Why Is Arbitrariness Bad

 

Why Is Arbitrariness Bad?

Bodie Hodge M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, November 14, 2024

Have you ever been in a situation where you were asked about something you believe, yet you don’t realize why you believe it? This happens to all of us at some point.

A common response, though incorrect, is to say you "just believe it." But in retrospect, there really isn’t a good reason behind this response. You just believe it. You might even give one or more reasons for why you believe something, but often, none of these answers are logical or reasonable upon further reflection (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

An Illustration

To illustrate, here’s an example: imagine an adult who has a severe headache and asks their 5-year-old what they should do to feel better.

Child: "Eat some chocolate."

Adult: "Why do you believe I should eat chocolate to feel better?"

Child: "I just think it would work."

Adult: "How do you know?"

Child: "I heard that my friend ate chocolate, and he felt better. And if I ate chocolate, I would surely feel better too."

Did the child believe chocolate would help? Yes. But did he have good reasons for this belief? No. Although he gave a reason, he was appealing to his own feelings and to someone else’s alleged experience. However, this reasoning wasn’t logical or reasonable for the situation—even though chocolate is delicious!

This is an example of being “arbitrary.” The child had no good reason to believe what he was saying; it was simply a random opinion or whim. Although he tried to justify it, there was no logical basis for it.

Arbitrariness

There are several ways someone can be arbitrary, including:

• Mere Opinion
• Relativism
• Ignorant Conjecture
• Unargued Bias

Without delving into technical definitions, each of these involves arguing without any substantial support. They are merely unjustified opinions, biases, whims, and conjectures.

As a Bible believer, I hold that God (and by extension, His Word) is the absolute authority on all matters. When people go against God’s Word, they are often arbitrary in their attempts to justify it.

One way to spot arbitrariness is by examining the authority behind the argument. When people rely on themselves or others—saying things like “I feel,” “my opinion is,” “my friend says,” "ancient sages say", or “most scientists believe”—to contradict what God says, they are being arbitrary. Fallible humans have no authority compared to the absolute authority of God and His Word (Isaiah 2:22).

Consider hearing or reading statements from people—even professing Christians—who hold beliefs that clearly contradict God’s Word, and they attempt to justify it with phrases like, “that’s just how I feel” or “I think this route is better” or “I trust what people of another religion are saying.” This, too, is arbitrary.

Notice how these responses rely on personal opinion or appeal to other people’s opinions rather than what God says. You can easily identify the authority behind these statements: “I,” “my feelings,” “my opinion,” “my friend,” “my pastor,” “most scientists,” or “Billy-Joe-Jim-Bob.” Essentially, arbitrariness is one way people try to elevate human ideas above what God says.

Another Illustration

Imagine a professing Christian saying to you:

“I believe in the big bang.”

You respond, “But God disagrees with that in Genesis 1.”

They reply, “But that’s just how I roll.”

You say again, “But God disagrees with that in Genesis 1.”

They counter, “But some secular and Christian scientists believe the big bang is true.”

You repeat, “But God disagrees with that in Genesis 1.”

Finally, they insist, “That’s just how I feel, and you need to respect that.”

Did you notice how this conversation went nowhere? They continued to reject what God says, appealing to themselves and to the arbitrary beliefs of secular scientists and Christians who have been influenced by secular humanism (Colossians 2:8). Eventually, they expect you to give up what God says to respect their opinion.

A good question to get to the heart of the issue is:

“By what authority do you or these secular scientists challenge God’s absolute authority?”

At that point, it’s back to God versus the ideas of fallible, sinful humans. Any professing Christian should realize they are asserting their authority above God’s—an enormous theological error.

This error is pervasive in our culture and even within the church. People often believe their opinions hold weight and that others should bow to those opinions—even, at times, by force. We are seeing this Sexual Immorality Movement (SIM) today particularly at a political, educational, and sports level (Consider Romans 1:18-32).

Conclusion

But this is not how God operates. God does not submit to mere opinions, whims, biases, and conjectures that oppose His Word but is a logical and reasoning God (Isaiah 1:18). Instead, those who deviate from His standard will be judged against it (John 12:48). This is an essential lesson in humility: returning to God’s Word—especially when confronted with its truth (according to the plain, straightforward meaning based on the historical-grammatical approach to interpretation; e.g., Proverbs 8:8-9, 2 Corinthians 4:2).

Sadly, we’ve all been arbitrary at some points in our lives—I’m no exception. Arbitrariness is flawed. This irrational approach causes us to elevate our own thoughts above God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:9), making ourselves a “god” by suppressing His authority in favor of our own. How foolish.

The key is to humble ourselves in repentance and return to God’s Word (e.g., James 4:11; 2 Peter 3:9). Let God be God, and let His authority reign—not ours.