Who Makes the Rules?

  • Where do naturalists believe moral awareness, moral laws, and moral values come from? Most naturalists believe that people are responsible for creating them.
  • What kinds of laws do naturalists create? Laws for Meeting Our Needs and Laws for Fulfilling Our Wants
  • What does the Christian worldview declare about moral laws? that God gives people moral laws based on His absolutely holy character in the hearts (or conscience) of all people and through His written Word, the Bible
    • 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says All Scriptures is inspired by God and is useful

Are Moral Laws Objective or Subjective?

  • True or False: God's moral laws are always objective. True
    • Objective - moral laws exist and are truthful regardless of what people think or feel.
  • For naturalists, moral laws are ______________.      subjective
    • Subjective - moral laws must be determined by what people think and how they feel.

Are Moral Laws Absolute or Relative?

  • God's moral laws are ______________.     absolute
    • Absolute - moral laws are always perfect, pure, unquestionable, and unchangeable (Another word for unchangeable would be immutable).
  • Where did God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses? Mount Sinai
    • What is Exodus 20 called? Decalogue
    • What does Decalogue mean? ten commandments
  • Naturalists believe that moral laws and values can change. These changes are always related to the situation (relative)
    • Relative - moral laws are determined in relation to each situation
  • Can something be relative and absolute at the same time? No that's a contradiction

Are Moral Laws Universal or Local?

  • God's moral laws are not local. They are universal.
    • Local - including or applying to only some people in certain locations and at certain times
    • Universal - including or applying to everyone at all times without exception

The Biblical Christian View of Moral Laws and Values

  • God's moral laws are objective, not subjective.
  • Throughout history God has spoken or revealed His objective truths to people. These truths have been recorded by the writers of the Bible, and they have been spoken in Person to us though God's Son, Jesus.
    • God reveals Himself through:
      • creation
        • general revelation - what everyone can generally see
        • Therefore, it is not a good place to get morality because it is imperfect.
      • the Bible
      • Jesus
        • special revelations - what God specially reveals to us
        • Therefore, they are perfect because they are from God
  • God's moral laws are not only objective, they are also absolute, not relative. They are perfect, pure, unquestionable, unchangeable, and eternal.
  • God's moral laws are not only objective and absolute, they are also universal, not loca.l.
    • Romans 1:20, 32 says:
      • Three truths about God
        • He is powerful (v. 20)
        • He is divine (v. 20
        • He is just (v. 32)
          • Since God is just, everyone will be held accountable for their sins
  •   Moral relativism – morals depend on the situation

    ·        Situational ethics – ethics of something depends on the situation

      • Ethics and moral mean the same thing

      • Moral relativism and situational ethics are subjective.

    ·  The word a is an indefinite article because it is like saying “Bring me a marker.”, referring to any marker

    ·         The word the is a definite article because it is like saying “Bring me the marker.”, referring to the specific and only marker

    o    These definite and indefinite articles connect with John 14:6, which says “I am THE way and THE truth and THE life” meaning Jesus is the specific and only way to coming to God.