Am I My Brother's Keeper?

Our text this morning comes from Genesis 4:1-12:

Genesis 4:1–12 ESV

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

This morning, our nation is divide and in turmoil, because they have answered the question Cain asked incorrectly. Just like Cain, we are murdering each other and our streets are filled with violence. One of life’s most important questions is this, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Behind this question is a more basic question we must answer first:

Who is My Brother?

The short answer is all other human beings, but especially fellow believers.

Let me now break this down and give you Scriptural proof for this answers.

Last week I cited Acts 17:26, which reads as follows:

Acts 17:26 ESV

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

Moreover, in Genesis chapters one and two we learn that God created all men in His image.

This common origin and purpose unites us all; we are all family!

However, our common bond does not end here; the coming of Christ unites all humanity in a new way. What do I mean by this and how is this so? What I mean be this is that when Christ came, He took on human flesh and blood. By doing this, He related Himself to all humanity. We read this in the book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 2:14–17 ESV

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

These verses speak of Jesus’ brotherhood with all mankind, but especially with His brothers who are members of the “household of faith”.

In making profession of faith this morning, Tristan has become your brother twice over! He is your brother in the flesh and he is your brother in the faith.

Now that we understand who our brother is, we can move on to the next question:

What Does It Mean to be Our Brother’s Keeper?

In asking Cain, “Where is your brother?”; God was implying Cain had an obligation to care for the wellbeing of his brother Abel. This obligation to care for the wellbeing of our fellow man is most clearly stated in Galatians 6:10:

Galatians 6:10 ESV

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

I could have chosen for dozens of passages, especially those that command us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but I choose this verse because it reinforces the point I made earlier: There is a dual brotherhood of man.

There is a general brotherhood that consists of all humanity and there is a special brotherhood that consists of our fellow Christians.

There is a priority of obligation in life; starting first with one’s own immediate family, then one’s Christian family and finally all humanity. Even within each of these broad categories, there are different levels of responsibility. One has a greater obligation to care for their own child than for a second cousin. One has a greater obligation to care for their next-door neighbor than their neighbor who lives across the ocean.

In instructing us how to care for widows, Paul writes:

1 Timothy 5:3–4 ESV

Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

He adds a few verses later:

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Now back to Galatians 6:10; God tells us through the Apostle Paul to “do good to everyone”.

As we learned last week, the standard for what is “good” can only be found in God’s Word. Let me use the example of “doing good” for one’s own child. Most parents desire to do “good” for their children, but if we do not follow God’s Word we can actually do them great harm. In the book of Proverbs, we learn how to truly love our child and do good for them. Proverbs 13:24 says:

Proverbs 13:24 ESV

Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

In chapter 19, God adds:

Proverbs 19:18 ESV

Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.

Sarah Edwards, wisely observed, “If you do not teach a child to obey their parents, you will never teach them to obey God.”

The “death” God warns us about in Proverbs is not just an untimely death caused by worldly folly, but ultimately eternal death caused by spiritual folly.

(Before I move on, I think it does need to be said, that by “rod,” Scripture is not speaking of striking a child so that there is physical harm. I light tapping on the buttock or thigh until there is a stinging sensation is all that it needed.)

This example of “doing good” to our children, can be extended to all other forms of “doing good.” The Bible is full of guidance as to how we “do good” to the poor, the sick and the addicted and in each of these cases, to depart from the Biblical standard is to do more harm than good. In a world in which everything has become politicized, we need the clarity of Scripture more than ever.

One of the best words of advice I can give you is found in Genesis 2:15:

Genesis 2:15 ESV

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

God created humanity good and to do good. He gave Adam and Eve the mandate to “multiply and fill the earth,” but the good they were to do was by tending their own garden. They did not have the power to directly change the world, but if they had been faithful to their task the perfection of the Garden of Eden would have spread over the whole plant as each generation multiplied. Picking up on this Paul writes:

1 Thessalonians 4:9–12 ESV

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

In a world that is convinced that politics, protests and tweets will change the world, we need to remind ourselves that God’s way is to “live quietly and mind our own affairs.” America does not need to revolution; it needs a revival. A revival that begins in every one of our hearts.

Are you prepared for that revival? Let each of us resolve to love God and our neighbor, if we do godliness will be fruitful and multiply!