Golden Rule

The most common statement of the Golden Rule is probably “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This moral teaching appears twice in the New Testament. Matthew 7:12 in the New Revised Version of the Bible reads, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” The reference to “the law” is to the Torah, the first five books of the Jewish scriptures. Luke 6:31 in the New Revised Version reads, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Both Gospels attribute this teaching to Jesus.

The Golden Rule urges us to put ourselves in the place of others, to see the world through their eyes, to act on our empathy. It affirms our common humanity.

In this respect, it is not unique to Christian teaching, although other forms of the same moral rule are generally expressed as a prohibition. At the beginning of the first century, Hillel, a leading rabbi in Jerusalem, taught, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow men. This is the entire law: all the rest is commentary” (Talmud, Shabbat 31a). Two centuries earlier, a Chinese compilation of teachings attributed to Confucius asserted, “Surely it is a maxim of loving kindness: Do not unto others that you would not have them do unto you” (Analects 15:23). Similarly, a collection of Buddhist teachings includes the statement, “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful” (Udana-Varga 5:18).

The Golden Rule should not be confused with consequential reasoning. It does not say, “To get others to treat you fairly, you should treat them fairly.” Confucian, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian teachings affirm what is right and good, not what is expedient. The Golden Rule is not a calculation as to how we may achieve what we want but an affirmation of what we should do and the persons we should be.

The Gospel of Matthew explains that this commandment sums up God's revelation through Moses and the prophets of ancient Israel. The Gospel of Luke introduces the Golden Rule with the well-known teachings attributed to Jesus: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. … If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also” (6:27–29). In the Gospel of Matthew, the same teachings are presented earlier (5:38–40) in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount, which includes the Golden Rule in its conclusion.

Christian teaching not only reaffirms a traditional moral maxim but also transforms it. In the New Testament, the Golden Rule becomes the rule of love: