The thoughts of Jimmy Stephens:

I am not DCT. My view has a lot in common with DCT and natural law theory.

Against DCT, I don’t think commands are the divine items that ground moral facts. I think the language of imperatives presupposes moral facts.

Against natural law, I don’t think moral facts can be exhaustively derived from the created order, thought of as including axiological natures.

With DCT, I do think God’s acts are a necessary condition of moral facts.

With NLT, I think human nature is a necessary condition of moral facts.

My view is that God creates moral facts, but that they are axiological facts grounded in the conjunction of:
– God’s condescended nature
– man’s imago dei
&
– the covenant instituted by God that binds both parties.

For example, it is not enough to say God commands us not to kill for leisure. We can ask, why does God make that imperative?
The reason why murder is wrong is because it violates the law of God (covenant) as it pertains to the value of human life (imago dei) in its derivative value (God’s inherent worthiness).
Sin is always a three-way violation of God’s instituted law, a devaluing of human nature, and a mistreatment of God.