Commandment 30: The Golden Rule.

"All things that you would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." Mt. 7:12

This passage represents the heartbeat of the human social experience. Though this may sound like an easy commandment to live out, it is in fact most difficult.

Because the fallen nature of man has as many faces as there are people, the diversity of ideas, motivations and desires can easily get in the way of the ideals expressed by our Lord. In fact, without a renewed heart it is normal for fallen man to seek his own will and way.

For the Christian, this commandment is the 'Golden Rule'; the second commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples while revealing this new way of faith. This was in direct contrast to the way of the Pharisees who were the primary spiritual rulers of Israel during the time that Christ came. Theirs was not a walk of love but a tight system of rules meant to set them above other men and keep the common person in his place. This idea of reciprocal love for enemies was not on their agenda for sure. For them, surviving the Roman occupation was key, and as the recognized guardians of the Jewish religion, they were constantly at work to see that no one upset the apple cart. How else were they to ensure their place at the top of the food chain?

Yet this pronouncement from God for us to 'do unto others' is not a new thing. It was central to the Levitical Laws and a high expression of God's person as pertains to justice and mercy. Now, in the hands of the follower of , it becomes a deeper expression of the love of God rather than just a written code of behavior. We are instructed here by the Lord to be just, fair and kind because it is right, rather than for fear of punishment if we disobey.

When we commit to practicing this in our daily lives, we find a three-fold support system: the Bible, our conscience and the Holy Spirit. When our life agrees with our conscience, our faith grows. As we practice the commands of Christ, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit give us strength of conviction that supports and develops our spiritual life and our personal testimony in the world.

In many ways, this represents the highest form of fulfilling the Great Commission from a personal perspective. Though not every Christian can do direct evangelism as a vocation, all believers can and should be witnesses. When we relate our behaviors to our faith, and our actions conform to the Word of God, it can certainly affect those around us.

"But is it fair of God to ask me to do good to those who don't respond in kind?” some might ask.

The answer of course is yes. We have Christ himself as our great example. If He treated the world the way the world treated Him, heaven might likely be void of human residents. (see Isaiah 53 as a point of reference.)

In truth, our personal testimony is often the main conduit of the Holy Spirit to those around us. When we treat someone in the manner described in this passage, we release the Holy Spirit to deal with his or her conscience according to their own internal 'God' reference points. I have heard countless testimonies over the years from people who validate this and have turned the hearts of others to contrition and to Christ simply by their behavior in accordance with this command.

The mean spirited of this world often do not respond to verbal instruction, but our behaviors toward them can release the Holy Spirit to act supernaturally in their lives. It may not be by such extreme measures as in the case of Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge, but it can be powerful nonetheless.

We must remember that the Holy Spirit knows the hearts of all persons and He knows how best to deal with them. But He remains largely invisible except through his working in the life and actions of a believer.

In the fast-paced world of today, it is easy to live a reactionary life. Someone may shout obscenities to us at a traffic light or give us one or a hundred reasons to react in kind. Sometimes just taking a breath before responding to such things can help us remember who we are in Christ and how He instructs us to behave. It does not mean others will always return the blessing as we would like. But it certainly can make it easier to go about our lives without the anger and frustrations that so many live with today, or feelings of guilt for having failed to live up to the higher path to which we are called.

There are many circumstances in life where we may find it difficult to obey the Golden Rule. Dealing with people in the daily course of our business or social encounters can be trying indeed. We may find ourselves cheated in a transaction or unjustly maligned in some private or public situation. This can be especially hard if we are dealing with another Christian.

Though we have clear instructions in the Word of God for dealing with such situations, it is not always easy to find remedy or recourse, even when dealing with other believers. We may turn to our church leaders for help and still not find a solution there. How we react in such situations can often make a difference in the lives of others and in our own. The sense of personal satisfaction and spiritual growth for obedience to Christ far exceeds that which comes from merely getting due justice.

Maybe you are new to Christianity and just starting out and this seems like a hard jump from where you are to where God wants you to be. Don't worry about that. When one commits to following Christ, it eventually becomes natural to make the right choices. As the late Keith Green liked to remind us, "Love is not a feeling it's an act of the will.”

Love is a choice and as we practice loving others, it becomes the norm for us. However, you must not become complacent in making good choices or it is easy to fall into a life of confusion and double-mindedness. This is the seedbed for the enemies work and he can turn a new believer's life into one of legalism or the opposite, extreme liberty.

One contemporary example of expressing this ideal in our society would be the WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do) movement. This was a call to take a pause before acting or responding to situations, and to consider the moral imperative for believers to act like or do what Jesus might likely do in any given situation. The late 19th Century best selling novel, 'In His Steps' by Charles Sheldon, was a forerunner of this idea and reignited the message of Christian social responsibility with over 30 million copies sold to date.

Throughout history there have been Christians who represent this principal of unconditional love and many of them have made a big impact upon the world. From St. Francis of Assisi to Amy Carmichael, Corey Ten-Boom, Mother Theresa and others, we can learn the great power of Christian love and its ability to triumph over the world and the work of the enemy.

Once we experience the benefits of walking in love, choosing the alternative has very little appeal. The day-to-day transformation of the Holy Spirit in our lives truly does empower us to hate the things we once loved and to love those we once hated. That is not to infer that an automatic switch clicks inside immediately after someone comes to Christ and he or she starts thinking peace, love, and black light posters. Agape love, the love of God, is a deep transforming love. The kind demonstrated by Jesus as He hung on the cross in excruciating pain and said, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do.”

When we choose to follow Christ, we choose to walk in the fellowship of his sufferings as well. As we grow in this grace, we are conformed to his image and choose to forgive and to love as we begin to see others as Christ sees them. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way." (Isa. 53:6) And what was God's remedy for this universal condition in man?  “. . . the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."