The golden rule goes beyond just a Sunday School or kindergarten lesson. It is actually a very valuable piece of moral and ethical wisdom that can be widely applied throughout our lives.
The golden rule captures the sentiment of the moral guidelines in the law of the Old Testament, which is what Jesus was referring to in Matthew 7:12. Loving your neighbor as yourself is considered one of the most important of the Ten Commandments, next to loving God, according to Jesus in Matthew 22. The golden rule relates to this commandment, explaining that in all things, loving your neighbor as yourself means to treat them the way you want to be treated.
The guidelines for how to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God can be summarized by this one rule, making it very applicable. It is the main message behind a huge portion of our Bibles and the most important piece of our moral framework. The golden rule applies to how we should develop our moral codes and how we should behave in our daily interactions with friends, family and acquaintances. Yes, it even applies to how we should treat our enemies.