"Am I my brother's keeper?"
Genesis 4:9
It does not take much time to see that the consequences of the fall were much worse than merely being kicked out of the garden of Eden. The first known child born on the Earth, Cain, murders the second known child, Abel. The murder takes place shortly after God spoke to Cain and told him, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It’s desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7). In a pattern that would repeat itself throughout every human heart in history except for that of Jesus Christ, Cain is unable to rule over sin.
After Cain killed Abel, God spoke to him again, asking him where his brother was. Cain replied, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). Taking a sweeping glance at the rest of the Bible and what it says about the conduct God desires from us, the answer to that question is an emphatic “YES!”
The second greatest commandment is “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Followers of Christ are supposed to be marked by their love for each other, their love for the poor, their love for the orphans and widows, and even their love for their enemies. God designed us to function in community with one another, and he makes one of our greatest purposes to love one another, as He has loved us.
Cain was unable to master sin. Apart from God’s help, nobody is able to master sin. That’s why God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to pay the consequences of our sins for us and now gives us the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts to change us so that we are able to have victory over sin. Cain murdered his brother, then acted as if he was not supposed to be his brother’s keeper. God responds that Abel’s blood was crying out to him from the ground and then curses Cain from working the ground. God does indeed desire us to be our brother’s keeper. After all, we are to love one another as He has loved us, and He has most definitely proven Himself to be the greatest keeper of His people.
written by Casey Hust