“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ And he said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’” (Gen. 4:9). You’ve probably heard the story. You remember Cain’s seemingly sarcastic retort to the Lord, which was not a wise move on his part. God never answered that questioned directly, but we know that the answer was definitely, yes. There are three things we need to realize to better understand our relationship with each other.
We need to realize our place in this relationship, “Am I…?” “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one… Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1-2). “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself” (Rom. 14:7). “For the body is not one member, but many… And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:14, 26).
We need to realize that a relationship exists, “…my brother’s…” “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matt. 23:8). “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother” (Matt. 12:50). “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor” (Rom. 12:10).
We must realize our personal responsibility in the relationship, “…keeper?” “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this” (1 John 5:16). “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thess. 3:14-15).
The Bible has a lot to say to answer the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We can plainly see that the answer is yes. We see that we have a part in the lives of those around us. We have a relationship with one another because of our relationship with God. We have a responsibility to one another because of that relationship. God mandates that we care for one another in the same way He cares for us.