When a person is the captain and selecting the members of a sports team from among his or her peers, he or she will pick, all other categories being equal, a friend over a stranger.  When one receives two birthday gifts, although we claim it’s the thought that counts, one is almost certainly more valued than the other.  When the decision of who gets a raise is before the boss, if one person’s personality rubs him or her the wrong way (for no particular reason), that employee is much less likely to get the raise.

Like it or not, we are sinful beings and we play favorites all the time.  Even one with a powerful guiding principle of fairness will at some point be subject to favoritism.  But is God like this?  Does He look with favor upon one person, just for the heck of it?  If two people truly come to Him, will God judge one of them more harshly because of a troubled past?  The following passages seem to say both yes and no:

GE 4:4-5 God prefers Abel’s offering and has no regard for Cain’s.
2CH 19:7, AC 10:34, RO 2:11 God shows no partiality. He treats all alike.

Is God playing favorites?  If two brothers give gifts to their Father, will God like one more because He likes the older brother more?  The younger brother?  If Cain and Abel give gifts to God, does He accept Abel’s simply because He likes the smell of meat?  What’s going on?

Again, as in so many of these ‘contradictions,’ I am finding that they hinge on the isolation of proof-verses.

Romans 2:11 clearly states that God shows no favoritism.  Every person who obeys the law will be favored by God; Jew or Greek.  But elsewhere in the Bible, some people are judged more strictly than others.  James 3:1 says that all teachers will be held to a higher standard.  Luke 12:48 (in conjunction with Romans 3:1-2), says that since we have been entrusted with the very words of God, much more will be expected of us.

Taking all of these things into account, it is clear that Romans 2:11 is not saying that God expects [numerically] equal sacrifice from everyone, but, rather, equal sacrifice with respect to ability and talent.  It is not necessarily a percentage or tithe, but, as Matthew 13:45-46 says, it is everything we have ; as Romans 12:1 says, it is all of us; Exodus 22:29-30 says, it is to hold back nothing – not even your family

How is this act of sacrifice to God symbolized (especially in the Old Testament)?  By the giving of firstfruits.  Firstfruits are the first things that come off the branch; the first animal slaughtered; the first animal born; and the first son born.  Check out Exodus 22:29-30 again and Deuteronomy 26:1-11.  In today’s world, this could mean your first paycheck from a new job.  Firstfruits are costly and important.

Now we will come back to the story of Cain and Abel.  Genesis 4:2-7 reads:

² Later [Eve] gave birth to [Cain's] brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. ⁴ But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

⁶ Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

I can sympathize with Cain, up to this point.  I mean, he’s the older brother, and more is expected of the older brother by earthly parents.  Usually.  He is also growing crops, which is very, very labor intensive.  Since he was doing it by himself, he might have had to work harder than Abel.  In fact, he may have given Abel some grain to feed the livestock that gave birth to Abel’s offering.  He built his barn and started filling it with grain, and then thought it good to offer a sacrifice to God.

But look at what Cain gave:  Some of the fruits of the soil.  Nothing special.

Look at what Abel gave.  Abel doesn’t just give the firstborn, he gives multiple firstborn of his flock, and not just that, the fatty portions of them.  He gave the best of the first; the firstfruits!

God shows no partiality here.  Cain gave God a half-hearted, almost after-thought type of offering, and was self-righteous enough to demand that God favor it like Abel’s wholehearted offering.  God is just.  He shows no favoritism.  He judges according to the law, and according to what has been given us.  He rewards our sacrifice by our ability and our heart.

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As a personal challenge, there are two things to take from these passages.  The first is the nature of our sacrifice:  Whole; complete; and best.  The second is our favoritism:  We are to mimic God and not show any partiality.  If you think about it, this means a lot, especially in terms of our human friendships.