Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 5 Study # 18
February 10, 2008
Lincolnton, NC
(415)
AV Translation:
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
1901 ASV Translation:
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
Luke's Record:
- I. The "Golden Rule".
- A. Just as with all of the other individual instructions, this one also has certain "context" issues. It does not simply stand "out there" on its own.
- 1. The issue of man's fallenness does corrupt what he might "wish" another would do to him. For instance, what fallen man "wishes" to be held accountable for his evil? So, does this text restrict both him and others from holding people accountable for their evil? Does a juror refuse to declare a man guilty because he/she would not like to be declared guilty? In this illustration, there is a larger issue: does anyone really wish to be treated unjustly? If one wants fair play from others, one must play fair with others even if it means their loss.
- 2. The general tenor of the immediate context is decidedly "maintaining one's integrity" and "meeting needs" in the context of "doing good" and "loving one's enemies". Thus, we cannot take this "golden rule" out of this general context and simply say that it should be allowed to guide us in our choices.
- B. At issue: one must understand one's "wishes".
- 1. All "wishes", but one, are "servant-wishes" and, as such, are subject to the questions of "wisdom". Do you really "want" someone to do "that" to you? What if "that" is a misguided practice that only looks like it will be beneficial, but turns out to be horribly destructive? For instance, Paul told Timothy to bypass immature believers from his consideration of church leaders because it can easily lift one up in pride and bring on the condemnation of the devil. Most men "think" they want to be "recognized" as capable of serving as a church leader, but how many of them really want to be condemned like the devil? Most folks think they would "like" to have some rich person die and leave them a fortune in their will, but studies have shown that a financial windfall almost never turns out to be beneficial.
- 2. Thus, all "wishes" need to be examined under the standards of wisdom. And one of the most problematical issues of "wisdom" is the very real issue that there are very few acts that affect only one other person. Letting a guilty person go free has ramifications in respect to those others who were also affected by their crime. Doing anything to another person is seldom an act that only affects that other person.
- C. The real issue: not what you wish others to do to you, but what you are going to do to them.
- 1. If you would like for someone to give a great deal of money to you, that is to guide you into giving a great deal of money to another.
- 2. The issue with most men is their focus upon how they wish to be treated, but it suddenly breaks down if that wall is ever breached and they see that they are to treat others as they wish to be treated.
- a. If a person is unwilling to treat another in a given way, how can he/she honestly "wish" another would treat him/her that way?
- b. By the same token, if a person really does not wish to be treated in a given way, how can he/she honestly think it is "OK" to treat another in that way?
