The Golden Rule
John Fogal
Have you thought about what our world would look like if everyone followed “The Golden Rule”? That phrase is the label given to the one-sentence statement Jesus gave to summarize the teaching in the Old Testament as well as the sermon He was preaching. He said, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mat 7:12, NKJV). This is another way of saying the second greatest command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat 22:39).
This is a popular concept, when people dilute it to mean what they want. However. . .
It Does Not Mean:
Do to others when they do to you – inferring that if they don’t do nice things to you, you don’t need to do nice things to them.
Do to others before they do to you – said in the context of a threat or any unfair advantage or manipulation.
Do to others so they will not do to you – even do nice things so they will feel ashamed if they do bad things to you.
Do to others what they want you to do - it is absurd to think that we should always do whatever everyone wants us to do.
Do to others what they have done to you - that is reactionary, passive, revengeful, vindictive, and unforgiving; all contrary to Scripture.
Do to others what they deserve to have done to them – which involves being judgmental, and Jesus had just condemned that (see Mat 7:1-5).
Do to others so they will do the same thing to you - some call this the “ethics of reciprocity.” “Smile and the world smiles with you.” There are some verses that seem to teach this idea, such as, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:37-38). But that is never to be an expectation that we demand.
Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you - stating this concept in the negative takes away the responsibility to be proactive (remember the “sins of omission”?). This is close to the truth but could not be further from the truth. However, it is the best that human effort can produce. It is what human religions teach. For example, look at these statements found in Eastern religions.
Confucianism: "Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you" (Analects 15:23).
Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you" (Mahabharata 5:1517).
Buddhism: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful" (Udana-Varga 5:18).
Some call this the “silver rule” – in contrast to the “golden rule.” It requires no effort on your part. You can feel apathy and even resentment toward your neighbor and still follow this kind of rule.
It Does Mean:
Proactively doing to others what you would like others to do to you. We are to do this because it is fulfilling all that the Bible teaches about loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus takes the natural desires to benefit and care for ourselves and turns them into ways to decide what we should do to others in our interpersonal relationships. This requires a standard of activity that is contrary to the sinful and self- centered impulses of our flesh. It is a lofty ideal that, when properly understood, is beyond human ability to attain. That’s why we try to finagle around it with counterfeit ideas that we can attain. God’s standard is righteous and loving, but impossible to attain in our own strength. This kind of love can only be lived out when “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom 5:5).
“This kind of love can only be lived out when ‘the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Rom 5:5). ”
The next time you need to decide what to do, and you cannot find a specific Bible verse that tells you what to do, let “The Golden Rule” govern your life. Take the initiative. “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.”