The Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12)

This verse seems to be a summary statement of the teaching that Jesus has given in the Sermon on the Mount. Often it is said that preachers should be able to summarise their message in a sentence. Whether that is the case or not I cannot say, although it is of interest that Jesus, the master preacher, did so here. 

The obvious deduction that can be made from this verse is the importance of relationships. A brief survey of the Sermon on the Mount will remind us of several crucial features of the Christian life: Christian character as expressed in the Beatitudes; function as salt and light; a believer’s prayer life as summarised in the Lord’s Prayer and in the exhortations to ask, seek and knock; the need of mortification of inward sin as detailed in Jesus’ application of the ten commandments; and not to engage in judging. We can then ask ourselves, What is the common goal of these spiritual disciplines? The answer to this important question is given in 7:12, and it is ‘healthy relationships’. 

It is important to note the positive element in Jesus’ teaching. He does not say, ‘Don’t do to others what you would not want them to do to you.’ That negative way of speaking has been found in other religions and in non-Christian philosophies. I don’t want a person to steal from me, and therefore I should not steal from him. I don’t want another person to speak badly about me, therefore I should not speak badly about him. Of course, it is good not to steal or to speak badly about others.

The words of Jesus demand far more. He says, ‘Do unto others what you would like them to do unto you, whether they do them or not.’ In other words, we know the best behaviour that another person should have. We are not to wait until they show it. Instead we are to show them how to do it, to become an example to others. In other words, Jesus wants his followers to live out the Sermon on the Mount wherever they are and whoever they are with. 

Maybe it would help us if we were to write down what we would want other people to do for us. Once we have done so, we should then look at the list and decide to do those activities for them. Here are some possible items on the list for any day of the week:

I would like other people to pray for me.

I would like other people to visit me.

I would like someone to read the Bible with me.

I would like someone to take me for a coffee.

I would like someone to share their interests with me.

Instead of saying them, we should say this.

I am going to pray for people

I am going to visit someone

I am going to read the Bible with someone

I am going to take someone for a coffee

I am going to share my interests with someone.

Of course, the words of Jesus extend beyond those we like and who like us to those whom we find hard to like and who may hate us. But imagine what life would be like if we all treated others the ways in which we would want them to treat us.

Unanswered prayer 

The context would indicate that Jesus is speaking to those whom he has addressed about prayer. He has instructed his disciples to ask, seek and knock in prayer, with the promise that their prayers would be successful. At first glance, it seems as if the Saviour has given an unlimited assurance that our prayers will always be heard.

Yet we know that sometimes our prayers are not answered. One correct response to unanswered prayer is God’s sovereignty, that he says no because he has a greater plan in view and eventually we will see that his refusal was for our good.

Yet there must be a connection between answered prayer and the development and maintaining of this attitude commanded by Jesus in verse 12. Could it be that the reason for unanswered prayer at times is a failure to have a lifestyle consistent with the golden rule? 

The relevance of the Old Testament

Jesus teaches his disciples that this attitude is not only a summary of his Sermon on the Mount. He also states that it is a summary of the outworking of the Old Testament scriptures. The phrase ‘the law and the prophets’ is another way of saying the Old Testament.

There is a tendency today to regard the Old Testament as inferior to the New and therefore less suitable for believers of this era. It is the case that those who lived in Old Testament times had less light and inferior experiences compared to New Testament believers. Yet the admittance of this historical distinction does not mean that the Old Testament itself should be regarded as inferior by us. The inability of Israelites and others to understand the Old Testament does not mean it does not contain very important teaching – information and instruction that continues today. 

Paul makes it clear that the Old Testament is given by God for the help of New Testament believers: ‘All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work’ (2. Tim. 3:16-17). Further Peter states that the Old Testament predictions of the Messiah were actually intended for New Testament believers: ‘Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look’ (1 Pet. 1:10-12).  So the Old Testament has the same message for believers as the New Testament does.

Lloyd-Jones once commented that the law was not meant to be praised, but practiced. Jesus did not give the Sermon on the Mount for us to comment on, but to carry out. From those comments by Lloyd-Jones we can see that the Old Testament is a very practical book, full of instruction. Jesus elsewhere says that the Law and the prophets can be summed up as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). Since that twofold description of love summarises the Ten Commandments we can also see that the Decalogue is the basis for life. The Golden Rule is obviously one way of expressing love for our neighbours.

Love your neighbour as yourself 

On that occasion, a scribe had asked Jesus which was the most important of the commandments (Mark 12:28-34). The scribe’s response to what Jesus said indicated that he realised that doing what Jesus said was more important that engaging in religious rituals. Jesus’ response was to tell the man that he was near the kingdom. Given that those rituals were instituted by God, we cannot assume that Jesus was demeaning them. Yet it is also clear that he taught that some things are more important than others. First is the necessity of loving God, second is the necessity of loving those made in his image, and after that comes the issue of religious rituals.

The spirituality of this principle 

A question does arise: does Jesus give a commandment for all and sundry or is his requirement limited to his followers? It is obvious that if every person lived in the way Jesus requires, there would not be any problems between people, which means that there would be no problems in a community, or in a country, or even in a continent. In a sense, the adoption of such an outlook has been the goal of much liberal theology, the attempt to build the kingdom of God on earth without any awareness that its subjects should have experienced regeneration by God. 

Yet a little reflection is sufficient for us to realise the impossibly of keeping this commandment without divine help. Since regeneration and the work of the Spirit in sanctification is essential for obeying this commandment, it is clear that Jesus is speaking to his disciples in particular and not to the world in general. Here is the crucial difference between the church and the world: for the world, this principle is only an inspiring wish which can never be attained; for the church, the outworking of this principle is the evidence of true spirituality, the proof that we are indwelt and instructed by the Holy Spirit. 

The spread of this principle 

Since this commandment could be applied in a wide variety of ways, we will have to be selective. One application is that we cannot divorce human relationships from our walk with God. The Sermon on the Mount is all about our walk with God, and since this is the summary of Jesus regarding his teaching it is self-evident that our relationships with people matter. On another occasion, Jesus told his disciples that if they recalled a person has something against them, which must mean that they had not treated that person according to the golden rule, they have to stop worshipping the Lord and go and sort the problem right away. 

A second application is that we cannot show preferences for some people and not for others. Is this not the significance of Paul’s exhortations in the second half of his letters? For example, he tells the Romans to feed their enemies; he tells the masters in Ephesus to be kind to their slaves, and he tells the slaves to be honest and respectful to all masters, even to those that are cruel; he tells the people in Philippi to focus on witnessing to the gospel rather than arguing. 

A third application is that we cannot divide our lives into the sacred and the secular. It is the case that we live in two different worlds at the same time, which we can call the church and the world. Normally the church runs according to the Bible and the world runs according to the current whims in society. The basic rule in society is that ‘I must ensure that I do not lose out’; the basic rule of the Bible is that ‘I must ensure that the other person does not lose out.’ 

The simplicity of this principle 

This principle reminds us of the simplicity of the Christian life. As Sinclair Ferguson comments, ‘For Jesus, the Word of God is not an impossible complex of rules and regulations placed on men’s shoulders as a heavy burden. Rather, it is the outworking of this principle of love. Grasp this, and everything falls into place. That is His point.’ 

Jesus’ words here are an example of his description of his own teaching, recorded in Matthew 11:28-30: ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ And this principle should be in our hand when we read many of the lengthy details given in the ceremonial law in the Old Testament; it will remind us that God’s people then were being told how to work out the importance of loving their neighbours. 

Definition of dedication to Christ 

Imagine being asked to summarise in a sentence the essence of Christian living. Several suggestions could be given that would describe key features of the Christian life. We could say that Christian living is based on prayer, or Christian living involves good works, or Christian living demands knowledge of the Bible. Such sayings are true, but they are not comprehensive because none of them deals with the entire Christian life. In contrast, this principle of Jesus is comprehensive.

Take the three suggestions I have just given of prayer, good works, and Bible knowledge. I want another person to pray for me, to do good works for me, and to share Bible knowledge with me. Since I want them to do so, I will also do them whether they do so or not. The principle of loving one’s neighbour causes me to practice the good that I would want others to practice. 

What does this mean for us? Firstly, it is a call for consistency – I must always do what is right irrespective of how others behave. A failure to be consistent is disobedience to this requirement.

Secondly, it is call for clarity – my actions are related to others, therefore other people must be able to read them. We must be transparent.

Thirdly, it is a call to carefulness. Other people are going to read my actions and assume that my behaviour is what I deem to be appropriate conduct. I should never mislead another person by my behaviour.

Fourthly, it is a call for consecration to God’s will, to dedicate ourselves to live according to Christ’s requirements.

Fifthly, it is a call for confession, to repent of our failure to live according to the Golden Rule of Jesus, and to ask him for his help in living according to his desires.