The Platinum Rule

I was in a training for my job recently wherein we were going over a recent personality profile we had taken. I typically enjoy these exercises because they help me understand more about who I am and how I communicate with my co-workers and vise versa. This training was no different in that regard, and I did learn some new things about myself and how I come across to those with whom I work.

However, right at the beginning of the training, the following statement was made (pulled from the work of Dr. Tony Alessandra, which can be found here):

We have all heard about the Golden Rule - and many people aspire to live by it. The Golden Rule is not a panacea. Think about it: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' The Golden Rule implies the basic assumption that other people would like to be treated the way that you like to be treated. The alternative to the Golden Rule is the Platinum Rule: 'Treat others the way they want to be treated.' A-ha! What a difference. The Platinum Rule accommodates the feelings of others.

Here's my question: When did we get smarter than God?

Allow me to clarify. This is something we really like to do. We like to take age-old adages, pithy sayings and colloquialisms and adapt them in such a way as to pack a new punch. "Practice makes perfect" becomes "Perfect practice makes perfect." Motivational speakers make a living on turning a phrase and making it stick. What could be easier than taking a saying we already know and swapping out a word?

By and large, these kinds of adaptations are harmless. But when a biblical principle turned cultural mandate gets then adapted to suit a new cultural mandate, thus making light of the original biblical intent, we tread in dangerous waters. There is a special kind of pride involved when one says, "Yes, that's in the Bible, but I think it should have been said this way instead."

Therefore, let us examine ourselves before we go and make 'improvements' on that which the Lord stated to be of utmost importance in the life of the believer. Further, let us examine the claims of those who are attempting to do just that. Let's look at the Golden Rule in its biblical context and determine if the Platinum Rule is, in fact, redundant and therefore useless.

Exodus 20:1-17

The Ten Commandments. It is from here that Jesus sums up the law by stating that the two great commandments are to love the Lord and love your neighbor. Essentially, the former is the sum of the first four commandments while the latter sums the final six. Therefore, when considering what it means to 'love your neighbor', consider commandments 5-10 (respect your parents, don't kill/commit adultery/steal/lie/covet).

Leviticus 19:9-18

This is where the Golden Rule makes its first appearance as we know it. It comes at the end of the Lord describing how to treat your neighbor, including how to be generous, deal honestly, be fair and kind, and be courteous toward him. The passage concludes with "you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord." Those last four words need to be taken seriously.

Matthew 5:43-48

In the greatest sermon ever preached (the Sermon on the Mount), Jesus adapts the command from Leviticus to include both neighbors (those with whom we have good relationships) and enemies. First, since Jesus was Emmanuel, God with us, He gets to make that call. Second, that means one's neighbor is both friend and enemy. Love goes out to all, and the grounding for that is found in God's common grace for both the believer and the unbeliever. It is a matter of holiness, according to Jesus.

Matthew 22:34-40

Jesus is asked directly which are the greatest commandments. He says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." He then states that everything in the law hinges upon these two commands. Get this in your mind: If either of these falls apart, the whole law falls apart.

Luke 10:25-37

In an expanded edition of the above story, Luke relates how the person who asked Jesus about the greatest commandments tries to get cute, asking Jesus "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus goes on the relate the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the end, even the self-righteous man had to admit that the person who showed mercy to the man on the road was the one who acted neighborly. Again, both friends and enemies are worthy to be considered as 'neighbors' and thus to be loved by those who claim to be in Christ.

For further reference, see also Matthew 19:19, Mark 12:31, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8.

Let us now return to the original statement, the so-called Platinum Rule. Is it really a superior statement than what we have dubbed the Golden Rule? Culturally speaking, it must be admitted that the Golden Rule has been watered down. It does not carry the weight it was intended to carry based on what is plain in Scripture. Nonetheless, the original purpose of the Golden Rule, loving your neighbor, carries with it your neighbor's best interests at heart. At issue is the adaptation of biblical truths for the sake of creating that which is catchy and memorable. We simply do not have that right.