A Few Thoughts About Morals Are Only Personal Opinions

Often we hear objections to Christianity as, “Moral Truths Are a Matter of Personal Opinion.”

Answer: This is the narcissistic view of truth and life. The relativistic view of truth is similar, but it doesn’t have the personality disorders. Both lead to chaos.

B1 Some resources on the narcissistic and/or relativistic view:

C1 Nine Truths Narcissists Will Never Tell You

C2 What is ethical relativism?

C3 Or even Relativism from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

B2 Christian view

C1 What are Relativism and Postmodernism?

C2 What is the Difference Between Absolute and Relative Truth?

C3 You might consider the Book by Nancy Pearcey on Total Truth

D1 The book Total Truth

D2 An interview with Sean McDowell.

Difficulties:

B1 Everyone would then have their own moral standard.

B2 What is right for one, is wrong for another.

B3 Stealing from you, is it right or wrong? Someone/s steal your identity, take all your money and reputation. Is this wrong? You may think it is, but the criminal/s do not. So there cannot be any punishment if every is OK.

B4 This is chaos.

B5 The Bible addresses this:

C1 Judges 17:6 NLT In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

D1 Each person or person group had their own standards of right and wrong.

D2 So there is nothing lawful and nothing unlawful.

C2 It is selfishness. It is the narcissist view of truth.

C3 Psalm 12:4 NLT They say, "We will lie to our hearts' content. Our lips are our own--who can stop us?"

C4 The last days are characterized as such: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

C5 Proverbs 14:12 NLT There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

C6 It results in a society of lawlessness: 1 John 3:4 NRSV Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.

B6 The solution

C1 1 Corinthians 14:33 NLT For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God's holy people.

C2 We should be living in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds that are right in God’s eyes: Deuteronomy 13:18 NIV because you obey the LORD your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in his eyes.

C3 Matthew 6:33 NLT Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

C4 Matthew 7:24 NLT Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.

C5 Christianity has a gospel (humanity’s problem, forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God), a way of thinking (theology), and a way of life (worldview). The New Testament is our source.

John 14:6 NLT Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.