Are Morals Relative or Absolute?
There’s a teaching going on nowadays, that morals are relative. We believe that morals are absolute. In the Bible, there’s such things as right and wrong, and that if God says it’s wrong, then it’s wrong. How can we tell which one is right and which one is wrong? That’s the question. Is it true what people say?
Everyone’s Own Walk with God Differs
First of all, we are going to explain right here in Romans 14. Being very honest, it is true that there are some things that may be considered wrong to people but then to other people it may not be really wrong. We can understand that, because of different circumstances, cultures and situations. We recognize that. The Bible also recognizes that too, because in Romans 14, it says that everyone has a different conviction, and it’s between him and God that can tell if that particular action is right or wrong.
Romans 14:2-5
‘For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yes, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.’
In verses 1 through 5, it’s talking about certain diets, certain food choices that people eat, where one person will say, ‘Hey, I cannot eat that. Between me and God, it’s not the right thing to do.’ But to a different Christian, he or she might say, ‘No, it’s okay, I can eat that particular food.’
For example, a brother might have a clear conscience drinking three or how many cups of coffee a day. He might think it’s okay in his conscience to God, but for me, it’s like, “No, it’s wrong between me and God.” So that’s how different convictions are, and I believe that I’m right and he’s wrong.
The point is, that there are other people who celebrate certain days and other people who don’t celebrate certain days. It is understandable that different cultures, circumstances, and one’s own walk with God (the most important thing to a Christian) are going to vary. God is saying, “don’t judge each other concerning that,” because here’s the key in Romans 14:6:
Romans 14:6:
‘He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.’
According to these verses, the reason why convictions will vary is because how people personally feel between them and God. This is an extremely important note how you can draw the dividing line on different convictions, which one’s right, and which one’s wrong. The first thing is that we’ve got to feel like, can we have a clean conscience between ourselves and God. If God were to judge us right in front of our faces, that with Jesus present, right next to us, can we have a clear conscience to do that? Notice verse 6 says ‘regardeth it unto the Lord’, it’s between us and God.
The Answer is Between You and God
We are going to look at verse 14. Here’s another key. Notice in verse 14, Paul says he’s fully persuaded that he can do this, and then there are other people who feel like that they cannot do this.
Romans 14:14
‘I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.’
We’re also going to look at verse 20. It’s a very important note right here.
Romans 14:20
‘For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.’
Paul says at verse 20, that all things are pure to that person, him and God, whereas to another person, it may feel like an offence. Therefore, if one’s fully persuaded, with the Lord present in one’s heart, and one has a sincere, and honest heart about it, then the Lord will not deem it evil. This can be a great passage, where a lot of people today will accuse Christians, that we are not supposed to judge them for what they do. To us it may seem like it’s wrong, but to them it’s not wrong.
How one personally feels with one’s relationship with God is not wrong. Who are us to tell them that this is wrong, why are we churches teaching and preaching that? That’s what people will say.
Romans 14 is true, but here’s the problem, when they fail to look at Romans 14. It’s between them and God. Yes, there are certain things in life that God (the verses in the Bible) doesn’t say it’s right or wrong, with drinking coffee, or observing a certain day or a certain diet, for example.
However, if God does say something is wrong, then that’s plain as day between one and God. It doesn’t matter how one personally feels, because everyone’s emotions and feelings cannot be relied on. That doesn’t make sense a lot of times.
Between one and God and what God says, if it’s wrong, it doesn’t matter how one feels if He says it’s wrong, then between one and God, one definitely knows it’s wrong.
Morals are Not Relative
Therefore, we strongly disagree that everything is relative. It’s very important to understand that things are relative when the basis is, it’s between one and God, outside of the Bible. Outside of the Bible, if God doesn’t say it clearly, things are going to be relative based on between you and God. But then, inside the Bible, if the Bible clearly says something that’s wrong, then you know that there is something that is not relative.
We can’t honestly say, that everything is relative nowadays because if we keep insisting like, ‘Well, it’s just how I feel what’s right, it’s just my perception, my conception of moral. It differs from your perception, your conception of moral. What if the Neo-Nazis today supporting his white supremacy argument and defending Hitler, says, ‘What I believe in, you should respect that and that’s just my conception,’ and they sincerely believe that. Adolf Hitler and these Nazis were willing to die for their country. They really believe what they did was the right thing to do. But is it obviously right what they did? No, it’s obviously not true.
One can’t honestly say that everything is relative. If someone were to all of a sudden come out and stab one of one’s loved ones, would one feel like that he or she has been wronged? Yes. And would one not feel like there has to be justice for that? Yes. But what if the murderer went to court and use this argument like, ‘Well, that’s just how you perceive morals, for me I don’t perceive it that way.’
That’s a very silly and non-sensical argument. That doesn’t work, especially with people grieving over their loved one who was stabbed by that murderer. To them, they feel like they’ve been wronged.
As a matter of fact, even in our court system, it’s not perfect. There are criminals who walk away with their crimes legally because there’s not enough evidence and the people who’ve been wronged, it doesn’t matter if it was legal or not, they know it’s wrong and they’ve been wronged. It doesn’t change that fact.
To be very honest, there’s no such thing as a person who believes everything is relative. No one in their right mind would believe that if someone were to stab our loved one, we are definitely not going to say this is relative. There are absolutes. There’s no doubt about that.
Another example is, one doesn’t want one’s child to become unhealthy. If the child just keeps eating a lot of cookies, and one says, ‘No, you can’t do that.’ One can’t go in a long argument and explanation why the child can’t eat too many cookies, and then scientifically prove why it’s unhealthy and all that. One just simply tells them, especially if the child is too young, ‘It’s not good for you, it’s bad for your health’.
The little kids may always ask why, but one knows one can’t keep answering all the time because it’s going to give one a headache, and it’s going to be hard to explain it to them. Moreover, they’re not going to really understand it anyway.
If one can understand that in everyday life, why not with God, whose mind is so much more infinite than yours? He knows past, present, future. He knows the history of man. Who are we to keep saying to God, why why why?
Because no matter how many times you say why why why, your mind can never comprehend God’s mind and level. His word goes from the beginning, Genesis, to the end, Revelations. He knows past, present and future of what mankind’s actions and thoughts will do. He knows that what you are going to do tomorrow because He is omniscient, all-knowing. Therefore, in our minds, we might think just like little children or other people, they might feel like that there’s nothing wrong with what they do, but they fail to understand that they’ve got an all-powerful being. If such a being exists, and if such a being know past, present and future, He’s going to know, and He does have the right to say this is wrong and this is right, because he has more intelligence than us.
Perfect vs. Imperfect Authority
We are going to look at Psalms 25:8.
Psalms 25:8
‘Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.’
Let’s ask a very simple question. Are you a perfect person? Have you never committed one single immoral or wrong action before in your life? Of course not. But there is one person who is perfect in morals, only one person. If we’ve got a being, who’s so perfect in morals, who are you, an immoral person, a sinner, to tell God, ‘No, that’s not wrong’. You have no right. The gap is especially great comparing yourself to God, when He is so perfect.
What makes more sense? Don’t go by how you feel now. That’s the problem with people. People go by how they feel like what’s right and wrong. The Nazis really felt, sincerely, that what they did was right. Even if you are sincere, you can be sincerely wrong. The greatest evidence is today’s politics. A lot of the politicians can be sincere in what they do. That doesn’t mean that they’re all right.
Who has the right to tell you which ones right and which ones are wrong? A person who not only never committed a sin before, but also knows past, present and future and what’s going to happen. Wouldn’t He make more sense as a perfect authority if this is a right or wrong action? It’s not a matter of you Christians are biased; and you churches are so biased and very judgmental.
The point is we only go by what God says because God has the right to decide which one’s right and which one’s wrong. Because He’s far more intelligent than you and I. He knows past, present and future. He’s perfect. If God is perfect, shouldn’t what he said be the judgement of what’s right and wrong?
If someone were to tell you, this is wrong, what’s going to be the basis? What would be the most rational, the thing that would make most sense on being the standard, the rule of what’s right and wrong? The word of God.
If the Bible says this is wrong, that is wrong, then we are going to go by what the Bible says, and not how we personally feel. Nowadays, there are atheists, agnostics, and a lot of people in today’s generation who don’t believe what the Bible says, who questioned the ways of God about what’s right and wrong. But no one has the right to do that, because everyone has sinned. God know past, present and future, God knows men’s nature. We certainly don’t know ourselves.