Listen to these words of Jesus about how we should treat others:
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6.27-38
If the world would follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, there would be no war, no conflict and no hatred. There would be no poor people, no suffering from hunger, and no need for courts to enforce laws and protect the innocent. Don’t you wish the world would follow the teachings of Jesus? However, even those who say they are followers of Jesus have great difficulty in following these teachings.
We need to look at one very important thing in these verses from Luke 6. Jesus Christ saw morality (the sense of right and wrong) in the character of God himself. What makes something good or evil is its relationship to God. If something is like God, such as mercy, a generous spirit, or kindness, then it is good. If something is not like God, then it is sin. This is the only way of thinking that can give us the ability to know right and wrong. There are many religions in the world, but only the teachings of Jesus make right and wrong very clear. He showed the heart of what makes things right or wrong—God’s heart. It is not the customs of a prophet or the actions of a man that can determine what is eternally right or wrong. It is only the heart of God Himself. Nothing is holy unless God makes it holy. Nothing is right or wrong unless we see it the way God sees it. Then it becomes clear. The teachings of Jesus give us this understanding and reveal the character and heart of God.