Mat. 7:12 ... "So whatever you wish that others should do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
(Fore note: In this and all other articles I use the word "man" in the generic sense, certainly not to restrict the application to males. "Man," with associated pronouns "his" and "him," are meant to refer to both genders. I hope not to be seen as chauvinistic.)
Who does not know that this statement of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount is called the Golden Rule? It has been generally recognized as the high water mark in human achievement in the realm of inter-personal relationships. It is the ideal in one's affairs with other people, a standard for society that is perfect. Nothing to excel it, or even rival it, has ever been conceived by the human. Other principles of personal interaction have been designed and advocated, but they all fall far short of what Jesus' Golden Rule can effect. It alone can produce harmonious relations among men and establish true community to the benefit and pleasure of all.
Critics of Christianity have eagerly pointed out antecedents to the Golden Rule in the wisdom literature of Jews, Greeks, and Chinese. But examined closely, these statements are either contracted in their application or phrased in a negative form which lacks the social impact of what Jesus said. Those who study religion comparatively have pointed out that Jesus was the first to express this principle in a positive and universally applicable form. When this rule fails to achieve its goal, it is the lack of its application rather than any weakness in the rule itself.
There are four rules which people enact in their lives. The fourth is the Golden Rule, which is therefore the only one worthy to be adopted into the life of a Christian. Stated in rising order of their value and beneficial effect, these rules may be phrased as follows:
1. Do unto others before they do unto you.
2. Do unto others the same as they do unto you.
3. Do not do to others what you do not want them to do unto you.
4. Do unto others the same as you want them to do unto you.
The first of these rules is the way of the criminal. He feels that life is an arena of competition where only the fittest and craftiest survive. He sees the way to success over the wreckage of the welfare, feelings, and sometimes even the lives of others. He is ready and quick to crush others to get what he wants.
The second rule is the way of the natural man. He feels that life is like a system of balance where all things must be kept in equilibrium. When good comes to him, he thinks it ought to be balanced with a like measure of good in return. And when evil is received, he feels compelled to recompense it with an equal amount of evil. His motto is, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
The third rule is the way of the civilized man. He is not motivated to hurt anyone to benefit himself, nor does he feel obligated to repay good or evil with a like measure of the same. His goal is to leave other people alone, doing them neither good nor ill. His way leads to a stable society marked by tranquility and peace, but because it is passive it does not promote the health and progress of society
The fourth rule is the way of the Christian man. He feels a sense of identity with all men as creatures of God; indeed, he sees the image of God in every man. Therefore he is uniformly motivated to good toward all men, whether they do him good or not. His good is active and altruistic, because its source is the love of God that fills his heart, envelops his life, and possesses him (Mat. 22:37-40).
