In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12
In the verse above, Jesus gives us a general rule on how to treat people. We’re not to treat people the way they treat us, we’re to treat people the way we would like them to treat us. This is how the Christian is to live.
This is a golden rule indeed! It doesn’t simply forbid petty malice, revenge, cheating and deceit. It does much more. It prevents the need to lay down endless little rules for our conduct in specific cases.
It sweeps away the whole debatable ground with one mighty principle. It shows us a balance and measure, by which everyone may see at once how they should act.
Is there something we wouldn’t like our neighbor to do to us? Then let us always remember that this is the thing we ought not to do to him. Is there a thing we would like our neighbor to do to us? Then this is the very thing we ought to do to him.
– J. C. Ryle