Genesis 4:1-8 - Cain and Abel and the War of the Seeds

This sermon opens Genesis chapter 4 and explains how the fall of Adam did not end with Eden but was passed down and intensified through humanity, beginning with Cain and Abel. Pastor Partridge frames the account as the first visible outworking of the promised conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.
The message emphasizes that both Cain and Abel worshiped God, showing that sin did not erase humanity’s impulse to worship—but it did corrupt the heart. Abel’s offering was accepted because it flowed from faith and devotion, while Cain’s was rejected because it lacked true faith, not because of the type of offering itself. God looks at the heart, not merely the external act.
Cain’s angry response reveals the depth of human depravity after the fall. Even direct interaction with God did not produce repentance, demonstrating that saving faith requires God’s regenerating grace, not merely evidence, instruction, or religious activity. Cain’s murder of Abel marks the first death, the first martyr, and the first persecution of righteousness.
The sermon concludes by showing how Abel’s death deepened humanity’s longing for the promised serpent-crusher, ultimately pointing forward to Christ. Redemption, Pastor Partridge explains, comes not through the strength of sinners but through the suffering of the righteous—fulfilled finally in Jesus, whose coming is celebrated at Christmas