The Golden Rule
Matthew 7:12-14
August 13, 2023
Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you.
.
We have all heard about "The Golden Rule" - that we should treat other people the way we would like to be treated ourselves. I don't know anyone who doesn't think that this is a rule for life. After all, we all like to be well treated and receive the respect we feel we deserve.
The problem is that most of us are also aware that we aren't perfect. Sometimes we don't do things we should have done and other times we do things we shouldn't have done.
The question is, does how we like to be treated when we've wronged someone match how we treat people who have wronged us?
The core of the issue is that because we need the forgiveness of God and others, we likewise need to forgive others.
Jesus is absolutely clear about this foundational truth, so much so that he teaches that it summarizes God's Law and the teaching of the Prophets. Additionally, later in Matthew, he repeats this truth as part of his response to the question of what is the greatest commandment in the Law.
If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:10-11)
