Higher Calling in Christ

There are numerous tactics being used in an effort to discredit the Christian faith. The authority of the Bible has been challenged for centuries but has always proven reliable when carefully examined. Among the recurring challenges to Scripture is the question, did Cain marry his sister. Skeptics of the Bible use this convoluted issue as an attempt to discredit the book of Genesis as an accurate historical record. Sadly, most Christians cannot give a satisfactory response to this question. Consequently, the world sees the authority of the Bible questionable and therefore the Christian faith.

A Farmer and a Shepard

The Scripture introduced us to the first child born on the Earth in Genesis, chapter 4. Cain was the first human born under the curse of sin (Genesis 4:1). The story progresses and documents the birth of Cain’s brother, Abel. The writer of Genesis quickly recounted a pivotal story about the lives of the first two brothers. Cain was a farmer, while his brother was a shepherd (Genesis 4:2). Adam and Eve instructed their sons about the importance of sacrificial offerings to the Lord during that time. Here is where the story takes a deadly turn.

The Bible describes Cain’s offerings as some of the fruits of the soil. And Abel’s offerings as among the better portions from the firstborn of his flock. However, God looked favorably upon Abel’s offering and not Cain’s (Genesis 4:3-5). Scripture doesn’t indicate that a blood sacrifice was the only appropriate offering during this time. In any case, Cain’s sacrifice was most likely rejected due to his attitude while making the offerings to the Lord (Genesis 4:7). It would appear that Abel wished to please the Lord by giving his best, while Cain’s offering was deficient and not done with a desire to please God. Anger and jealousy overtook Cain, and he murdered his brother Able and was cursed by God as a result (Genesis 4:6-12).

The Land of Nod

Scripture states that Cain went from God’s presence, east of Eden, to the land of Nod (this means wandering), then his wife gave birth to a son named Enoch (Genesis 4:16-17). Scripture does not say if Cain brought his wife with him to the land of Nod, or married her after he left the presence of the Lord. Skeptics claim that Cain found a wife in the land of Nod and point to this as proof other “races” of people existed separate from the descendants of Adam and Eve. This assumption serves as an obstacle to many people and calls into question the authority of the Scripture. But, had Cain married his sister she would have traveled to Nod with Cain. They are thereby questioning the creation account of Genesis and the single lineage of the human race. Defenders of the gospel must show that all human beings are descendants of Adam. This truth is vital to our salvation in Christ because only descendants of Adam can be saved through Jesus Christ. Thus, believers must defend the Scripture and understand that Cain’s wife was also a descendant of Adam.

Family Drama

Had there been plenty of time for the population to grow by the time Cain arrived in Nod or was his wife a close relative that traveled to Nod with Cain? Genesis does not tell us precisely who Cain’s wife was or what familial relation she was to Cain. The Scripture tells us that Cain feared retribution from others (Genesis 4:14). But who would want to avenge Abel’s death other than his family? We can assume that he was speaking of other family members. We can surmise that Adam and Eve had other children besides Cain and Able. Based on the Genesis account, we can conclude that Cain either married his sister or a close relative, possibly his niece.

The Brady Bunch

At the beginning of humanity’s existence, this was the only method for the offspring of Adam and Eve to populate and fill the Earth as God commanded. The Scriptures reveal Eve as the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20). Genesis 5:4 shows that Adam and Eve had another son named Seth and that Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Populating and filling the Earth from just two people would mean in the first generations, the marriage of close relatives would be unavoidable. Adam and Eve’s family was all that existed at the start of humanity’s story. If God had made other human races separate from Adam and Eve, she would not be the mother of all living. This custom continued for some time. Most of the patriarchs of the faith married close relatives to obey God’s command to be fruitful and multiply as well as avoid intermarrying with nonbelievers. Prohibitions of the practice would not come until later under the Law of Moses.

Good Advice: Don’t Marry Your Sister

Back to the issue at hand. The closing statement of the first chapter in Genesis claims that God viewed all that He had made and declared it “very good.” This declaration of “very good” from the Creator included human genetics as well. A significant concern today about marrying relatives is the probability of mutated genes causing disease, deformities, and defects in children. Everyone is linked and related in varying degrees because we all descended from Adam and Eve. The biological dilemma people must consider is the marriage of closely related individuals. It is quite clear and consistently proven that such intermarriage can cause defects and deformities today. But, where do these defects result from, and would this hold to the earlier generations as well?

Remember High School Science Class

Based on the National Center for Biotechnology Information, there are basic facts about genetics that provide clarity to this biological concern. The genetic information that’s passed on from generation to the next is encoded on strands of DNA. Because sin entered the world, the information on our strands of DNA is copied repeatedly, causing mutations or “errors” to develop. As increasingly more copies of our DNA are repeated and passed down to our children, more and more mutations develop within our genetic code. Mutations cause a large number of inherited diseases and defects many people suffer from today. Future variations add to the already existing modifications. As more time passes, the accumulation of mutations within the genetic information continues to increase.

Every person living today has an extensive set of genetic mutations in their DNA. This DNA set has been inherited by the accumulation of copying errors throughout their ancestry. Thankfully, when couples produce offspring, their children will rarely show genetic defects due to diversification within the gene pool. Though each parent carries genetic mutations, they aren’t typically the same unless the two are closely related. For example, there exists a significantly higher potential for deformities and defects in children from a brother and sister union. Because children will inherit at least one or more pairs of mutated genes in which the same mutation is inherited from each parent. Therefore, it makes biological sense to have legal and moral laws that prohibit siblings and half-siblings from intermarriage.

What Does All That Have to Do with Cain’s Wife?

If we project forward to the continuing future of the human population, we can somewhat accurately project a rise of mutations within the population’s genetic information. Using this same premise, theoretically, we can look back in time to the earliest generations and see the nonexistence of mutations within the genetic information found in their DNA. Understanding that God declared His creation as “very good” by the end of Genesis chapter 1. Therefore, Cain could have married his sister or any close relative without the biological risk of mutation errors because human genetics were still “very good.”

It wasn’t until much later that God established moral laws concerning intermarriage to limit the genetic mutation errors effect on the human race. The command to populate and fill the earth could be accomplished without the intermarriage of close relatives. It was logically necessary and acceptable during that time that Cain and his siblings intermarried and produced offspring. God created one man and one woman to start the human race, and He created them “very good.” Genetically humanity had zero mutations at the start of creation, eliminating the risk of a biological dilemma.

A Moral Dilemma

God instituted a new set of laws concerning sexual relations which prohibited intermarriage in Leviticus 18. God designed these new boundaries to protect His people. The Mosaic Covenant was instituted approximately 2,500 years following the creation of Adam and Eve. The laws addressing sexual relations within the Mosaic Covenant were essential to alleviate the potential of producing children with genetic defects. Today, intermarriage with close relatives is a significant moral intrusion and a severe health concern. There is nothing in Scripture to suggest that God created other races of people to provide spouses for the offspring of the first union between Adam and Eve. So, it is possible that Cain did marry his sister.

Adam and Eve’s family were all that existed in the beginning. The typical reaction to this truth is that God contradicts Himself by later establishing laws prohibiting this practice in the Mosaic Law. Doesn’t the Bible condemn these behaviors? Yes, to be clear, Scripture does condemn these behaviors. However, those commands weren’t established until later in history. God allowed intermarriage between close relatives in the early stages to populate the earth through Adam and Eve. Considering the long lifespan of the pre-flood patriarchs, it’s conceivable a couple could produce offspring for hundreds of years. Not all siblings would have grown up together in the same household. God allowed intermarriage during this period. Even if Cain married his sister it was permissible. At the time, it was not immoral or contradictory to God’s purpose. The Law had not been given to people yet.

Our Salvation at Stake

God knew from the beginning He would provide a way of salvation through Jesus Christ. The promised Messiah had to come from the type of Abraham, necessitating the protection of the genealogical line of Israel. And in his infinite wisdom provided salvation for humanity. Why is this an essential issue for humankind? The Bible teaches Jesus Christ provides salvation for all sin passed to humankind from Adam. The Scripture also teaches that Jesus Christ is Adam’s descendant. The Scripture refers to Jesus as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45; Romans 5:12-21). Jesus Christ is a descendant of Adam. Adam caused the curse of sin on the world, and only a descendant of Adam can provide a way out. That person is Jesus Christ. he is our only hope of salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ brings us back into a relationship with God.