Cain & Abel - Consequence and OpportunityPrimjer

Brother’s Keeper

The word “righteous” means “harmony.” Foremost, it is in harmony with God’s ways. It is walking in His path, and it includes an element of social harmony. So, when Scripture calls us to be righteous, it is a communal command. It tells us to steward who we are, not just for our own best interest but also for how it influences the world around us.

Like so many of us, Cain does not see his brother as an ally in seeking harmony. He does not seek to love Abel as himself. Instead, he sees Abel as an obstacle to his internal harmony, his comfort. Rather than pursuing harmony through seeking what is best for Abel, Cain pursues harmony by eliminating comparison.

Cain looks for a scapegoat instead of taking ownership of his actions as suggested by God: “You will be accepted if you do what is right” (Genesis 4:7). 

We don’t have to murder to retaliate. But any retaliation born of offense will result in a kind of death: at a minimum, the end of godly social harmony. The offense is a tool for sin. When we take offense at others, we are casting blame, just as Cain cast blame. When we act or blame out of being offended, we are being mastered by sin, leading to death.

When we encounter emotional pain, we sometimes think that we can shed it by attacking others; this is Cain’s approach. “If I make others hurt, I will hurt less.” The opposite is true. If we hurt others, we increase our hurt.

Hurting others is a violation of social harmony. We cannot make choices for others, but our choices do affect others. And we can, and should, take responsibility to serve others. As the New Testament makes it clear, righteousness looks like a well-functioning body, where each body part does what it does best, and Jesus is the head. This well-oiled machine cannot function when we live feeling offended, hold on to bitterness, and operate in blame.

Jesus’ primary command is to seek the welfare of others the same way we seek it for ourselves. In setting aside self, we find ourselves. The alternative is sin and death. In demanding our way, we lose ourselves.

We find the most authentic version of ourselves in letting go of our flesh and participating in God’s community.