“Nor is there
salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)
Let’s start out today’s sermon with a quiz.
Is that all right? The following material is taken from an article featuring
Nathan Tierney, a teacher of business ethics at California Lutheran University.
It’s called “Do Unto Others… Embracing Accountability,”
and it was in the “Long Beach Press Telegram,”
dated November 24, 2007. Tierney said, “You can be
ethical, but not religious; yet a truly religious person cannot be unethical.”
He spoke of “a dramatic surge in ethics training”
in business.
The article included a comparison of the “Golden Rule,” which is found in various religions. Here
they are, and your quiz for today is to find the difference(s) between these “Golden Rules” as they are expressed in religions around
the world. If there is one that is truly different, that difference is your
answer to today’s quiz. They are listed clockwise from the top as expressed in
the article:
“Lay not on any
soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for
anyone the things you would not desire for yourself” – Baha’u’llah,
Gleanings
“Don’t create
enmity with anyone as God is within everyone” – Sikhism, Guru Granth
Sahib
“Do to others
whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets”
– Jesus Christ, in Matthew 7:12
“Do not do to
others what you do not want done to yourself” – Confucius
“What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man.
That is the entire law. All the rest is commentary” – Talmud, Shabbat
31a
“This is the sum
of duty: Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you” –
Hinduism, Mahabharata 5.1517
“No one of you is
a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for
himself” – Islam, Sunnah
“Hurt not others
in ways that you yourself would find hurtful” – Buddhism, Udana-Varga
5,1
The first thing a reader will notice, as
the article intended, is the striking similarity between the “Golden Rules” of
ALL these religions. “Don’t harm others” would change the world overnight if
such an idea could spread throughout humanity. It won’t, of course, because the
Law, represented by all of these “Rules,” only makes us aware that something is
wrong inside us all. Even those who want to do better find it is like gravity –
we want to soar upward, but something like a force is pulling us back. Paul the
Apostle, who noticed this in himself and others, commented: “I find… the principle that evil is present in me, the one who
wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the Law of God in the inner man,
but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law
of my mind…” (Romans 7:21-23).
All right, let’s return to the quiz
mentioned earlier. The question was: What are the difference(s) between these
“Golden Rules” as they are expressed in religions around the world? There are
indeed certain differences. For example, the Sikh religion in our example states
that God “is within everyone.” That’s certainly a
difference, for some of the other religions, many within Christianity included,
would disagree. Another interesting difference is found in the “negative” and
“positive” approach to the “rules” in question. Of the eight “rules” within
these examples, only two are “positive” in nature. They are: Christianity and
Islam. All the others say, “Do not do…” whereas these two say, “DO” something
positive for others. But here’s the answer to the question in the quiz: Jesus
said, “Do unto others whatever you would have them do to
you” (Matthew 7:12), whereas Islam says you must “do for
(your) brother.”
In other words, by comparing these two
final contestants, you’ll notice that Islam, the Moslem religion, commands its
adherents to do good things for a “brother,” which
is to say - another Muslim. Jesus, on the other hand, did not limit the doing of
good. We are to be kind and good to EVERYONE who comes our way. Not only for the
relative in our family or the “brother” in our religious faith, but everyone,
including the one who would do us harm; and the one who has no regard at all for
who we are or what we believe.
In all of the eight examples, we are to
avoid actions that would harm others. But only Jesus tells us to actively
promote good works in the lives of everybody. Even the one other “rule” that
includes a positive command to help others is only about those within their own
religion. I think everyone wants to believe that Almighty God will be fair to
everyone, and the only statement out of the eight that is truly fair; reaching
out to all humanity rather than just to “our” group, is the one uttered by Jesus
Christ. God the Father, as He expressed Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ,
really cares about what happens to us all. This is not limited those who “play
by the rules” as we see them, but – it is to everyone. He loves you and me.
The day before we left for Arizona last
week, Robbie went to be with the Lord. He’s the teenager who had a heart
transplant at age 4, another one at 14, and the medications he was given so that
his body would not reject the transplant gave him lymphoma, a very bad form of
cancer. He fought, but did not win this one. While we were in Arizona, we
attended a ceremony for five boys who had completed their projects and became
Eagle Scouts. One of them was our grandson, Jack, and another one was named
Peter. Peter was legally blind during his short life and he died before
completing his project. The other boys completed it for him and he was honored
posthumously. Peter died. Robbie died. Life is not the same for everyone, and
it’s reasonable to wonder - What about those who die as teenagers, like Robbie
and Peter? What about two of my other grandchildren who have Muscular Dystrophy?
The article in the newspaper stressed
ethics and accountability – we should treat others well. Jesus said much the
same: “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them”
(Matthew 7:12). Jesus KNOWS that we would give our lives if our grandchildren
could live, but something even greater is here. Jesus gave His life for us all.
Our Lord takes ethical responsibility to another level – we are to openly trust
in Him who gave it all for us and be willing to tell others about what He has
done.
As today’s Scripture says of Jesus Christ,
there is no “salvation in any other, for there is no other
name under heaven among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Robbie is with the Lord and so is Peter. So many would be lost except that God
made it ethical and simple so that all who trust in the Lord will be saved. God’s “Golden Rule” is to trust in Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus, we ask forgiveness and we
trust in You now. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
