Your ShelfYour Projects

THE GOLDEN RULE

9%

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 4, 1901

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 78, No. 23.

Read the full edition

THE GOLDEN RULE.

By M. G. Huffman

M. G. HUFFMAN.
“THEREFORE,” says Christ, “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,—do unto others as we would have them do unto us; or, in other words, “Love thy neighbor as thyself;” for love is the fulfilling of the law. This is generally known as the Golden Rule, called thus, perhaps, because it contains the precious gem of all righteousness, and, like gold when separated from the dross, is pure and undefiled, and will doubtless, if faithfully lived up to, give us an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
How different from the teaching of Christ is the natural order of things! The carnal heart is in direct opposition to this rule. It is painful, to say the least, to see some who profess to be of those of whom it is said, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,” walking in direct opposition to the plain teachings of Christ.
Christ said, when asked which was the greatest commandment in the law, “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 secondis like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
If we obey the golden rule, we shall be found in harmony with the principles upon which rests the eternal throne of Jehovah; namely, love to God, and love to our fellow man. Not until we are willing to grant unto others license to speak evil of us, or to defraud us in any way, are we at liberty, according to the golden rule, to say or do anything that would be detrimental to the reputation of a brother or sister. David once asked the question, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” Mark the answer: “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.” What is it to take up a reproach? It must be to believe an evil report against a brother or a sister, and be ready or willing to carry the same to others, by which means the story grows and is magnified until, perhaps, it becomes necessary to call in the brother or sister who is thus censured, and ascertain, if possible, what awful crime has been committed; after a long, preliminary trial, the court adjourns until another time, having reached no definite conclusion.
By such a course souls have been discouraged, the cause of Christ has been reproached, and angels have been made to weep. All this might have been avoided by heeding the injunction of our Saviour: “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.” This is the golden rule. How often we are found taking just the opposite course!
Instead of following the injunction of our divine Master,—going to the brother, if we feel as if he has made a mistake, or has been overtaken in a fault, and trying, if possible, to restore him in the spirit of meekness,—we take part in criticising and magnifying the faults of the accused. We act upon the theory that every source of information should be guarded, so that the brother should never know the source of the false information. But if the brother happens to hear of the stories afloat, and makes inquiries concerning them, he is asked to believe that no harm was meant, only his good was at heart.
No one can manufacture an excuse large enough to justify him in taking a different course from that which God has laid down in His word. Therefore, “if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.” This is the golden rule. It is just what we should like to have our brother do to us; if we were to do this, acquainting ourselves with all the circumstances under which the brother or sister is laboring, we should often be led to change our minds very materially.
Why do we behold the mote in our brother’s eye, but fail to discern the beam in our own eye? Let us heed the admonition of Christ, and first cast the beam out of our eye: then, and not until then, can we clearly see to cast the mote out of our brother’s eye. Our profession will avail us nothing in the end, unless we get out of the miserable business of mote-pulling, and criticising, and learn to love one another; for thus we read, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God loveth his brother also.” “Put on therefore,” says Paul, “as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
By beholding we become changed—transformed into the likeness of that which we behold. May the Lord help us who claim to be “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ,” to rise above the vain things of this life, and attain to that position where we can receive the help that will enable us to overcome.