Jesus gives us a general rule on how to treat people. We’re not to treat people the way they treat us, we’re to treat people the way we would like them to treat us. This is how the Christian is to live.
This is a golden rule indeed! It doesn’t simply forbid petty malice, revenge, cheating and deceit. It does much more. It prevents the need to lay down endless little rules for our conduct in specific cases.
It sweeps away the whole debatable ground with one mighty principle. It shows us a balance and measure, by which everyone may see at once how they should act.
Is there something we wouldn’t like our neighbor to do to us? Then let us always remember that this is the thing we ought not to do to him. Is there a thing we would like our neighbor to do to us? Then this is the very thing we ought to do to him.
[J. C. Ryle]
Matthew 22:37-40 … Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12 ... Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Romans 13:8 … Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. ❤
