95: Cain, Religion, and the Trap of Self-Sufficiency

Many people are waking up to the reality of evil in the world and returning to church for the first time in years—or even for the very first time. But what happens when they encounter a mix of truth and bad teaching?

In this episode of Naughty vs Nice, Todd and Laura explore the story of Cain and Abel—not just as the “first murder,” but as a warning about how humans approach God on their own terms. From Cain’s self-sufficient offering to modern-day religion, we discuss the danger of giving God what He never asked for, mistaking ritual for relationship, and hiding behind comfort instead of surrender.

We also connect Cain to Jude’s warning about Cain, Balaam, and Korah, showing how these threads run through Scripture as examples of rebellion, greed, pride, and false worship. The heart of the issue is always the same: Will we trust in God’s sufficiency, or insist on our own?

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References:

• Genesis 4 – Cain and Abel

• Matthew 7:24–27 – Building on the rock vs. sand

• Matthew 15:1–10 – Traditions vs God’s commands

• Hebrews 11:4 – Abel’s offering by faith

• 1 John 3:12 – Cain was “of the evil one”

• Jude 1:5–13 – The way of Cain, Balaam, and Korah

• Romans 7 – Dead to sin, alive in Christ