Am I My Brother's Keeper?

by Travis L Quertermous

From The Reminder, November 21, 2010

We all know the story of Cain and Abel. From childhood, we learned the awful story of how Cain out of anger and jealousy killed his own brother. Cain was the world’s first murderer. He is one of most infamous villains in the history of the world. Yet there may be more of Cain in us than we might like to admit to ourselves.

After Cain murdered Abel, God tried to get a confession from him. Genesis 4:9 says, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ And he said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’” Cain obviously didn’t think so, but God thought otherwise! He punished Cain severely for his terrible sin.

The apostle John used the story of Cain and Abel to teach us that we really are our brother’s keeper. In 1 John 3:11-12, we read, “11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” Then in 1 John 3:15-18, we learn, “15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

If we hate our brother, God’s word says we are just as guilty of murder as Cain was! And in contrast to Cain, let us learn we are our brother’s keeper and treat them accordingly.