The Golden Rule is a very interesting term that has crossed over from being a biblical teaching to a worldly teaching and advisement. For some, they believe this to be “the way of the world” or karma; you do good things, and good things will return to you. Therefore, the opposite is viewed as true; you do bad things, and bad things will return to you. However, as with many things in God’s Word, this has been taken grossly out of the context of what Jesus was truly teaching.
- What other biblical teachings have been taken out of context by the world?
- Do you have a “golden rule” in your household or life?
In Matthew chapter 7, Jesus is continuing what is argued to be one of the best sermons ever; I would argue that all He teaches is where the bar is set (haha!). Regardless, as we continue the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes an important moment to essentially summarize the entirety of the Old Testament. He says in verse 12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” This profound yet simple command is an all-encompassing command of how one who is being sanctified by the Spirit ought to live. Earlier in this sermon, Jesus teaches that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. However, He makes the important note that this “neighbor” is everyone. Not only are we called to love our neighbors who we enjoy and get along with (our friends and family), but we are to love our enemies the same as they are our neighbors as well. With this as the foundation for our understanding of how we, as followers of Christ, are called by Him to live, then this passage Jesus teaches here in Matthew 7:12 simply reinforces His earlier teaching.
- What things, physically and emotionally, cause us to struggle to love our enemies?
- Has there been a time in your life when the Spirit convicted you of your reaction or thoughts toward your enemy?
So, Jesus has now instructed twice within this teaching the importance of loving others in both word and deed. Why? Personally, I believe that Jesus knows this will be the instruction and action that we will struggle with most. Being called to read God’s Word, pray without ceasing, share the Gospel, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, tithe, and have community together are all incredible things to not only do but to be a part of. They are also things that can be done with comfort, convenience, and ease to have accountability. However, this “Golden Rule” and “Greatest Commandment” are two instructions and commands from Christ; these are not convenient. These two commands, which truly go hand in hand, are not comfortable nor enjoyable to partake in. That is exactly why the world has corrupted and manipulated this rule and command. Jesus knew that this would happen and that it was happening. This is why He expounded in Matthew 5:43, calling out the world’s standard to hate your enemy and corrects with the Golden Rule and Greatest Command. He called us, His followers, to love our enemies and therefore treat everyone, whether redeemed by His grace or still living for the world, with His love.
- How do loving your enemies and treating others the way you want to be treated correlate?
- What are some inconveniences in your life you have learned to overcome or handle?
If you have known me for more than five minutes, there is a good chance that you quickly learned that I am a huge Beatles fan. The Beatles are truly pillars of Rock-n-Roll who took the world by storm. A little trivia: back in November of 2023, their final song, “Now and Then,” was released, and it is a phenomenal track! Yet, back in July of 1967, they released another song called “All You Need Is Love.” The chorus, as many have surely heard, proclaims, “All you need is love.” Yet, in one of the first lines in the first verse, John and Paul wrote, “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.” Now, please know that, first and foremost, I do not support all of the Beatles’ thoughts, comments, lifestyles, or ideologies. However, I do believe that while they may not have known it, in penning this hit, they were trying to focus people on the bigger picture: to love one another. In the first verse, they are saying how there are things that we will physically not be able to do and some things we are simply not supposed to do. However, the whole point is to take a step back, be yourself, and love. Now, if we take those lyrics and view them through the lens of Christ’s death for our sins, His burial, and His glorious resurrection, how easy would it be for us to carry out the Golden Rule? This is exactly what Christ is teaching and calling us to do. We are to be our new reconciled selves through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not to try to be something or someone we are not. Then, in all we do, say, and think, do it all in love, but not just any love, the love of Christ.
- Are there any songs that help emphasize or encourage you in the teachings of God’s Word?
- Is there someone in your life whom you did not treat with the love of Christ that you need to pray for an opportunity to love as we are called?
The Golden Rule and the Great Commandment are all about love. At the core of them all is the call to be a reflection of Christ in action to the world. This is only accomplished through the moving, equipping, and leading of the Spirit in the life of the believer. Jesus proclaimed, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” He did not say this flippantly. He proclaimed this in love to us, His followers, the Church. It is that we are to truly be His hands and feet to a lost, broken, selfish, and hurting world. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 that we have not only been reconciled to our Heavenly Father through Christ but also that we have entered into the “ministry of reconciliation;” therefore, we are His ambassadors here on this earth. If we are truly being obedient in our walk with the Lord, this call to do to others as we would have done to us will not be a rule, but a way of life. We only have so much time here on this earth. We only have so many opportunities and encounters with the people who are placed in our path. May we, as followers of Christ, truly allow the Spirit to sanctify us daily. May we not simply treat others the way we want to be treated because it is the right or nice thing to do, but may we do so to seize every opportunity to show the love of Christ. It is in the hope that through our obedience, lives would be changed for the glory of the Gospel of Christ!
- What does it mean to you to be an ambassador of Christ?
- How can we encourage one another to be obedient to the Golden Rule?