AMAZING GRACE!

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear… And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him (Genesis 4:13-15).

This, to me, is one of the most fascinating Scriptures about God’s grace towards totally depraved humanity. A murderer, bargaining his sentence with God: I am sure — writer’s imagination — that Cain been the first born of Adam and Eve, they may have narrated to him the mercy God showed them when they disobeyed Him. So he knew even in sin, he can obtain mercy. God granted Cain’s request and “set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” 

Could this mark possibly be a type of the seal of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 2 Corinthians 1:22?

 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Amazing Grace! This is Old Testament— where the punishment is instant, but God in His mercy spared Cain and set a mark to identify him. You might be reading this and have lost the courage to approach God because of things you have done. I want to assure you that you can’t go any lower that God can’t pick you up. Really, what’s the essence of grace if you can’t be pardoned? And you are not the first person to miss the mark—in fact, so long as we are here on earth, we will forever need God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness—which is readily available through faith in Jesus Christ.

Pick yourself up: go to God in prayer, confess your sins and carry on with your life relying on God’s Holy Spirit to keep you away from sin. Do it right now: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18), “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16)