Thanks for your note. You asked a good question.

I think your reasoning would work with someone who has a tender conscience and doesn't want others to hurt. But we all know there are people who don't care whether others hurt. So while the motivation to not want to hurt others could prevent you and like-minded people from doing others harm, others who don't have that motivation will have no constraints. And, I have to add, if the typically tender-hearted person has a day when he or she doesn't care, what will be his/her motivation to do good? If someone responds that it doesn't matter what a person feels like, that it's good to not make others suffer, then we're back with a moral law again.

A fixed moral law, grounded in the nature and will of God, taught in Scripture, and reflected in His universe, provides an objective standard against which we can measure our actions, regardless of our personal motivations.

Thanks again for writing. Write again with other questions, if you like. Or if you think my answer isn't correct, write back and we'll talk about it!

Rick Wade

© 2007 Probe Ministries

About the Author

Rick Wade graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a B.A. in communications (radio broadcasting) in 1986. He graduated cum laude in 1990 from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with an M.A. in Christian thought (theology/philosophy of religion) where his studies culminated in a thesis on the apologetics of Carl F.H. Henry. He is currently nearing completion of a Master of Humanities degree at the University of Dallas. Rick's interests focus on apologetics and Christianity and culture with a special interest in issues of special concern in these 'postmodern" days (such as religious pluralism and the matter of truth). Before joining Probe Ministries in February 1997, Rick worked in the ship repair industry in Norfolk, VA. Rick and his family make their home in Garland, Texas.

What is Probe?

Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site at www.probe.org.

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