📖 Biblical Definition
"Absolute" describes that which is unconditioned, complete in itself, and not dependent on anything else for its existence or definition. In Christian theology only God is absolute: only He is necessary; everything else is contingent — dependent on Him for being, sustenance, and meaning. "In him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28); "by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17). Moral absolutes exist because they are rooted in God’s unchanging character — not arbitrary preferences but His own nature expressed in law. The modern denial of absolutes is therefore not just a philosophical position; it is a denial of the God who is. The Christian holds absolutes precisely because he confesses an absolute God.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Free from limitation or dependence; unconditional; complete in itself; in theology, the divine attribute of being self-contained and self-sufficient.
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ABSOLUTE, adj. Unconditional; complete in itself; free from limit, restriction, or qualification.
Theologically: only God is absolute. He is a se (from Himself); He needs nothing; He depends on nothing; His being is not contingent. Every creature, every law, every moment is contingent on Him. In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).
📖 Key Scripture
Exodus 3:14 — "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM."
Acts 17:28 — "For in him we live, and move, and have our being."
Hebrews 6:18 — "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation."
Malachi 3:6 — "For I am the LORD, I change not."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern relativism denies all absolutes; Scripture grounds the household's peace in the absolute God whose word is therefore also absolute.
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Postmodernism's slogan "there are no absolutes" is itself an absolute claim — a self-defeating proposition. Relativism is marketed as humility ("who am I to say?") but functions as a refusal to be governed by anything outside the self. The corruption is making relativism feel like virtue while it is in fact the proud heart's refusal of authority.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Latin absolutus with theological extension.
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Latin absolutus — loosed from, complete; from ab (from) plus solvere (to loosen).
Note: theological category ‘the Absolute’ was used by 19th-century philosophers (Hegel especially) to refer to ultimate reality; the Christian Absolute is the personal triune God.
Usage
"Only God is absolute; everything else is contingent."
"Relativism is a self-defeating absolute claim."
"I AM THAT I AM — the great Old Testament name of pure being."