinating account, especially given the context of his place in Earth’s first family.

No. 1: ADAM

Abel’s father was Adam—human No. 1. Adam had been created from the dust of the ground, physically perfect.

Adam was intimately connected with the Creator. God taught Adam essential knowledge, the purpose of human life and the path to ultimate success. Adam was presented with a choice between two trees, two ways of living, two ideologies. It was a choice for himself and humanity. Choosing good over evil would qualify him to replace Satan on the throne of Earth! But he made the wrong choice.

Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, cutting off humanity from God. Sometime later, these two expanded their family. “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel …” (Genesis 4:1-2).

In a world held captive, Abel was one of a few throughout history called for select service. “[D]uring this 6,000 years when mankind as a whole is cut off from the Holy Spirit, God has nevertheless been preparing for the salvation of mankind. That is why some few have been called prior to Christ’s return and the establishment of God’s government. Hebrews 11 mentions Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and others. Each was called for a special mission preparatory to the salvation of humanity. In order for them to perform their mission, it was necessary that an exception be made and they be empowered by God’s Spirit” (Herbert W. Armstrong College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 31).

Abel learned about God and developed a relationship with Him. Just how that happened is an interesting question. God was very real to Adam. To some extent did he make God real to Abel? How much did Adam divulge about the Eden experience? There is a lot we don’t know.

We do know that Abel was receptive to what he learned about God, but Cain was not. There are reasons for this. Serious holes in Adam and Eve’s child rearing were symptomatic of other problems in the home—notably, Adam’s apparent leadership deficiencies.

Abel was raised in a fractured first family.

No. 2: EVE

God cursed Adam and Eve for disobeying Him (Genesis 3:16-19). “The Bible gives us no indication that Adam and Eve’s marriage ever recovered from this trauma,” wrote Brad Macdonald. “Resentment and bitterness likely crept in. They probably fought and argued a lot. … Adam probably never looked at Eve quite the same way again, certainly never with the excitement, pleasure and innocence he had the moment he first laid eyes on her. Eve’s resentment toward Adam probably welled up. And it may have been like this for hundreds of years” (Royal Vision, May-June 2014).

After Eve gave birth to Cain, we learn more about the dysfunctional dynamics of the first family. She had chosen the wrong tree in the garden, symbolizing the “get” way of life. When Cain’s arrived, her words expose her unrepentant selfishness. She said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord” (Genesis 4:1). Children are a gift from God, but she did not see it that way. “Her statement, ‘I have gotten a man from the Eternal’ is not correct. In the original Hebrew, this statement reads, ‘I have gotten a man—the Eternal’” (Roy Schulz, Exploring Ancient History—The First 2,500 Years).

Back in Eden, when Adam failed to qualify to replace Satan on the throne of Earth, God prophesied that a Savior would come and dethrone the devil (Genesis 3:15). Eve had messianic aspirations for Cain. “Basically, Eve thought her son was the Son of God,” Mr. Macdonald wrote. “This belief resulted in a warped mother-son relationship. Eve put Cain before everything else, including her husband. This is a dangerous mistake” (op cit).

Imagine being Abel, and your mother treats your older brother like a Messiah. That is not a healthy situation for any member of the family. The famous dispute over their respective offerings as adults undoubtedly stemmed from deep-seated division from infancy. That situation makes Abel’s legacy very admirable.

Because Eve thought Cain was the Messiah, she thought he was the solution to her problems. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Cain became a colossal problem. In the end, Eve lost both sons. Ironically, it was Abel, the first martyr, who is compared to the Messiah in Scripture (Hebrews 12:24).

No. 3: CAIN

It is not hard then to imagine the spoiled nature of Cain as an infant, child, teen, young adult. Cain was an oppressor from the outset, which is unsurprising given the toxic environment he was raised in. His mother’s partiality was ruinous; it undoubtedly created division into the family. Cain’s corruption set a pattern of conduct that permeates modern society. It is described in the Bible as the way of Cain (Jude 11).

“… And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground” (Genesis 4:2). These sons and their offerings represented opposing ways of life.

“And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord” (verse 3). It is interesting that Cain knew to give an offering. Therefore, he must have known about God. However, the motivation and attitude in his offering show it was a strained relationship. That is evident in their one-on-one conversation (verses 9-15). Cain’s offering was unacceptable—not necessarily because of its substance, but certainly because of the attitude behind it.

“And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (verses 4-5).

There is another implication surrounding the rejection of Cain’s offering and the acceptance of Abel’s. It is possible that Cain rejected the role of animal husbandry in proper agriculture and soil management (Your Living Environment).

Whatever the cause, the rejection of his offering was the last straw for Cain. He brutally slaughtered Abel.

God’s sentence on Cain and expulsion from the area forced him into a nomadic existence (verse 12).

No. 4: ABEL

The first two verses of Genesis 4 imply that Abel was Cain’s younger twin. Squabbles over possessions, attention and blame would have been commonplace. Unchecked by negligent parents, sibling division grew as they came into their teen years. The boys became young men, more capable and adventurous, and at some juncture, they branched out on their own. But hostility festered.

One can envision years of animosity, rivalry, jealousy and resentment—particularly from Cain toward Abel. The Apostle John uses their example to emphasize the love we ought to have one toward another: “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12). Anyone who hates his brother is guilty of murder (verse 15).

It is unlikely that Cain’s outburst was entirely out of character. This is worth meditating on. How much did Cain ridicule, threaten and intimidate Abel before he finally killed him? Given their history, we can imagine it took some courage for Abel to give an acceptable offering to God, knowing it could infuriate Cain.

Abel sought to please God rather than men; he unreservedly surrendered to God in full faith. God accepted Abel’s offering, and God accepted Abel. Where the other members of his family failed, Abel chose the right way—the give way, the way that leads to life eternal. He gave his life for God.

Abel became the first martyr. He gave a sacrifice, and he was a sacrifice.

His name became the first recorded in the hall of faith. Notice the first part of his citation: “It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts …” (Hebrews 11:4; New Living Translation).

‘Example of Faith’

The fourth human in history was the first recorded to die. Now notice the last part of Hebrews 11:4: “Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith” (nlt).

What lessons can we learn from this remarkable man and his story? Here are some broad, fundamental family lessons.

Husbands and fathers must lead their wives and their children in love and with strength (Ephesians 5:25). This first family had much at fault. Adam should have been a positive difference maker. Although ejected from Eden, they had received an education in the right way of living. To the extent that they applied God’s instructions, they would have been blessed (Deuteronomy 5:33).

Wives and mothers must submit to their husbands. No husband is perfect, but submission to him despite his mistakes is vital for spiritual success (Ephesians 5:22-24). The more she embraces her role as a wife, mother and homemaker, the more stable the environment in which to rear children.

Children are in fact gifts from God. Every child is different, and no partiality should be shown (James 3:17). Where there is envy and strife, there is instability (verse 16). Due to human nature, children will naturally become rivals unless parents are vigilant to enforce the spirit of God’s law in their upbringing. Children from a young age should be given a vision of whyfamily, explained on a level they can grasp. Parents must watch for tension between siblings and use their authority to restore and promote peace in the family. The wounds and scars of sibling rivalry linger in a person long after they leave home and can impair their ability to form deeper relationships with others. We must plant seeds of peace to make peace (verse 18).

Here are some more personal lessons from Abel.

Abel had the courage to stand alone. As the only member of his family, and the only human on the planet with a healthy relationship with God, he had no one to seriously confide in through his tests and trials—except his Maker.

Maybe you feel alone at times. Maybe you are just one of a family, one of a city, one of a nation. Maybe you feel alone in a trial, or face a difficulty you feel no one else understands. Maybe you are imprisoned—figuratively or literally. You can likely relate to Abel and draw encouragement from his faith.

But you have something Abel did not. In addition to beseeching your heavenly Father, you can seek out God’s government in His Church for counsel, guidance, comfort and encouragement. For members in God’s Church, find additional support from uplifting Christian fellowship.

Maybe you experience family issues similar to those Abel endured. Your beliefs may have strained relationships with some of your closest family members. Abel’s example is surely comforting. Jesus said, “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:36). That was certainly true for Abel. Verses 34-37 directly explain some of the family challenges that accompany the Christian calling.

If you remain with God despite family pressure, you are in fact serving your family in the greatest way you can.

You can also draw inspiration from Abel’s conduct. Abel demonstrated his faith by his works (James 2:18). He was a doer. He was a busy man, tending his livestock, caring for the soil, and likely generous in providing for others. No doubt he enjoyed creation, both observing it and working with it. God’s handiwork, largely unspoiled at the time, was an inspiring tool for learning to think beyond the self. Most of all, God was first in his life. Even though alone in many ways, he was active, productive, serving—all helpful to combat loneliness.

Likewise today, our support of God’s Work and committing to His cause produce lasting fulfillment and happiness.

Facing the toughest test, Abel’s faith was rock solid, built over time through experience. He had to be faithful in the smaller areas of his life to be faithful with his life, even unto death (Luke 16:10).

His story is an incredible example of faith recorded for us today. This is the way of Abel.