Does God make the rules?

[ultimate777]

Does God decide what is right, what is wrong, and the appropriate consequences of doing wrong? If not, what does decide them? If God does decide what is right and wrong can he change it? Then afterwards can he change it back? Is God incapable of wanting to change what's right and wrong? Is there anything he is incapabable of wanting to do?

Have I made myself clear? If not, please explain.

[Silvertusk]

Does God decide what is right, what is wrong, and the appropriate consequences of doing wrong? If not, what does decide them? If God does decide what is right and wrong can he change it? Then afterwards can he change it back? Is God incapable of wanting to change what's right and wrong? Is there anything he is incapabable of wanting to do?

Have I made myself clear? If not, please explain.

You are hinting on the euthryo dilemma there. Is something good because God says it is makes "good" arbitrary. Or does God do it because it is "good" makes God subordinate to the "good" and therefore not really making him God.

The answer is that God's very nature is good. God is the "good".

[ultimate777]

Does God decide what is right, what is wrong, and the appropriate consequences of doing wrong? If not, what does decide them? If God does decide what is right and wrong can he change it? Then afterwards can he change it back? Is God incapable of wanting to change what's right and wrong? Is there anything he is incapabable of wanting to do?

Have I made myself clear? If not, please explain.

You are hinting on the euthryo dilemma there. Is something good because God says it is makes "good" arbitrary. Or does God do it because it is "good" makes God subordinate to the "good" and therefore not really making him God.

The answer is that God's very nature is good. God is the "good".

You use a strange term, the euthryo dilemma, and then you do not answer the question.

[Danieltwotwenty]

Does God decide what is right, what is wrong, and the appropriate consequences of doing wrong? If not, what does decide them? If God does decide what is right and wrong can he change it? Then afterwards can he change it back? Is God incapable of wanting to change what's right and wrong? Is there anything he is incapabable of wanting to do?

Have I made myself clear? If not, please explain.

You are hinting on the euthryo dilemma there. Is something good because God says it is makes "good" arbitrary. Or does God do it because it is "good" makes God subordinate to the "good" and therefore not really making him God.

The answer is that God's very nature is good. God is the "good".

You use a strange term, the euthryo dilemma, and then you do not answer the question.

Silver did answer the question, the rules are what God is and that is Goodness.

It's not that God makes rules, it is that the rules just are because God is good.

For example love is something that God is, hate is not what God is. It's not that love is a made rule or hate is a made rule, they just exist as either a part of God's nature or they do not.

[neo-x]

Does God decide what is right, what is wrong, and the appropriate consequences of doing wrong? If not, what does decide them? If God does decide what is right and wrong can he change it? Then afterwards can he change it back? Is God incapable of wanting to change what's right and wrong? Is there anything he is incapabable of wanting to do?

Have I made myself clear? If not, please explain.

You are hinting on the euthryo dilemma there. Is something good because God says it is makes "good" arbitrary. Or does God do it because it is "good" makes God subordinate to the "good" and therefore not really making him God.

The answer is that God's very nature is good. God is the "good".

You use a strange term, the euthryo dilemma, and then you do not answer the question.

Silver did answer the question, the rules are what God is and that is Goodness.

It's not that God makes rules, it is that the rules just are because God is good.

For example love is something that God is, hate is not what God is. It's not that love is a made rule or hate is a made rule, they just exist as either a part of God's nature or they do not.

Very well put Dan.

[PaulSacramento]

Does God decide what is right, what is wrong, and the appropriate consequences of doing wrong? If not, what does decide them? If God does decide what is right and wrong can he change it? Then afterwards can he change it back? Is God incapable of wanting to change what's right and wrong? Is there anything he is incapabable of wanting to do?

Have I made myself clear? If not, please explain.

Biblically speaking, from man's POV, Yes God makes the rules and God can "change" His mind.
The bible shows that God can be "argued" with ( Abe and Sodom come to mind) BUT it's hard to know how much of that was for Abe's sake, rather than God being "persuaded" by Abe.
I think that what is viewed as "good" for a certain time and under certain conditions can be viewed as "not good" after that time and conditions are not relative anymore.
The OT Law is a perfect example of such ( the dietary ones for example).
I don't think that the cases where God seems to "change' His mind about what is "right and wrong" as case of that, I think they are cases of MAN being able to handle things better than in the past.
From the other thread where stoning is mentioned, is a perfect example.
I don't think that God ever saw stoning as good BUT it may have been a necessary "good" for the Hebrew people that need an extreme punishment to make them "see" how bad, BAD was.
Once that came to be, stoning was no longer "good".
This wasn't God changing His mind about what was good, but God accommodating what needed to be because of Man.

[Philip]

Another example might be what was necessary for Adam and Eve's children (marrying each other) but that is now (post Leviticus) called incest. Unless a Scripturally unmentioned wife was created via special creation (by God) for Cain - which seems unlikely as Scripture teaches all mankind sprang from Adam and Eve - then, it would appear that Cain married one of his sisters. Plus I would think that at such an early point of the initial population, the eventual dangerous genetic dangers of such a coupling did not yet exist.

[pat34lee]

From the other thread where stoning is mentioned, is a perfect example.
I don't think that God ever saw stoning as good BUT it may have been a necessary "good" for the Hebrew people that need an extreme punishment to make them "see" how bad, BAD was.
Once that came to be, stoning was no longer "good".
This wasn't God changing His mind about what was good, but God accommodating what needed to be because of Man.

I think this just expands a little on what you said. There is a difference between right and wrong (good and evil), and the rules. Good is defined by God, and never changes. Evil is anything done that is not good.

Rules, on the other hand, change with circumstances.