The Golden Rule: Matthew 7:12
If we want to spend eternity in heaven, we must practice the golden rule. This rule will determine our eternal destiny in the judgment.
“The standard of the golden rule is the true standard of Christianity; anything short of it is a deception.
“This is the truth as it is in Jesus. When those who profess the name of Christ shall practice the principles of the golden rule, the same power will attend the gospel as in apostolic times.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 136, 137
“Every unjust act toward a fellow-mortal, though he be the veriest sinner, is a violation of the golden rule.” The Signs of the Times, December 20, 1883
If we are studying and practicing the golden rule, we will know that an overbearing spirit is not of God, and that harshness and accusation are of the devil. He is the accuser of the brethren.
We need to understand that it is a lack of following the golden rule in all the relations of life that will condemn us in the judgment and bring the wrath of God, rather than His blessing, upon us. This should not be difficult to understand.
What would you think of a person in a boat who sees a man drowning and as the man draws near to and grabs hold of the boat in a desperate effort to save his life, the person in the boat does not offer a helping hand? Instead, he reaches down and breaks the drowning man’s grasp on the boat, leaving him to perish in the dark waters. That drowning man is God’s child for whom an infinite price has been paid.
“Divine love has been stirred to its unfathomable depths for the sake of men … . Heaven stands indignant at the neglect shown to the souls of men. … The sufferings of every man are the sufferings of God’s child, and those who reach out no helping hand to their perishing fellow beings provoke His righteous anger. … To those who claim fellowship with Christ, yet have been indifferent to the needs of their fellow men, He will declare in the great judgment day, ‘I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity.’ Luke 13:27.” The Desire of Ages, 825