“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12).
Googling about the “Golden Rule” reveals amazing things. The amazing thing is not necessarily the Golden Rule itself but the people who hold to it. What I am about to reveal to you is shocking, but the shocking part is so profound it can be easily missed. Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people’s suffering. On these lines every religion has more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal.
- Commonsensism: “Treat people the way you’d like to be treated”.
- Buddhism: 560 BC, From the Udanavarga 5:18- “Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.”
- Judaism: 1300 BC, from the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:18- “Thou shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
- Hinduism: 3200 BC, From the Hitopadesa- “One should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated.”
- Zoroastrianism: 600 BC, From the Shast-na-shayast 13:29- “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself, do not do unto others.”
- Confucianism: 557 BC, From the Analects 15:23- “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”
- Wiccan: “If no harm is done, do as you will”
- Bahá’í World Faith: “Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.” “Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself.” Baha’u'llah
- Brahmanism: “This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you”. Mahabharata, 5:1517
- Ancient Egyptian: “Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do.” The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 – 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The original dates to 1970 to 1640 BCE and may be the earliest version ever written.
- Humanism: “Don’t do things you wouldn’t want to have done to you, British Humanist Society.
“Every atheist I have known has always fallen back upon the one concept echoed worldwide, and taught by religious and secular leaders throughout all time: the so-called “Golden Rule.” Jesus was repeating an old Jewish proverb when he said “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and Confucius was recording an old Chinese saying when he wrote “Do not do to others what you would not want done to you.”
All atheist systems of morality seem to derive in various ways from this core principle, and so it would be appropriate to say that atheists stand for the Golden Rule in its fullest meaning and significance. I believe that any rule or belief which violates this principle is discarded by most atheists as immoral…” ~Richard Carrier, 1999
What is shocking is that every group cited essentially says the same thing with minor variants. This begs the question then, ‘What sets Christianity apart?’
Over the years I have heard many preachers say things like, “Do unto others what you would like done to you because it is RIGHT!” or “Treat others as you want to be treated because it is GOOD!” or even “Don’t do things you wouldn’t want to have done to you, because God commands it!” with hardly a mention that the doing of the “Golden Rule” should be the fruit of what God is doing in us through faith in Christ. The Gospel of Our God-Centered God Changes Everything for His Glory and for Our Joy! When we do not connect the Golden Rule (or anything else in Scripture) to the Gospel, we preach moralism – we preach what every other religion preaches.
Is there benefit for me if I treat others the way I want to be treated? YES! Does Scripture command doing the law? YES! Does doing the law produce Sanctification? NO! Does doing the law produce righteousness? NO! For if it did, Christ’s death would be of no effect. We must rest our doing upon the finished work of Jesus! He did unto others what He would like done to Him in our place because we can’t do it! Christ’s righteousness is imputed unto those who believe in Him, not to those who do the law. Sanctification is produced by our faith not our faith and works. This does not mean we should not be doing works, but the works we do should be the natural outward response in gratitude, thankfulness, and worship to what God in Christ has accomplished for us and in our place. Our works should be the fruit of God’s work in us because of Christ.
THIS is what sets Christianity apart. Anything else is religious moralism.
