Common Grace in a Sinful World

Genesis 4:16-24

Like many followers of Christ, Michelle Williams asked this question in those casual moments at home, while washing the dishes, pulling into the garage from running errands, or sitting on his porch at the end of the day. Why did her neighbors seem to have all the fun and do so well? Whatever she had (house, car, job, children, nice things, etc.), they seemed to have better and more. Her husband and her worked so hard to scrape things together while the neighbors seemed to have it so easy. She was especially confused because she followed Christ and they didn’t. Several years ago, she had believed on Christ, identified publicly with Christ through baptism, participated in regular Bible study to grow spiritually, and taught a children’s Sunday School class. Why were they struggling to make ends meet while their neighbors showed no interest in God?

Matthew Santiago asked a similar question. He, too, was a follower of Christ, yet he struggled to succeed at seemingly everything he did. In school, he had been passed over for both academic awards and athletic opportunities. Students with less integrity, lower morals, and no faith background were chosen over him. And while those same people went on to enjoy successful careers, find matches in marriage, raise children, and make significant progress financially, he struggled to keep a job, could never seem to get a promotion, and found it difficult to find a partner to marry. To make matters worse, he developed early onset diabetes, while the others enjoyed what seemed tob e perfect health. Of this group of people, he was the only one who had followed Christ and served in his church faithfully. Why would God bless them and not him? Shouldn’t those who put Christ first receive the better blessings? Shouldn’t the unbelievers he knew struggle and suffer as a consequence for their sins?

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” And how should we respond to this reality – should we let it frustrate or upset us? We ask this question often, but what about the opposite question? Why do good things happen to bad people? People like Matthew and Michelle, who follow Christ, ask this question. Perhaps you have asked this question, too.

If life were consistent in a simplistic way, wouldn’t good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people? As we all know, this is not how life works. In fact, godly people who follow Christ often experience more difficult things because they follow Christ and ungodly people who won’t take Christ seriously often seem to have the most enjoyable, successful, and carefree lives.

Let’s attempt to help answer this question by making some helpful observations from and relating to Gen 4:16-24. This passage shows us the “after-effects” of Cain’s sin of murdering his brother Abel, and as one might expect that after this first murder, God would have cancelled or shut down Cain’s branch of the family tree, but he did not. Instead, he blessed and prospered Cain in gracious, normal ways. From this we see that from the beginning…
God shares his grace with all people, even those who are ungodly.

Before we look at our primary passage today, let’s familiarize ourselves with four key concepts that will help us understand what this historical narrative teaches.

• Human Depravity: every aspect of our identity (body, emotions, mind, will, etc.) is corrupted by sin

This concept means not only that every person sins but that every aspect of our identity is corrupted by sin. Every aspect of every person’s existence has been harmfully altered and contaminated by sin. This does not mean that any person is as bad has he or she possibly could be. It means instead that even any good which a person may exhibit or express – as a person made in God’s image – is defiled and degraded by sin in motive and quality. No matter how much good such actions or deeds may reflect or represent, sin causes our good to be unacceptable to God.

We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags... (Isa 64:6)

As theologian William Shedd explains, human depravity is “the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin” (Dogmatic Theology, 2:257).

So, followers of Christ must recognize that though sin pervades our world, there is still so much good in the world. Though we know that there are quite a few “very bad” people, we also each know quite a few people (classmates, coworkers, neighbors, etc.) who are actually very nice, whom we may call “good” in a certain, general sense because they are caring, civil, generous, helpful, and reliable. They have a good reputation and you appreciate and respect them – even though they are not religious or even though they may be religious, they do not follow Christ according to the gospel.

• Common Grace: God gives every blessing except for salvation & its benefits to all people mercifully.

God gives such goodness and grace not because we deserve it but because he is gracious, merciful, and kind.

That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matt 5:45)

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Rom 2:4)

This “common grace” differs from what we call “saving grace.” Common grace describes all those ways in which God’s goodness and greatness continue to shine through in the way that he has created the world and the people in it. Not even the curse of sin can erase or destroy God’s glory.

When you see the grandeur of a mountain scape, the beauty of a flower, or an act of kindness done by a nonbeliever, the goodness that you see glorifies God – it reveals the goodness of God who made the mountains, flower, and person. These are all evidence of the goodness of God in his creation and we should recognize them as such and give God the credit and glory he deserves.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (Jam 1:17)

But though sin does not destroy God’s glory, it does damage and mar it. Such glory is visible but contaminated and corrupted. Similar to how vandals damage artwork of the masters by throwing eggs or paint on it, sin mars but does not erase God’s glory. To restore God’s full glory in our lives, though, requires more than common grace – it requires saving grace, which is the restoration of our relationship towards God from our inner hearts by faith. This requires a change of heart and nature, not just a change of outward behavior.

• Inherent Glory: those ways in which all that God has made reveals his goodness and greatness

Despite the effects of sin in the world, which diminishes the degree and quality of God’s glory, and which also reduces our ability to recognize God’s glory as from God, God’s goodness and greatness is so clearly embedded in his creation that everything he has made still reveals his goodness and greatness in a compelling and obvious way.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. (Psa 19:1)

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…. (Rom 1:20)

This is how God’s glory continues to shine through in his creation, despite the effects of sin. This glory points to God and is intended by God to draw and persuade nonbelievers to trust in him.

• Intentional Glory: when we acknowledge God’s greatness and goodness through faith and obedience to his will

In contrast to the inherent glory of all creation, there is a more profound kind of glory we may call ‘intentional’ glory. This kind of glory is only possible by rational beings (not rocks, plants, or animals, for instance). Spirit beings – such as angels – may express intentional glory to some degree, but human beings are uniquely able to express intentional glory since we are made in God’s image, most like him than anything else he has made. By intentional glory, we mean that we not only happen to do good things, but we also acknowledge that all good is from God and seek to live in such a way that we fulfill God’s purposes and desires.

Because of human depravity, we don’t intentionally glorify God as our motive in whatever good we do. To fully and completely glorify God as he desires requires us to acknowledge God through faith and trust as the source of all good and the provider of our salvation.

Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Rom 1:23)

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

For intentional glory to take place requires “saving grace,” the restoration of our relationship towards God from our inner hearts by faith.

As we look at what Gen 4:16-24 tells us, let’s first look at how God’s common grace extends to all people, even those who are ungodly. This requires us to acknowledge that we are sinners before God, to repent of our sinfulness and to put our complete trust in Christ as our God and Savior. Only then can we submit ourselves to God as God and only then may the good that we do be acceptable and holy in God’s sight.

If you have not yet ceased trusting in your own good efforts, repenting of your sinfulness and putting your trust in Christ alone, then I encourage you to do so today. You, too, can become a child of God by faith alone through Christ alone, able to have a close relationship with God and to live a life that is pleasing in his sight.

Now, let’s take a look at  Gen 4:1-15, we learned how the sin of Adam passed down to his children. We learned that sin is generational and inherited, meaning that because Adam sinned and we are the offspring of Adam, we have inherited his sinful nature. We also learned that of the first two sons born to Adam and Eve, one (named Cain) murdered his brother (named Abel). Rather than repent of his sin and accept God’s forgiveness, he expressed frustration and hopeless towards God instead. As a result, God sent him away to a faraway place.

Thanks to God’s common grace and mercy, though, he did not destroy Cain. Instead, he promised to protect him and to judge (sevenfold) anyone who attempted to harm him. This is a key feature of God’s common grace – he tends to delay final consequences and judgment for ungodly people. We call this “longsuffering.” It means that he is willing to delay justice, consequences, and punishment for wrongdoing in order to demonstrate his love and patience and to extend the opportunity for nonbelievers (ungodly) people to be persuaded by his goodness to repent and receive “saving” grace, as well.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Pet 3:9)

What evidences of “common grace” to we find in the story of Cain and his descendants? In what ways did God not only extend his earthly life but also bless and be good to him?

They enjoy marriage and family.

First, we see that Cain married and raised children and enjoyed grandchildren! This extends God’s purpose for mankind to “be fruitful and multiply” to believers as well as nonbelievers. He did not rescind this purpose and reserve its blessings and pleasures for believers alone. He blesses godly and ungodly, believing and unbelieving people alike with the blessings of marriage and family.

They enjoy shelter and stability.

We see that Cain founded a city and named it after his son, Enoch. By this we see that God blessed him with a place to call home, a place to live and work, a place to raise children, a place to develop and improve, and a place to pass down to his descendants.

Some people suggest that establishing and settling a city was sinful and wrong, but this is probably not the case. While it is true that cities often become centers for higher concentrations of sin, this is not always the case. God’s people, the Israelites, settled in cities in the Promised Land and Jerusalem, of course, is a city. Even the future millennium and New Creation will feature a New Jerusalem city.  

So, by establishing a city, God blessed Cain and his successive generations with shelter, stability, protection, and a place to call home. By doing this, we see that God extends to ungodly people his other purpose for mankind, as well – to subdue the earth and have dominion. To conquer, to rule, and to make improvements. To establish civilized, developed centers in the untamed wilderness of the world. It is not cities that are the problem, it is our sin. This leads to the next way that God blesses the ungodly through his common grace…

They enjoy progress and prosperity.

Seven generations from Cain, God provided Cain with three great grandsons (and a granddaughter, too). Each of these men established themselves as leaders in key new fields and industries.

• Adah established tent-building and livestock breeding. Since we know that things like this happened before Adah came onto the scene, we know that this was not the start of tents and of raising animals. What it likely means instead is that Adah first developed these things into a more large-scale, refined, and productive enterprises. In other words, he expanded and established the field of agriculture.
• His brother, Jubal, ventured in another direction. He developed musical instruments and musical expression and performance into a more refined and systematized field. He expanded and established the field of the arts.
• The stepbrother to these men ventured in yet another direction, developing and refining not only the manufacture of bronze and iron, but the design and production of all sorts of metal instruments and tools, such as agricultural tools and weapons.

From this we see that God extends his common grace to all people, not reserving the abilities and gifts of discovery, innovation, progress, trades, business, and science to believers alone. In the same way, he extends the blessing of success as well, allowing unbelieving people to succeed in many of their pursuits and to enjoy the benefits that come from that success.

As followers of Christ, we should thank God for his goodness seen in and through the lives of unbelieving, ungodly people. We also benefit from that goodness in so many ways! For this we should be grateful and not envious, jealous, or spiteful. Yet, we must also keep another reality in mind. How much do we benefit from the advancements, discoveries, and work of nonbelievers. If our only medical and technological advancements, for instance, were those discovered and engineered by believers, what kind of world would we have today?

Our sinful nature encourages us to do ungodly with God’s blessings.

Though God blesses the ungodly with the benefits of his common grace, such grace is frequently abused, distorted, and even outright rejected. This is a sad but universal reality.

Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. (Eccl 7:29, KJV)

Truly, this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” (Eccl 7:29, NKJV)

I idea here is that God blesses mankind in so many good ways, but as sinful people, we tend to use and twist God’s blessings in selfish ways and towards sinful ends. Let’s see how this happens in Gen 4.

We violate God’s intentions for marriage.

Cain’s great-grandson, Lamech, distorted God’s design and purpose for marriage by marrying multiple wives rather than one. In this way, Lamech distorted God’s blessing of marriage by doing something with it that was against God’s purpose.

A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Gen 2:24)

God’s intention for marriage was one man to marry one woman for life. Lamech and others violated this purpose. We do this as human beings in so many ways today. Fornication, adultery, prostitution, polyamory, homosexuality, pornography, cohabitation, divorce, and more. We also do this when we mistreat our spouse and behave sinfully towards one another in marriage.

God intends for marriage to be a relationship through which we can display the care, closeness, love, and loyalty of God to one another in a devoted, exclusive, meaningful even sacrificial meaningful. But as sinful people, we tend to do the opposite. We view marriage as a means for personal, selfish gratification and we behave in and towards marriage in selfish, sinful ways that to not glorify God.

We seek revenge rather than trust in God.

Lamech not only married multiple wives, but he – similar to his great, great grandfather, Cain, killed a man. We don’t know much about this incident other than that the other party was a young man (so younger than Lamech) and that this man had harmed, hurt, or injured Lamech in some way, so in response to that injustice, Lamech killed (murdered) him.

Like Lamech, we choose to take matters into our own hands. Rather than trust in the goodness and greatness of God, we make ourselves the judge rather than God.

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (Rom 12:19)

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matt 5:21-22)

So, though God is good and just, we distort his glory in this matters by “playing God” ourselves and taking matters into our own hands, either making harsh judgments with words or worse (meting out punishments and verdicts that are inaccurate and overdone and are therefore also unjust), committing acts of revenge and even violence. Let us learn to show mercy to others and trust God to bring justice.

We mistake God’s mercy for his sanction.

By this, I mean that Lamech wrongly interpreted God’s mercy towards Cain and towards him, as well, as condoning, accepting, and even blessing and honoring his act of so-called justice for himself. He pointed to God’s mercy and longsuffering to justify his sinful actions.

Ironically, it seems that Christ referred to this instance when he said to his twelve disciples that they should forgive rather than seek personal vindication for offenses and sins against them.

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matt 18:22)

By this we see that rather than justify such unforgiveness and revenge, God instead encourages the exact opposite. Don’t inflict greater harm in the name of justice, but offer greater forgiveness instead.

We glorify self and sin rather than God.

Finally, we see that Lamech also boasted, glamorized, and glorified his sin. He did this through art as he presented a poem (perhaps set to music) glamorizing his sin. By doing this, we drew the attention to his own self expression and his sin – not as sin with repentance towards God but as justifiable and normal. He actually bragged about it and encouraged others to celebrate with him.

From this we can see clear similarities to so much of our own entertainment industry. In the name of “artistic expression” and “free speech,” we tolerate, promote, and even applaud sinful expression. Though art (whether poetry, music, or any other medium) is intended by God to magnify his greatness and goodness in both specific (theological reflection) and general (reflection upon aspects of God’s creation) ways, so much of our art today glorifies and glamorizes self and sin.

Toby Keith, the late country music star, wrote a song that demonstrates this point quite clearly. The title is “I Wanna Talk about Me.” Some of the lyrics say this:

I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one, oh my, me my
What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see

While art and artistic expression of all kinds is a God-given blessing to mankind, artistic license should not be used as a platform for the glorification of self or sin. As we make choices about how we express ourselves, we must be careful and sensitive to express ourselves in ways that honor God, reflect God’s nature accurately, reflect upon ourselves honestly, draw attention to God’s grace, and submit to God’s morality and the guidance of his Word. We should acknowledge the same principles when we choose to enjoy or be entertained by the art of others. We must do so with clear moral boundaries and a view all things through a clear filter of God’s truth revealed in his Word.

The next time we look at Genesis, we will look at another family line – not a family line like Cain’s which did not follow God by faith, but one which did follow God by faith, the line of Seth. We will see how they differed in their view of and relationship to God. But for now, how do we answer people like Michelle and Matthew, people who follow Christ but wonder why God seems to bless ungodly people who don’t follow Christ more than he seems to bless them and why they often seem to suffer less than followers of Christ?

But let us conclude with how the psalm writer concludes in Psa 73:

For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psa 73:3)

Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. (Psa 73:23-24)

But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Your works. (Psa 73:28)


May you learn to draw near to God, even when it seems as though the ungodly people are prospering. And may you learn trust more in him, follow his Word even more closely by faith, and speak more frequently and passionately, glorifying God more intentional from your heart by your words and actions. This is what the ungodly around you need to see more than any other of God’s good blessings to them. Only then will God’s blessings be able to bring them to personal salvation.

Discussion Questions

• Why does feel wrong that even the worst people experience grace?
  • Would a correct understanding of grace change our feelings about bad people experiencing God’s grace?
  • What is “common grace?”
• What are the benefits to properly understanding human depravity?
• How can we celebrate inherent glory without glorifying sin in our communities?
  • What is the difference between inherent and intentional glory?
• How should we respond when people mock God and the Christian faith by exalting themselves against him?
  • What kinds of virtues and goals should characterize our choices as we interact in these situations?