Following Adam and Eve’s sin and separation from God, Genesis 4:1-16 recounts the beginning of human history. This passage describes how Adam and Eve’s first son Cain, Abel’s older brother, killed him.
Cain works the ground, and Abel tends sheep. They worship God, but Cain kills Abel out of jealousy because God rejected his sacrifice.
The first person to commit a murder is the first human born on earth. Cain is compelled by God to leave his family and wander the earth, but God also promises great retribution to anyone who kills him.
The question posed by Cain is perhaps one of the Bible’s most thought-provoking questions. Because God had accepted Abel’s sacrifice but not his own, Cain had killed his brother (Genesis 4:3-8). Cain’s response to the Lord’s inquiry about Abel was, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
We would be wise to ask ourselves this question today. Are we accountable to our brother or sister? Is it our duty to look out for one another and take care of them? The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that the answer is affirmative. In fact, numerous passages emphasize this.
God appears to confront Cain after Cain kills his brother Abel in a field. Following Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden, God starts with a question to which He already knows the answer, “Where is Abel thy brother?”
Cain receives an opportunity to confess to God. Adam reluctantly admitted his sins when God offered him this choice. Even though this was not ideal, it showed a willingness to follow God (Genesis 3:8-13).
Cain defies God and lies to Him instead of taking this approach. He brazenly asserts that he has no idea where Abel is. After that, he asks a question that siblings have been asking their parents for years, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
This demonstrates not only dishonesty but also disrespect. Cain’s flippant rejection of any guilt for his brother’s death implies that God should not have even bothered to ask the question. In a sense, Cain is essentially asking God, “Why is Abel my problem?” in today’s modern language.
We Are Obligated to Love One Another
Jesus commanded it (John 13:34-35; 15:12,17), Paul taught it (Romans 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:9), Peter instructed it (1 Peter 1:22), and John stressed it (1 John 3:11-12, 23; 4:7,11-12; 2 John 5).
But how are we to express such love? There are some other passages of Scripture that can provide the answer.
How Do We Demonstrate Our Affection for One Another?
We are to welcome one another (Romans 15:7), we are to build one another up (Romans 14:19), we are to support one another (Galatians 5:13), we are to share our burdens with one another (Galatians 6:1-2), we are to forgive one another, (Ephesians 4:32).
We are to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21), we are to encourage one another (Hebrews 3:12-13), we are to think about one another (Hebrews 10:24-25), and we are supposed to be kind to one another (1 Peter 4:8-10).
Is there any doubt that we are to be our brother’s keeper in light of these passages about “one another”? But how are things going for us?
We should consider the following questions to help us reevaluate how well we are meeting our responsibilities to one another and to stimulate our thinking.
Assessing Our Function as Our Brother’s Keeper
When an individual becomes a brother, do we include them in God's family or ignore them? (Romans 15:7). Are they properly integrated into the congregation’s family life?
Do they remain marginalized? We can be sure that we are failing in our role as our brother’s keeper if we do not even know their names.
When an individual becomes a brother, do we encourage them or hinder their progress? (Romans 14:19). Are we, as individuals, “bodybuilders” who support the church family?
Or are we acting in a manner similar to cancer, weakening the members of the body of Christ through our own actions, words, and attitudes? Philemon, it was said, “refreshed the hearts of the brothers.” Do others think the same of us?
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people (Philemon 1:7).
When an individual becomes a brother, do we acquiesce to them or lord over them with arrogance? Do we show them hospitality by visiting them when they are in need or by inviting them into our home (or accepting invitations to their home)? Do we serve them with love, or do we expect them to serve us?
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21).
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love (Galatians 5:13).
Having Accountability for One Another
Do we even think about them? (Hebrews 10:24-25). How do we even know who they are? Are we unaware of their issues? If that is the case, then why are we like that?
It could be that we do not assemble ourselves together enough. We can speculate about them, but that is not enough. Do they disappear without anyone trying to reach them?
Do we exhort them to avoid sin hardening them? (Hebrews 3:12-14). Or do we fear confronting them because we are afraid of them running away?
They are unlikely to flee, and if they do, they are running away from God rather than from you if we approach them with humility and genuine love. It is important to keep in mind that such exhortation occurs daily. We may have waited for too long.
Are we prepared to shoulder their burdens (Galatians 6:1-2) to assist them in overcoming obstacles and growing stronger, or would we rather not be bothered? When they make a mistake, are we quick to forgive them? (Ephesians 4:32).
Some people may refrain from repenting and returning to the fold out of fear that they will not be forgiven and accepted back into the family. Do we show that we are ready to accept with open arms and forgive completely?
How Does This Apply to Us Today?
The way we respond to such inquiries may reveal how well or poorly we are meeting our obligation to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers and living up to the one responsibility we all have, which is to love one another in the same way that Christ loved us.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).
We must repent of our lack of concern, inactivity, or whatever else has hindered us if we are to be our brother’s keeper. We need to confess to God our deficiencies in this area and decide to apply these passages about “one another” with fervor.
Are we our brother’s keeper? Are we even a member of a congregation where we can take care of those in our family and be taken care of by them? I hope this study has prompted you to consider your responsibilities to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
For further reading:
‘Am I My Brother's Keeper’? True Meaning of Genesis 4:9
Cain and Abel: Bible Story, Meaning and Significance
What Was the Mark of Cain and What Did it Mean Physically and Spiritually?
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