Cain’s problem was his view of self. He was more important than God’s commands and more important than his brother, in his eyes. So, when God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” his response was, “I do not know, am I my brother’s keeper” (Gen. 4:9)? This was obviously a lie and a poor attempt at misdirection. He did know where he was, and he should have been his brother’s protector or guardian. The question is—are we still, today, responsible for guarding and protecting, keeping our brothers and sisters in Christ? We can answer that by looking at the question from Cain and dividing it into three parts “am I/my brother’s/keeper?”
“Am I” examines your part in the relationship with your brothers and sisters. In Galatians 6:1-10, Paul highlights specifically the need of, “those who are spiritual” to “restore such a one [erring brother] in a spirit of gentleness.” We read in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 and 26-27 that we are all “baptized into one body” and we are tied to each other in that bond.
“My brother’s” matches Jesus’ statement in Matthew 23:8, “and you are all brothers.” There is a relationship that we have because of our bond in Christ (Matt. 12:50). In Romans 12:9-21, the Holy Spirit tells us to “be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” The rest of that chapter describes how to do that, even when those who we love are not acting as they should. “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
Finally, “keeper” shows there must be an acceptance of that role in the relationship. A keeper is one that protects and guards. There must be a functioning relationship between all Christians. There must be love between the brethren. A love that would see to the physical needs of one another (Jas. 2:15-16; Matt. 25:40). A love that would see to the spiritual needs of one another (Jas. 5:19; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15). We have this responsibility to look out for the interests of others as is stated in Philippians 2:4.
We must recognize that a relationship exists and that we have a responsibility in that relationship. It is easier to ignore the needs of others and say, “It is their fault.” However, we do not have that luxury. The One that we emulate could have said the same thing, but He didn’t. “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother” (1 John 3:11-12a). Get self out of the way.