What is the golden rule? In Matthew 7:12, in Jesus’ sermon on the mount, he said, ““So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Did you catch it? Jesus says, this one sentence sums up all the teaching of the Law and the Prophets…”do to others what you would have them to do you.”
Matthew 7:12 is so common that many people don’t know it comes from the Bible and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. They mistakenly think it is simply moralistic advice or a positivity quote. Mathew 7:12 is a spiritual principle that gets to the heart of Jesus’ sermon.
It is not simply a moralistic statement…be kind to your neighbor. It is not a pity quote. Like everything else Jesus has taught us in the Sermon on the Mount, it requires the power of God to live out this verse.
We must be very careful to get this verse right. It is sometimes misquoted to say… “Whatever others have done for you, do also for them.” That is not what Jesus is saying here. This verse is not about payback. It is not about manipulation to get what you want. It is about honoring God by putting others, their needs, and their interests above our own.
It’s right here where my carnal nature can rise up and say, “Why would I want do do that?” What’s in it for me? Have you ever felt this way? I give and give and give, but they never give back to me? We have to be careful about our motivations. True love gives without expectation.
If you want joy…give to those who cannot pay you back. Give to those who cannot return the favor. It is God who rewards and blesses us.
I also want to say something very important: This verse is not the essence of Christianity. You cannot reduce Christianity to a single statement…be kind to your neighbor.
Christianity is about God, motivated by incredible love, rescuing us from our sinfulness by Jesus sacrificial death on a cross. It is about God restoring to a relationship with Him. The result of our placing our faith in Jesus and receiving His salvation, is a life that is lived by a completely different set of values.
Obedience to the Golden rule is the outflow, or the result of someone whose life has been change due to a conversion experience. We would only be inspired to live this way due to our hearts and lives being radical changed by Jesus.
A transformed heart leads to transformed relationships.
When we came to Christ and received salvation, up to that point we only lived for self. That’s not to say we were incapable of offering kindness to others. But in most cases, our greatest concern was our own happiness. We see this lived out everyday in our society.
Here’s a great truth to remember: Jesus doesn’t want to just transform your behavior, he wants to transform your heart.
This is why Jesus begins by changing us from the inside out. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit begins to work in our lives and makes us new. Your perspective changes. Your desires change. You now want to please God with your life. It gives you joy to honor God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Today’s Challenge: In our prayer time today let’s ask God how we can apply this verse to my life…at home, in our families? at church? at work? in the marketplace? Let’s begin to practice living out the golden rule.
Visit the website: 5MinuteDiscipleship.com
Follow on social:
Facebook.com/5minutediscipleship
Instagram.com/5minutediscipleship
