Do Unto Others... ~ Matthew 7:12

Good evening and welcome to the Panhandle. Well it's Vacation Bible School here and so far it's been fun at least out in games where I work. Today we jump ahead to Matthew 7:12, I hope you don't mind. So come on in, let's open our Bibles dive in and do a bit of surfing.

When I was a teenager there was a popular tee-shirt and poster that said, “Do unto others and then split.” But here is how the verse that that was taken from really goes ~ “Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12). It is so much better don't you think, and defiantly more God centered than self-centered?

This verse is commonly referred to as “the Golden Rule.” The principle is that what people ordinarily want others to do for them should be what they practice toward those others. This principle summarizes the essential teachings of the Law and the Prophets. But such a principle cannot be consistently practiced by someone who doesn't Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Only a righteous person is able to practice this rule and thereby demonstrate the spiritual change that has come about in their life. An individual who constantly tries to live by this principal possesses the righteousness that Christ Jesus demands. However a person’s righteous acts do not save them, but because they have been delivered by Christ Jesus they are able to demonstrate true righteousness toward others.¹

The “Golden Rule,” is possibly one of the most misunderstood statements in the Bible. The “Golden Rule” is not the sum total of Christian truth, nor is it God’s plan of redemption. The great truth is that it is a principle that ought to govern our attitudes toward others. The person who practices the Golden Rule refuses to say or do anything that would harm themselves or others. If our judging of others is not governed by this principle, we can become proud and critical, and our own spiritual character will be compromised.

Practicing the “Golden Rule” releases the love of God in our lives and enables us to help others, even those who want to hurt us. But remember that practicing the “Golden Rule” means paying a price. If we want God’s best for ourselves and others, but others resist God’s will, then they will oppose us. We are salt, and salt stings the open wound. We are light, and light exposes dirt.²

Christ came to teach us, not only what we are to know and believe, but what we are to do; not only toward God, but toward all people. We must treat our neighbor with the same love, respect, and mercy that we would want them to treat us with.

So again the general meaning of this verse: “Guided by justice and mercy, do unto all people as you would have them to do to you, were your circumstances and theirs reversed.”³ If we want to be treated kindly, we must treat others with kindness. If we want to be given the benefit of the doubt, we must give others the benefit of the doubt. If we want good things for us, we must want good things for others.⁴

Well, thank you for dropping by. I pray that our heavenly Father will richly bless and keep you and yours.

Biblesurfer

 

1 Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 34). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

2 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 30). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

3 Clarke, A. (2014). The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes (New Edition, Vol. 5, p. 96). Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation.

4 Stanley, C. F. (2005). The Charles F. Stanley life principles Bible: New King James Version (Mt 7:12). Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles.