The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Let us consider the phrase “Golden Rule.” While it does not appear in Scripture, it is certainly an apt name for this principle. In the first place, it is “Golden.” Gold is one of the most precious substances on Earth. It is known for its beauty and its endurance. Its value is so universal that the “gold standard” is the means by which monetary value has been measured for centuries. This teaching of our Lord is also beautiful and enduring in its application and is intended to be used as our standard for how we treat others. Along these lines, we see in the second place that it is a “Rule.” All of Christ’s teachings are commands for us to live by, and He said here that this rule is “the Law and the Prophets.” Notice that this statement is also used in Matthew 22 to describe the two greatest commands, to love God and to love one’s neighbor, when in verse 40 He says, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” We can learn from these passages that the basis for the Golden Rule, and indeed all of God’s commandments, is love.

The Golden Rule begins with “Therefore…” meaning that it is a conclusion drawn from preceding information. In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus gives us the perfect example of how people ought to treat each other. He speaks of people taking care of their children’s needs, and then of “how much more” our Heavenly Father meets the needs of those who ask Him. “Therefore,” what follows is how we need to treat each other in order to follow God’s example. The standard is “whatever you want men to do to you.” We are to treat people in the same way we would like to be treated. We are to consider ourselves first (the only time we are commanded to do this!), but only to discover the standard by which we ought to treat others. This should not be taken to mean that we are to expect anything in return for treating people this way, but simply that this is the way we are to live our lives.

There are two principles at work in the Golden Rule. One is stated and the other is implied here but stated elsewhere in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:43-48). The former governs our actions and the latter governs our hearts. The principle that governs our actions is to treat people the way we would like to be treated. The principle that governs our hearts in obedience to this rule is to do it regardless of how people treat us, expecting nothing in return, simply obeying the rule because we ought to.

The Golden Rule Analyzed

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Last month it was mentioned that there are two principles at work in the Golden Rule, one governing our actions and one governing our hearts. This month let us examine these principles more closely.

The first principle, the one which guides our actions, is the explicit command: “…whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them…” This command itself is very straightforward, prescribing an action as well as a standard by which to measure that action. The standard given is used elsewhere in Jesus’ teachings (Matt. 22:39) and is as old as the Law itself (Lev. 19:18), but all too often it is found to be very difficult to accomplish. Nevertheless, it is a command from our Lord, one which He says “is the Law and the Prophets” and is given as the second of the greatest commands in Matthew 22, so we must learn to follow it.

The principle governing our hearts in keeping the Golden Rule is that we do it with no thought of reward and doing it regardless of how others treat us. This principle is not stated directly in the Golden Rule, but it is taught in the Sermon on the Mount, and we have the ultimate example of it in God the Father’s sending His Son to die for unworthy, sinful people (Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 4:9-10). In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus is in the midst of quoting familiar Old Testament commands and then going past the action to the mindset behind the action. Beginning in verse 43, however, it seems He must first correct a false teaching: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.” Nowhere in scripture is hatred of another human being commanded, and nowhere else in this discussion does Jesus contradict the old commandments he does in verse 44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies….”, proving that the second part was a tradition of men rather than a commandment of God. To love our enemies may be difficult, but in verse 45 Jesus tells us that in so doing we may be the children of our Father in heaven, and as has already been mentioned, our Father is the ultimate example of loving His enemies and those unworthy of His love. In verses 46 and 47, Jesus tells his Jewish audience that if they love only those that love them and only salute their brethren they do nothing more and are no better than the tax collectors, a generally despised group because of their treatment of their fellow Jews. Clearly from these passages we must learn that in order to properly keep the Golden Rule in God’s sight we must put it into practice with a mindset of love, regardless of how we feel about the recipient of our actions, and expecting nothing in return. Jesus ends this particular passage by saying “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”, teaching us that if we keep these commands we can achieve perfection, not a state of being sinless in this life, but being mature and complete Christians.

The Golden Rule
An Example in a Story

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

This month let us look at an example of the Golden Rule put into practice. In Luke 10:25, a certain lawyer tried to test Jesus with the question, “…what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered his question with one of His own: “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” The lawyer answered correctly with the two great commands, to love God with all your soul, strength and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself; but at heart, this man was trying to trap Jesus with His words. He challenged Jesus yet again in verse 29, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with a parable in verses 30 through 35.

A man on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite both saw him and passed by on the other side of the road. Then a Samaritan found him and had compassion on him. He bandaged his wounds, put him on his own animal, and took him to an inn. He had to be on his way, but he left money with the innkeeper for the injured man’s continued care and promised to repay him if he had to spend any more.

The priest and the Levite were both supposedly men of God, but were too busy (in their own minds) with their duties to take care of a man in need. The one who ended up helping him was the least likely candidate, according to the Jew. The Jews viewed Samaritans as half-breeds and considered them little better than dogs. A Jew would certainly not have helped a Samaritan in such need and likely would have refused a Samaritan’s help if it had been offered. When Jesus then asked the lawyer who was neighbor to the man who was robbed, the lawyer answered, “He who showed mercy on him.” Jesus responded, “Go and do likewise.” Thus Jesus taught that in loving one’s neighbor it is less important to worry about who is one’s neighbor than it is to be a neighbor after the example of the Samaritan.

One of the principles we see time and again in our study of the Golden Rule is that we must keep it with no thought of receiving anything in return. The Samaritan was traveling and likely did not expect to ever again see the man he helped, but he took care of his immediate needs and paid in advance for anything else he might have needed. In this parable Jesus taught against two of the Jews’ big problems that we also face today. By making the hero, the neighbor, in this story a hated Samaritan, a racial enemy, he taught that the command to love our neighbors crosses the boundaries of race and “social standing.” With the same lesson he overcame the problem of legalism that many of Jesus’s opponents used in their arguments against him by showing that the command to love our neighbor applies to everyone.

The Golden Rule
Jesus, our Perfect Example

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

A study of the Golden Rule would not be complete without a study of its Giver and how He applied it. Our Lord Jesus Christ in His human form was the ultimate example of how to conduct oneself in all areas of life. Nowhere is His example more clearly given than in His compassion toward mankind. Of course, a study of the compassion of Christ is a study of the love of God the Father as well, for many times in the four Gospels Jesus taught that he was sent to do the will of His Father (John 4:34) and that He was One with the Father (John 10:30).

Jesus told Nicodemus the Pharisee in one of the most well-known verses of Scripture that God’s love for the world was such that He sent His only Son into the world in order that those who believed in Him could have everlasting life (John 3:16). In Romans 5:6-8, Paul wrote that God demonstrated His love for us by sending Christ to die for the ungodly, those who did not even know Him, much less live their lives according to His commands. In verse 8, after stating that Christ died for the ungodly, he then said that God demonstrated His love by sending Christ to die for us. Let us never forget that we are all in the same situation without the love of God.

I John 4:7-11 tells a similar story. First, John affirms that God is love. Then he describes how God demonstrates that love, that He sent his Son into the world to be the propitiation (that which satisfies the demands of the law) for our sins, that we might live through Him. In verse 10 John writes, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us….” There are two meanings to this phrase that come to my mind. First, as was shown in Romans 5 above, God sent Jesus to die for the ungodly, that is, those who did not love and obey Him. We also see that God loved us first, sending his Son, and that no act of love that we can perform can ever compare to that.

The Father’s sacrifice of love was also the Son’s. In John 15: 13-14, Jesus taught His disciples that no greater love can be demonstrated than by laying down one’s life for one’s friends. He made it personal by telling his disciples that they would be His friends if they followed His commandments.

In Philippians 2:5-11, we see that our example of humility and duty is Jesus, who did not regard His equality with God something to be grasped or clung to, but rather “made Himself of no reputation,” leaving Heaven, taking the form of not just a man, but a bondservant. In the greatest example ever of humility and obedience He subjected Himself to the most shameful and brutal death ever devised by human minds: crucifixion. After his accusers and executioners had crucified Him and set him up on Calvary between two criminals, He did not cry out in hatred, demanding that His Father avenge Him and punish the evil people present that day, but rather said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Let us look to God the Father and Jesus His Son to be our examples in all things, especially in showing compassion to others. God demands nothing in return for His compassion except for service to Him in this life, and that will be rewarded in the life to come. Likewise, our service is all that we can offer Him in return for His compassion. Even at that, a lifetime of service from every human who ever lived could not repay what He did for us on the cross.

The Golden Rule
Practiced by the Lord’s Servants

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

In Acts 12:25, we are told that Barnabas and Saul brought John Mark (Barnabas’s cousin, according to Col. 4:10) with them when they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch after fulfilling their ministry there. In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit commanded that Barnabas and Saul be separated for the work to which He had called them, and apparently Mark joined them, for we see in Acts 13:13 that Mark deserted them at Perga and returned to Jerusalem. In Acts 15:36 we see that after some time Paul (as Saul was later known) suggested to Barnabas that they go back and visit their brethren where they had preached on their last journey together. Barnabas agreed and wanted to take John Mark with them again, but Paul did not want to bring him along since he had forsaken them before. According to Acts 15:39-40, the disagreement between them was such that Paul and Barnabas parted ways, Paul taking Silas and Barnabas taking Mark.

Up to this point in the story we do not see the Golden Rule being practiced by anyone except possibly Barnabas, in that he was willing to give Mark a second chance. What we see is that Mark deserted his brethren, Paul was unwilling to give Mark a second chance, and Paul and Barnabas let their disagreement go to the point that they decided to part company. The Lord worked this disagreement out to where the two were able to cover twice as much ground, but that is another lesson entirely.

We find later in the New Testament that Paul apparently mended his relationship with Barnabas and Mark. In 1 Cor. 9:6, written a few years after the incident concerning Mark, Paul refers to Barnabas as a fellow worker. In Col. 4:10, Paul sends Mark’s greetings to the Colossians and instructs them to welcome him if he comes to them, and in 2 Tim. 4:11 Paul tells Timothy that Mark is useful to him for ministry. We can see from the above passages that Mark took advantage of the second chance that Barnabas gave him. Note in 1 Peter 5:13, that Peter refers to Mark as his son, similar to how Paul calls Timothy his son in 1 Tim. 1:2 and 2 Tim. 1:2. Also one of the Gospels was written by Mark through inspiration.

Let us use the examples of these three great servants of God and learn from them, both from their mistakes and from the things they did right. Let us learn from Mark not to let those down who are depending on us and also to make the most of a second chance when it is offered. From Paul and Barnabas let us learn to be willing to offer that second chance and also to try our best to resolve disagreements in a manner that does not threaten a friendship or a work for the Lord. From Paul let us also learn to admit when we have misjudged someone, welcome them back to the work, and acknowledge the good things that they then accomplish.

The Golden Rule
Peace Among Fellow Christians

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

In Philippians 4:2, Paul implores Euodia and Syntyche “to be of the same mind in the Lord.” In verse 3 he also urges a “true companion” to help them come to an understanding. In the past they had both worked with Paul, Clement, and others, all of whose “names are in the Book of Life” (3).

Skip Andrews recently observed in a sermon that if two people are not at peace with each other, then at least one of them is not at peace with God. Paul urged both of these to change, so we must take that to mean that both were at fault in this case. Paul did not take a side, but rather he urged them both to be of the same mind. In his efforts to bring peace between them he reminded them of how they had worked together in the past, and he also employed an unnamed fellow Christian to serve as a mediator, a peacemaker in keeping with Christ’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:9.

Philippians 4:4-7 is usually discussed as a separate passage, but verses 2-7 are all in the same paragraph. Paul urges the Philippians in general and Euodia and Syntyche in particular to rejoice in the Lord (4), be gentle (5), and to bring all their requests and thanks to God (6), so that God’s peace would guard their hearts and minds (7).

Paul’s rejoicing in verse 4 is only found “in the Lord”. These women who were at odds with each other would not be able to rejoice in the Lord until they had made peace with each other. To this end, he tells them in verse 5 to let their gentleness be known to all. James 3:17 describes the wisdom that is from above as “peaceable, gentle, willing to yield”. I Corinthians 13:4-5 describes love as longsuffering, kind, and not seeking its own. The gentleness Paul speaks of will make them more willing to listen to each other, willing to change, and thus, willing to make peace with each other and with God.
Paul concludes this paragraph with verses 6 and 7, encouraging the church in general and Euodia and Syntyche in particular to not let themselves be pulled this way and that by worry, but rather to make all their requests and thankfulness known to God. Only then would God’s peace, which is beyond our ability to understand even as we experience it, guard their hearts and minds through Christ. In Matthew 6:25-34, the Lord tells us to not worry so much about physical things, but rather to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first, and then the other things would follow. So we see that the peace Paul sought for these sisters can only be found in the kingdom of God and through Christ Jesus.

The situation between Euodia and Syntyche was such that it warranted Paul’s mentioning it in the epistle, which implies that it was causing greater problems in the church than just a minor disagreement. Paul implored both to be of the same mind. We must remember that it is not worth being right in a matter of opinion if we end up causing needless division among believers. He called upon at least one local member to serve as a mediator, and he reminded them of the past when they had worked together. He reminds them that true joy can only be found in the Lord and that they should practice gentleness, which would make them both more willing to make peace with each other and thus with God. And finally, he reminds them that through prayer they can lay down their anxieties and experience the peace of God.

The Golden Rule
Applied to a false teacher

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

In Acts 18:24 we meet a Jew named Apollos, who is described as “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures.” We are told that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord and that he was fervent. He taught the things of the Lord accurately, but he only knew of the baptism of John. In verse 26, when he began to speak boldly in the synagogues in Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla, who had traveled and ministered with Paul, took him aside and “explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

What is our usual first reaction to error being taught? Standing up and loudly and publicly refuting it? Writing them up in a brotherhood paper? Simply writing them off with a vow to never worship at that congregation again and to warn others to do the same? There is a time and place for such action. Jude 3 tells us we must “contend earnestly for the faith,” and Romans 16:17 commands to “note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.” We have more frequent opportunity in our world to take note of those teaching false doctrine, avoiding them and warning others about them, but we are also commanded to try to bring back our erring brothers and sisters. James 5:19-20 tells us that if we turn back an erring brother we have saved a soul from death and covered a multitude of sins. Jude 22-23, at the conclusion of a whole letter about false teachers, tells us to have compassion on some, and to save others with fear, as though pulling them out of the fire.

Aquila and Priscilla went to Apollos as soon as they heard his teaching and they took him aside. They did not first publicly denounce him or spread the word that there was a new false teacher in town, but they explained to him the error of his teachings in such a spirit of love and gentleness that he was willing to change and teach the truth about Jesus. Some might argue that Apollos was a special case since everything else he taught other than baptism was accurate, and that he was sincere. We must remember that sincerity is not enough. How many sincere but erring brethren, or those sincere members of denominations, even after being shown the truth, have refused to give up their pet teachings? We must always make the effort to follow Aquila and Priscilla’s example and first go to those in error and try to convince them of the error of their ways before resorting to the harsher measures reserved for those who teach error and refuse to repent. If any need further encouragement in this, let us look at what happened to Apollos after being taught the truth.

After being taught by Aquila and Priscilla, Apollos went from Ephesus to Achaia, and he “greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” Apollos also spent time in Corinth, as we see from Acts 19:1 and from various passages in 1 Corinthians. In 1:12 and 3:5, Paul corrects some of the Corinthian brethren who were dividing into sects, some saying they were of Paul, others of Apollos, some of Cephas, and some of Christ. In 3:6-8, Paul speaks of Apollos as having watered the seed that he himself had planted in Corinth, the seed of course being the word of God (Mark 4:14), and Apollos’s watering being his teaching that helped the word to grow and bear fruit in people’s lives.

The Golden Rule
Lessons from Proverbs, Part 1

Matthew 7:12—“Therefore whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Although the Golden Rule is given in the New Testament, the Old Testament, particularly the book of Proverbs, has plenty to say about the principle as well.

3:27-30—“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,’ when you have it with you. Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he dwells by you for safety’s sake. Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm.”
We are called upon to help out our neighbors in their need with whatever we have available. Also, we should not think to take advantage of our neighbors or to seek conflict with those who have done us no harm.

6:16-17—“…a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heard that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”
All of these things that the Lord hates have to do with how we treat others, and no one would want to be treated this way. A proud look has to do with the way we think about others as compared to ourselves. No matter what some may think, there is absolutely no good reason to lie to one another. Once again, we should not think to take advantage of others or to bear false witness against each other. One who sows discord among brethren is yet another sinner who pits two brothers against each other for his own selfish purposes.

11:1—“Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.”
We should be honest with each other in all our dealings with each other. What Solomon is dealing with literally is the use of a false weight or a fixed balance to get away with charging people more money for less goods, whatever they might be.

11:24-26—“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. The people will curse him who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.”
Generosity is always superior to selfishness, and a reward is promised over and over again in the Bible. The second part of the passage deals with the practice of stockpiling grain (or any resource) in order to drive prices up through demand. See 2 Kings 6:24-33 for another example of how famine conditions can affect prices.