The Golden Rule
Treat people the way you want to be treated
Not just “don’t harm people,” but go first in doing them good.
Key points
- What it means: Versions of this appear in many traditions, often put negatively: don’t do to others what you would hate done to you.
- Try this: Pick one person you’ll deal with this week and ask yourself: how would I want to be treated if I were them? Then do it.
- The good news: God went first. Before you did anything for him, he gave you everything in Jesus.
What he said
“Whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them”
Matthew 7:12
Find it: Matthew 7:12
Read Matthew 7:12
12 Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
What it means
Versions of this appear in many traditions, often put negatively: don’t do to others what you would hate done to you. Confucius and the Jewish teacher Hillel both said it that way.
Jesus says it positively. Don’t just avoid harm; take the first step. Think about what you would hope for in their place, and do that.
He says this one line sums up “the law and the prophets”: the whole moral teaching of his Scriptures.
At work
- Management, customer service and hiring all change when you ask: how would I want to be treated in their seat?
- Give the feedback, the warning, the credit you would want to get.
With people
- People don’t always want what you want. Part of the Golden Rule is asking them.
- Online, picture the person reading your comment as someone you love.
The hard part
It is simple to say and endless to do. It asks you to imagine the other person’s life, which takes attention and time.
Try this
Pick one person you’ll deal with this week and ask yourself: how would I want to be treated if I were them? Then do it.
Go deeper
The good news
God went first. Before you did anything for him, he gave you everything in Jesus.
Nobody lives this perfectly. How to read it