Life is full of rules and regulations.  There are rules we must follow at home, on the job, and even when we are out in the community.  There are rules that guide us in every area of life.  Despite what some believe and teach, there are rules that we must follow in Christ as well.  The Bible is a book full of rules and regulations that we must follow.  The gospel is God’s rule for us today, and it must be followed (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the best rule in the world.  We call it the “golden rule.”

Matthew 7:12 (ESV)
¹²  “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

The golden rule is easy to read and understand, but hard to follow.  So far as relationships with our fellowman are concerned, this is the most significant rule that has ever been given.  If society as a whole lived by the golden rule, we would be living in a truly golden age.  What are some practical lessons we learn from it?  We do not have the space to discuss them all but here are two important ones.

• The Golden Rule Teaches Us to Think about Others.

The problem with our society today is that there is too much self-centeredness in it.  The mentality that says “me, me, me,” seems to prevail everywhere.  The golden rule rises above self and teaches us to think about those around us.  What Jesus so plainly teaches us by the golden rule is validated by a plurality of other passages that teach us to be mindful of others.  For example, Paul reminds us of the significance of others when he wrote, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).  The Christian’s eyes are to be turned away from self and focused on the needs of others.

• The Golden Rule Teaches Us to Do Good for Others.

The golden rule not only teaches us to think about others, but it also teaches us to do for others.  Do you see the positive nature of the golden rule?  Most people interpret the words of Jesus here from a negative standpoint.  They have Jesus saying, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should NOT do to you, do NOT ye even so to them…”  Now, that is a good rule.  It has been called by some the silver rule because it does contain some value.  If everyone in the world would refrain from doing to others that which they do not want done to them, this world would be a better place.  However, from the standpoint of doing good, the so-called silver rule misses the mark.  William Barclay explains the silver rule thusly:

“It is not an essentially religious rule at all.  It is simply a common-sense statement…the negative form of the rule involves nothing more than not doing certain things…It is the kind of principle that could well be kept by a man who has no belief and no interest in religion at all… A man could satisfy the negative form of the rule by simple inaction; if he consistently did nothing, he would never break it.”

The golden rule is more than just refraining from doing bad, it involves the doing of good by loving our neighbor.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:12 that this golden rule is a synopsis of the law and the prophets.  Interestingly enough, He says the same thing regarding loving our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40).  Loving our neighbor and helping our neighbor go hand in hand.  One who is unwilling to help a neighbor does not love that neighbor because love always acts in the best interest of others.  The key word is “acts.”  Love does not just think, feel, or desire, it always acts.

Let us be doers of the golden rule.  The world will be a better place, and so will the kingdom of God.    

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.