The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 7 Part 5 The Golden Rule Of Jesus Christ

The Golden Rule of Jesus requires a new heart and spirit from God in order to live by its truth.

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. 

Matthew 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

This begins a concluding summary of Jesus Christ our King speaking about how we shall live in His kingdom and how He governs it.

Many Christians have referred to this text as the "Golden Rule" because it is designed to shape our relationships with other people.

It is of interest to note that the "Golden Rule" of Jesus spawned similar ethic codes in the world of business. 

The most well known of these is the Rotary Club Four Way Test which asks four questions to guide employees ethics.

The businessman who articulated this code was a Christian who prayed about how to guide his troubled company going forward.

The four questions are:

1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The basis for Christ's "Golden Rule" is having a right relationship with God through repentant faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Salvation and the new birth fundamentally transforms our life and will definably change our interpersonal relationships.

Jesus connected the "Golden Rule" with His mission of fulfilling the holy law of God for us, because we cannot meet it's holy standard because of the sin nature we inherited from Adam.

Later, we will hear Jesus teach us about our need to love God first followed by loving our neighbor as ourselves.

These two aspects of God's law must shape our relationship with the Father and with other people. 

We can love in this manner only after we receive the new heart and new spirit God promised to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

A new heart reflects new spiritual life and new attitudes toward God and man.

Matthew 5:7  Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 

A merciful person shows mercy to those who wrong him because he has received mercy, grace and forgiveness from God.

This connects with the "Golden Rule" Jesus gave in our beginning text.

Christ taught us about who is blessed in His kingdom and why they are blessed. 

He gave us ten specific examples known as "The Beatitudes" to show us that a new heart and a new spirit from God are required for inclusion into His kingdom. 

With a new heart and new spirit from God, we can be those who are meek, merciful, peacemakers in a world full of proud, arrogant, conceited troublemakers.

A new heart and new spirit from God allows us to be blessed even as we are persecuted for the sake of Jesus' gospel.

Jesus taught that His disciples are to be salt to slow down cultural decay and light to expose depravity. 

These are fruits of a new heart and a new spirit from God (See Matthew 5:13-14).

Jesus consistently exposed the Pharisee's hypocrisy to show that the new birth is needed.

Jesus dealt with the internal sins of anger, lust, lying, and retaliating against one's enemies by getting to the the heart issues behind such sin.

In chapter 6, Jesus continued contrasting how the Pharisees gave tithes, fasted, or prayed in public to receive commendation from men.

He taught us how to pray rightly and how to give offerings in a way that honors God.

He taught us how to fast properly and how to lay up treasure in heaven rather than pursuing temporary earthly pleasures.

He taught us how much our Father loves and cares for us and reminded us of His promises to provide for our basic needs.

God promises to give a new heart to all who hear and believe the gospel of Christ.

Ezekiel 11:19-20  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20)  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 

Thus, Jesus constantly focuses in on the reality that our wicked depraved hearts must be changed and the glory that God has provided a way for us to be changed at the heart and soul level.

Here is one of the glorious promises from God about our salvation and the power of Christ's gospel to completely transform people's lives.

We need one heart, that is a heart without divided allegiances. 

This truth connects with Jesus command to "Seek first the kingdom of God" in every aspect of our lives.

We inherit a spiritually dead heart from Adam that is often hardened by our sin and callous toward the things of God.

God will take that hard heart out and give us a new heart with spiritual life that is tender toward the things of God.

He will put a new spirit, His own Spirit into us when we are born again and the Spirit will constantly seek to conform us to the image of Christ.

He will produce fruit in us such that we can obey God's commands and love and serve Him and our neighbors.

We have to keep all these threads before us because Matthew presents Jesus Christ as the Messiah and King of Israel who is telling us how we must live in His kingdom.

Jesus commanded us to treat others as we wish to be treated. 

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. 

This is a powerful kingdom principle: if we do not want others to harshly judge us, then we first must not judge them with harshness.

If we want other people to treat us with respect then we must first be respectful toward others. 

If we do not want people to steal our possession then let us first make sure we never steal from anyone.

Jesus reminds us of our need to love God and others, for if we love others as God loves us, we will not think evil thoughts of them, or covet their goods or lie to them.

Righteousness is the rule of God's kingdom and Christ's command shows how it is to be lived out by us.

The Golden Rule is joined to Christ's law of prayer, because unless we are honest in our conversation, God will not hear our prayers (See Isaiah 1:15-17; 58:6, 58:9; Zechariah 7:9, 7:13). 

We cannot expect to receive good things from God, if we do not treat others as God would have us to treat them. 

We must be devout toward God and honest toward others or our profession of faith will be mere hypocrisy like the Pharisees. 

Christ came to teach us what we are to know and believe, and what we are to do toward God and  toward men.

The "Golden Rule" is grounded upon that great commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Loving God first followed by loving others fulfills all of God's holy law.

James 2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 

The apostle James, Christ's brother, tells us that God's law is royal. 

It came from the King of kings and it a perfect, holy law that is good and beneficial for all people to follow.

With respect to our relationships with other people, this royal law is fulfilled when we love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

This is exactly what Jesus taught in the "Golden Rule" because a normal person will do that which is good for himself and his family.

Therefore, we treat our neighbors in the same exact way that we treat ourselves.

Romans 13:9-10 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10)  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

Paul summarized the Ten Commandments by telling us that they are summed up by loving our neighbor as ourselves.

This is the visible fruit of loving God first followed by loving our neighbors. 

It is a love from God poured into our heart that allows us to think, speak and act in love toward our neighbors.

This love fulfills God's holy law and it extremely beneficial for us as individuals, as families and as communities.

May the Spirit of God work this truth deep into our hearts so that we are transformed and able to love and serve God first, and then able to love our neighbors as we ought.

Bob