The Golden Rule is the ethical principle of treating other people as one's self would prefer to be treated. One of Jesus' most famous and impactful teachings, the Golden Rule can be found in the Bible verses Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31:
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31
A simple notion about the ethical treatment of others that was profound in its origin and resonates through the ages.
Meaning of the Golden Rule in the Bible
"Golden Rule" is not explicitly found in Scripture, this became the popular way of referring to the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. In summary, the Golden Rule encompasses the empathic essence of morality. It is a simple yet powerful way of saying that we should recognize the respective dignity of our fellow man and not forget we all are capable of inflicting immoral actions. This is vital in following the commandments of God and creating a more virtuous world.
Jesus declares, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." With regard to the Old Testament, two main points prevail. Matthew's reference presents the Golden Rule as encapsulating the teachings of the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12 reads, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Second, even though the Golden Rule addresses human interpersonal relationships, its message is additionally theological. That is, the very character of God guides how we should interact and relate to one another.
Importance of Following the Golden Rule
We are to follow and exercise the Golden Rule because God's heavenly wisdom teaches self-control, and his virtue teaches kindness. This proverb is appropriately called the Golden Rule, for it encompasses in its few words the underlying and guiding principle of all morality. It comprises all the rules of the law with regard to man and all the amplification of those precepts given by the prophets. It instructs us to put ourselves in our neighbor's place, and guide our behavior accordingly. It assumes, of course, that when we put ourselves in our neighbor's place, we are wise enough not to make any foolish wishes and good enough not to make any evil ones. The Golden Rule was a vital emphasis on empathy and the reciprocity of morality.
Examples of the Golden Rule
The Golden Rule has inspired several subsequent sayings and ethical declarations since its revelation by Jesus. Listed below are some examples of such inspirations:
“Put yourself in their shoes” - Another call to empathy and understanding another’s situation and point of view, this phrase calls upon us to picture ourselves as our fellow human and recognize the sovereignty and emotions of each individual.
“Do not do unto others as you would not want done to you.” - Also known as the Silver Rule, this inversion of the Golden Rule reminds us to not do what we would prefer not to happen to ourselves. Essentially this is the negative version of the Golden Rule.
“Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law." - Kant’s Categorical Imperative is the primary philosophical concept in the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant. This imperative basically dictates to follow the rules that apply to everyone. In other words, “Don’t create rules for yourself that you wouldn’t apply to others.”
(Article first published on Christianity.com on February 12, 2019)
What Do Classic Christian Writers Say about How We Follow the Golden Rule?
Matthew Henry argues that the Matthew 7:12 passage indicates not only that we should treat people fairly, but, read alongside other Bible passages,it shows that blessings and righteous living and spiritual disciplines go hand in hand:
"...Therefore, lay this down for your principle, to do as you would be done by; therefore, that you may conform to the foregoing precepts, which are particular, that you may not judge and censure others, go by this rule in general; (you would not be censured, therefore do not censure), Or that you may have the benefit of the foregoing promises. Fitly is the law of justice subjoined to the law of prayer, for unless we be honest in our conversation, God will not hear our prayers, Isa 1 15-17; 58 6, 9; Zech 7 9, 13. We cannot expect to receive good things from God, if we do not fair things, and that which is honest, and lovely, and of good report among men. We must not only be devout, but honest, else our devotion is but hypocrisy. . ."
(Excerpted from the Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible)
In his discussion of the Luke 6:31 passage, Henry goes deeper into the idea that the Golden Rule requires us to serve others, even those we don't care for:
". . . we must render to all their due, and be honest and just in all our dealings (v. 31): As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise; for this is loving your neighbour as yourselves. What we should expect, in reason, to be done to us, either in justice or charity, by others, if they were in our condition and we in theirs, that, as the matter stands, we must do to them. We must put our souls into their souls' stead, and then pity and succour them, as we should desire and justly expect to be ourselves pitied and succoured."
(Excerpted from the Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible)
John Gill notes in his teachings on Luke 6 that the Golden Rule is "the sum and substance of the law and prophets," as Jesus says. However, Gill clarifies in his teachings on Matthew 7 that when Jesus says in Matthew 7:32 that the Golden Rule sums up the law and the prophets, Jesus means "not the whole sum of them, or the sum of the whole law: but of that part of it which respects our neighbours."
Gill also provides some excellent insights into how these words fit with Jesus' earlier teachings and how various Jewish teachers and even people outside the Judeo Christian tradition have respected the Golden Rule:
"These words are the epilogue, or conclusion of our Lord's discourse; the sum of what he had delivered in the two preceding chapters, and in this hitherto, is contained in these words; for they not only respect the exhortation about judging and reproving; but every duty respecting our neighbour; it is a summary of the whole. It is a golden rule, here delivered, and ought to be observed by all mankind, Jews and Gentiles. So the Karaite Jews F12 say,
``all things that a man would not take to himself, (wyxal) (Mtwvel ywar Nya) , "it is not fit to do them to his brethren".''And Maimonides F13 has expressed it much in the same words our Lord here does;
``all things whatsoever ye would that others should do to you, (says he,) do you the same to your brethren, in the law, and in the commandments:''only there seems to be a restriction in the word "brethren"; the Jews, perhaps, meaning no other than Israelites; whereas our Lord's rule reaches to all without exception, ... "for this is the law and the prophets": the sum of the law and the prophets; not the whole sum of them, or the sum of the whole law: but of that part of it which respects our neighbours. Remarkable is the advice given by Hillell F14 to one who came to be made a proselyte by him;
``whatsoever is hateful to thee, that do not thou to thy neighbour; (hlwk hrwth lk ayh wz) , "this is all the whole law", and the rest is an explication of it, go and be perfect:''yea, this rule is not only agreeable to the law of Moses, and the prophets, but even to the law and light of nature. Aristotle being asked, how we ought to carry ourselves to our friends, answered F15, as we would wish they would carry it to us. Alexander Severus, a Heathen emperor, so greatly admired this rule of Christ's, that he ordered it to be written on the walls of his closet."
(Excerpted from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible)
Further thoughts on the Golden Rule can be found on BibleStudyTools.com's library of Classic Christian commentaries, concordances, Bible dictionaries, and spiritual classics.
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