Am I My Brother’s Keeper"
T
he title of this article comes directly from Genesis 4:9 which says, “And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” Let us learn some valuable lessons about being our brother’s keeper that can be found in God’s word.Being our brother’s keeper does not mean that we are to watch over him with an evil eye. Rather, we are to be concerned for his soul. The first way in which we can be our brother’s keeper is through love. Paul tells us that we are to “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10).
Second, we can pray for our brethren in their time of need, whether they ask us to pray for them or we do it voluntarily. The Bible instructs us to “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:17-18).
Third, being our brother’s keeper requires that we strive to live righteously in order that he may follow our example to Heaven, so long as we are following in the footsteps of Christ (I John 1:7) and doing His commandments(2 John 1:9-10). Paul, in I Corinthians 11:1 wrote, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
Last, as part of being our brother’s keeper, we are required to attend worship on the first day of the week (Hebrews 10:25). When we worship God together we must do so “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). In doing so, we are able to edify and encourage one another through “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19), the observance of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7), giving to the Lord (I Corinthians 16:1-3), and prayer and teaching (Acts 2:42).
