Expert: Phillip Senn - 9/18/2008

Question
everyone has absolute morals so the question is where do they come from?
People will give examples to 'prove' the subjections of morals such as:
'Killing babies is sometimes wrong, not always, when the baby is just there  the only thing that will result in its death will be the sadness of its parents and that it dies, In this situation it is wrong to kill the baby
However if a baby has to die or the whole world will die, that would make killing the baby right.'

This is a lie, the whole world dyeing would be worse than the individual baby dying, but that does not make the baby dying good  simply the whole world dying the greater of two evils. also god always offers choice, there is no situation that will occour where sin is an obligation. Jesus died for this.
SO, the question is given that there are people who have conflicting absolute morals where do these morals come from, my initial respose is god but some people belive in false absolute morals, do all absolutes that are not from god ultimatley come from the devil?

Answer
Hi Ben,

Thanks for your question. I do agree that there are absolute moral values. Those absolute moral values, that are based upon the Word of God, come from God. All other values, either absolute or arbitrary, do not come from God. Some would argue that God's laws are arbitrary, because they are dictated by one individual's choice. God cannot make arbitrary choices. His choices are absolute, and are based upon His character, in that He cannot lie, or speak an untruth.

Those that decide for themselves what is an absolute, without any authority apart from their own whims, do not have absolute moral values, but rather have abstract moral values. The Bible is the final authority for the person that has faith in God. All other authority fails when compared to God's Word.

You mentioned the devil. The Scriptures speak of him as that "deceiver". He can make things appear as absolute to those that do not utilize the authority of the Word of God. Usually though, they may be influenced by the devil's trickery, in that he makes them think that they are the final authority, rather than the Word of God. The Scriptures say that men, when tempted, are drawn away by their own lusts. This is not speaking primarily of sexual lusts, but of desires within. Man desires to always consider himself right.

I hope this is helpful in explaining where those "other values" come from.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn