Navigating Golden Rule Conflicts with God's Will in Decision Making
The Golden Rule, "Do to others as you would like them to do to you" (Luke 6:31), is presented in Jesus' teaching as the fundamental ethic governing all behavior, including love for enemies [9]. While this principle appears in various forms across different religious and philosophical traditions, its application within a Christian framework often intersects with the concept of God's will, leading to potential conflicts in decision-making. These conflicts arise when an individual perceives a tension between what the Golden Rule seems to demand and what they understand to be God's specific directives or character.
One area where such tension can emerge is in understanding God's justice and righteousness. The prophet Jeremiah, for instance, took the liberty to "reason with God concerning his judgments," not to quarrel, but to understand their meaning and find satisfaction in them [11]. Similarly, Abraham questioned God about the destruction of Sodom, wondering how God could destroy the righteous with the wicked. Yet, Abraham maintained the principle that God, as the Judge of the world, could not "in the least degree swerve from righteousness" [8]. This highlights a foundational belief that God's will is inherently just, even when human understanding struggles to reconcile it with perceived outcomes or commands. The question "Does God give wrong decisions? or is the Ruler of all not upright in his judging?" (Job 8:3 BBE) directly addresses this concern, asserting God's unwavering rectitude [1].
The tension between human understanding of fairness and divine action is also evident in theological discussions about God's sovereignty and election. Paul's doctrine that God chooses some and rejects others, "not on account of their works, but purely in the exercise of His own good pleasure," prompted the objection, "Is there unrighteousness with God?" The answer, "God forbid," underscores the conviction that God's actions, though sometimes beyond human comprehension, are never unjust [4]. John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on Acts & Romans, addresses similar objections regarding God's dealings with Jews and Gentiles, arguing that God's promises are not rendered void even if some do not believe, and that God's justice remains intact despite differing outcomes for various groups [7].
Another source of conflict arises from the internal struggle between one's sinful nature and the Spirit of God. Paul describes this as a conflict between "the law of God and the law of sin" (Romans 7:14), a war that rages within believers [3, 5]. This internal battle means that even with the best intentions to follow the Golden Rule, human effort alone is insufficient. The solution, according to Galatians, is not merely human effort at law-keeping, but "living by God’s Spirit" [5]. Matthew Henry notes that God's Spirit strives with humanity, but if provoked by resistance, can cease to strive, leading to a loss of religion [10]. This suggests that discerning and aligning with God's will, and thus properly applying the Golden Rule, requires spiritual sensitivity and reliance on the Holy Spirit, rather than solely on human reasoning or sentiment.
In practical decision-making, when matters are "too hard for you in judgment," the Old Testament prescribed seeking divine guidance in a designated place [2]. This principle suggests that complex ethical dilemmas, where the application of the Golden Rule might seem ambiguous or conflict with other perceived divine commands, require a higher appeal to God's revealed will and wisdom. God's "patience and condescending goodness" are demonstrated in His willingness to reason with individuals, even those who are "bad" or in "bad affairs," to bring them to a "good temper again" and prevent further mischief [6]. This divine engagement implies that God's will is not always immediately obvious but can be discerned through seeking and reasoning with Him.
The challenge in navigating Golden Rule conflicts with God's will often lies in distinguishing between personal preferences or cultural norms and genuine divine directives. The Golden Rule, while foundational, is not an exhaustive ethical system in isolation. It operates within the broader context of God's character, His revealed law, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. For instance, while one might desire others to tolerate their sin, God's will, as revealed in scripture, calls for repentance and holiness. In such a case, applying the Golden Rule would not mean condoning sin, but rather desiring for others the transformative grace and truth that one would want for oneself, consistent with God's redemptive purposes. The ultimate goal is not merely to treat others as one wishes to be treated in a superficial sense, but to desire for them what God desires for them, which is their ultimate good and conformity to His righteous character. This requires a deep understanding of God's nature and His overarching plan, rather than a simplistic or self-serving interpretation of the Golden Rule.
Sources
- Job “Job 8:3 (BBE) — Does God give wrong decisions? or is the Ruler of all not upright in his judging?”
- Deuteronomy “If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates; then you shall arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God chooses. -- Deuteronomy 17:8”
- Romans (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Romans 7:14: Here is a description of the conflict between grace and corruption in the heart, between the law of God and the law of sin. And it is applicable two ways: - 1. To the struggles that are in a convinced soul, but yet unregenerate, in the person of whom it is supposed, by some, that Paul speaks. 2. To the struggles that are in a renewed sanctified soul, but yet in a state of imperfection; as other apprehend. And a great controversy there is of which of these we are to understand the apostle here. So far does the evil prevail here, when he speaks of one sold under sin”
- Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 9:14: What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid--This is the first of two objections to the foregoing doctrine, that God chooses one and rejects another, not on account of their works, but purely in the exercise of His own good pleasure: "This doctrine is inconsistent with the justice of God." The answer to this objection extends to Rom 9:19, where we have the second objection.”
- Galatians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Galatians 5:17: 5:17 We cannot simply decide to keep the law and not sin: A war rages between God’s Spirit and our sinful nature (see Rom 7:14-25; 1 Pet 2:11; cp. Gen 4:7). The answer is not human effort at law-keeping, but living by God’s Spirit. When we are resurrected, we will finally be freed from sin (see Rom 8:18-25).”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 4:6: God is here reasoning with Cain, to convince him of the sin and folly of his anger and discontent, and to bring him into a good temper again, that further mischief might be prevented. It is an instance of God's patience and condescending goodness that he would deal thus tenderly with so bad a man, in so bad an affair. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Thus the father of the prodigal argued the case with the elder son (Luk 15:28, etc.), and God with those Israelites who said, The way of the Lord is not equal, Eze 18:2”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on Acts & Romans: The passage iii. 1–8 considers four possible objections. (1) “This placing of Jews and Gentiles in the same condition, takes away all the theocratic prerogatives.” ( v. 1 .) No, answers Paul, they have a great advantage as to light and privilege, though none as to righteousness. ( v. 2 .) (2) “They have the O.T. scriptures, you say; but what if those scriptures have not attained their end in bringing the Jews to believe in Jesus as the Messiah? If some have not believed, does not that render void God’s promises to his people in the O.T., so that he i”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 22.26: unjust. I grant that, in using the same form of speaking, the impious often murmur against God, but Abraham does far otherwise. For although he wonders how God should think of destroying Sodom, in which he was persuaded there was a number of good men; he yet retains this principle, that it was impossible for God, who is the Judge of the world, and by nature loves equity yea, whose will is the law of justice and rectitude, should in the least degree swerve from righteousness. He desires, however, to be relieved from this difficult”
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 6:31: 6:31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you: While the Golden Rule appears in some form in various religious and philosophical traditions, only in Jesus’ teaching is love for all people, including enemies, the fundamental ethic that governs all behavior.”
- Genesis (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Genesis 6:3: This comes in here as a token of God's displeasure at those who married strange wives; he threatens to withdraw from them his Spirit, whom they had grieved by such marriages, contrary to their convictions: fleshly lusts are often punished with spiritual judgments, the sorest of all judgments. Or as another occasion of the great wickedness of the old world; the Spirit of the Lord, being provoked by their resistance of his motions, ceased to strive with them, and then all religion was soon lost among them. This he warns them of before, that they might not further ve”
- Jeremiah (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Jeremiah 12:1: The prophet doubts not but it would be of use to others to know what had passed between God and his soul, what temptations he had been assaulted with and how he had got over them; and therefore he here tells us, I. What liberty he humbly took, and was graciously allowed him, to reason with God concerning his judgments, Jer 12:1. He is about to plead with God, not to quarrel with him, or find fault with his proceedings, but to enquire into the meaning of them, that he might more and more see reason to be satisfied in them, and might have wherewith to answer both ”