THE GOLDEN RULE

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 7:12 NKJV).

This rule given by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, is very well-known but not well understood. It is not the way of salvation but the way of Christian conduct. Thus we want to note the essence, the equity, the extent, and the endorsement of the rule.

Essence of the rule - This rule is a summary of the second table of the Law or Ten Commandments. The first table speaks of our relationship to God; the second of our relationship to man. The rule does not say to treat others as they treat you but to treat others as you would have them treat you.

Equity of the rule - This rule is a very equitable. It treats everyone the same way. There is no prejudice, hypocrisy, and selfishness in the rule. This is not about rights but about responsibilities. Unlike the emphasis today on how others treat you, The Golden Rule’s emphasis is about how you treat others.

Extent of the rule – “Whatever you want.” This rule covers a wide area in application and conduct. It is applicable to every day of the week, to every situation, on the job as well as at home, at school as well as at church, at work as well as at play. It is an all-encompassing rule that is to guide everything that we do. There is no time when this rule does not apply. And there is not a man to whom it does not apply.

Endorsement of the rule – “This is the law and the prophets.” This rule has the support of all Scripture. When the Lord Jesus Christ spoke this principle, Scripture consisted of just the Old Testament or as it was sometimes called, “The law and the Prophets.” Thus, this rule is a weighty one; it is supported by the Word of God. There is no better support.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“A Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot!”

Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430)

Theologian and Philosopher

Word Study

Evident

In Rom. 1:19 we read, “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (NASB).

Evident is the Geek word phanerós (φανερός = fan-er-os'). The word means apparent, manifest, evident, to be plainly recognized or known. Phanerós stresses what is visible to sight. In classical Greek phanerós means visible, manifest, that which can be seen. In the Septuagint, phanerós means visible, to make clear. In the New Testament, phanerós carries the idea of becoming plain, disclosure, know. Thus, phanerós describes that which is knowable about the invisible God as readily known, visible, clear, and plain to the eyes. God is not “stuttering” in His Self-Revelation! His revelation in nature is exposed to the general view of all men.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you” (Isa. 35:4 KJV).

Did You Know…

The first person resurrected in the Bible was the widow of Zarephath’s son (1 Kings 17:17-24). Elijah the prophet raised this widow’s son from the dead.

Bible Quiz

According to Proverbs 15, where are the eyes of God?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What did James say about knowing to do good and not doing it? It is sin (Jam. 4:17).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“HEIR OF ALL THINGS”

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds!” (Heb. 1:1-2 NKJV).

1. Meaning – HEIR OF ALL THINGS speaks of the Lord Jesus as the lawful One who will ultimately have control over all creation.

2. Insights – God the Father has appointed His Son heir of all things. An heir rightfully inherits whatever the father has stipulated in his will. The language also denotes the rank and dignity of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God. As the One and only Son, the Lord Jesus inherits everything the Father possesses. However, the Lord Jesus’ claim to all things is not only inherited, but He has an inherent claim to all things. He made the worlds; therefore, as Creator, they belong to Him. It is God the Father’s plan that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, be the heir of all things. The Son is the focus of attention for eternity. Authority and power belong to Him. Incomprehensible! Unfathomable!

Did You Know – Christian History

Charles Marshall was born June 1637, in Bristol, England. He was an early Quaker mystic, medical practitioner, and author.

Marshall was brought up in a religious home. However, because of spiritual doubts joined a youth a company which met once a week for fasting and prayer. Quakers John Audland and John Camm spoke at one of these meetings in 1654. They convinced him that George Fox (founder of the Quakers) had discovered the truth that he was seeking. Marshall joined the small but vigorous sect and became a Quaker.

In 1670 he felt constrained to leave his medical work for a time and preach. Leaving behind his wife and everything he owned, he traveled throughout England, speaking to four hundred meetings in two years. During this preaching tour, he was arrested, and dragged against some rails with such violence by the agents of the court that he was seriously injured. The court fined him 2 pounds a month for not attending the established church. Further, in 1682, Marshall was again thrown into prison because he held Quaker views (Quakers rejected many of the forms and teachings of established churches). He spent two years there. In spite of his preaching and his years in prison, Marshall managed to keep his journal, write a book, and pen many letters.

Marshall is remembered as a man who diligently sought for God. In his journal, The Way of Life Revealed and the Way of Death Discovered, Marshall wrote, “About the eleventh and twelfth years of my life, I not only longed to know the true and living God, but also sought after him...” He was very sensitive to the workings of God in his life. He had his spiritual ups and downs, his times of doubt and coldness. But he also experienced a state of resignation and peace

Marshall returned to his home at Tytherton in Wiltshire, England in 1698 but was unable to go on with his ministry among Quakers; tuberculosis was killing him as he struggled to breathe. Concerned friends soon moved him into John Padley’s house near the river Thames. Charles Marshall died on November 15, 1698.

After his death, it was found out that serving the Lord had not ruined Marshall financially. In fact, he was fairly prosperous, leaving his family a medical practice at Bristol, estates in Pennsylvania, property at Tytherton and Bromhill and shares in a mine in Cumberland.

A Little Humor

Every night, a mother and her young son knelt down beside his bed so he could say his prayers. One night, obviously bored with the same old prayer, the little boy earnestly prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake – can I have breakfast with You in the morning?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Jesus Christ… The Quicker Picker Upper?”