The Moral Argument

On Sunday, October 12, 2025, Cole Tuck delivered a compelling sermon titled “The Moral Argument” as part of the Christian Evidence series at Avenue T Church of Christ. The sermon focused on the moral argument for God’s existence, emphasizing that objective morality—universal standards of good and evil—requires a transcendent moral lawgiver.

Cole argued that if objective morality exists, it can only be grounded in God, and since objective morality is evident in human experience, God must exist. He contrasted this with subjective morality, which reduces right and wrong to personal or cultural opinions, leading to inconsistencies and moral relativism.

Cole addressed alternative explanations for morality, such as individual choice, societal norms, evolution, science, and government, demonstrating their inadequacy in providing a foundation for objective morality. He also resolved the Euthyphro dilemma, asserting that God’s nature is the standard of goodness, neither arbitrary nor external. The sermon concluded with a call to recognize that humans, made in God’s image, instinctively acknowledge objective morality, reinforcing the argument for God’s existence.

Talking Points

1. Objective Morality Requires a Moral Lawgiver: Objective moral laws, which apply universally across all times and cultures, necessitate a transcendent, intelligent, and good moral lawgiver, which points to God’s existence.
2. Failure of Alternative Explanations: Subjective morality based on individual choice, societal norms, evolution, science, or government fails to account for universal moral standards, as these sources are inconsistent, relative, or incapable of defining moral values.
3. Universal Moral Awareness: Across all cultures, humans exhibit a shared sense of right and wrong, suggesting morality is discovered, not created, akin to universal laws like gravity or mathematics.
4. Moral Outrage and Guilt: Human reactions to injustice and the instinct to justify moral failings demonstrate an innate recognition of objective morality.
5. Resolving the Euthyphro Dilemma: Goodness is neither arbitrary nor external to God; it flows from His unchanging nature, making Him the standard of morality, like a meter bar defines length.
6. Human Dignity and God’s Image: Humans, created in God’s image, instinctively live as if good and evil are real, even when denying objective morality, highlighting the consistency of the moral argument.