“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, ESV)
If you were a teen in the 60’s or 70’s, you would have heard a song written by John Lennon in 1971, “Imagine.” The song hit number three on the Billboard 100 and has been sung or played at numerous events since that time. In an interview, John Lennon presented the message of the song. “With ‘Imagine’ we’re asking, can you imagine a world without countries or religions? It’s the same message over and over. And it’s positive.” His philosophy was that we could achieve utopia by eliminating religion and country barriers.
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
However, look at the lyrics that Elton John wrote as a parody contrasting John Lennon’s philosophy with his own lifestyle.
Imagine six apartments
It isn’t hard to do
One is full of fur coats
The other’s full of shoes
You see, contrary to Lennon’s philosophy, the problem with the world was not the institutions. The problem with the world is explained by looking at the philosophers own hypocrisy. In the heart of man, a corruption exists that inevitably foils the good intentions of the intellect. It is the corruption of sin.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented a simple rule, summarizing the Law of God. A rule that we call the “Golden Rule,” which if followed would truly make the world a better place.
He Stated, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, ESV)
We summarize it, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” However, no man can follow this rule with the power of the intellect alone. To live life by this rule requires a transformation of the heart. This is the work of the Spirit, which changes the nature of a person, giving them a new desire to fulfill the purposes of God and gives an inner strength necessary to do it.
Renewing the Heart 