Don't worry, no dilemma. :) It's actually quite simple. On the subject of morality and good..here's my answers in detail:
God is good. Anything He does/says/ect. is ultimately good. To explain this, look at the interesting origin of the word "good" The word good = derived from "O.E. god" "having the right or desirable quality," from P.Gmc. which interestingly enough, look at the origin of the word GOD--> O.E. god "supreme being, deity." They are the same. Yes, that's right..the word billions of people in history, cultures, and languages understand (God) is derived from the word GOOD. Morality and good can NOT be defined by what fallible and carnal man decides, as it is ever changing and unreliable but by the all-powerful, omnipresent, omniscient God. Man never seems to get it right. (i.e. Hitler thought he was doing good by destroying an innocent race, suicide bombers think they are doing good by killing Christian heretics, some societies think it is good to kill unborn babies for the mother's convenience), so with the preconceived understanding that good and morality depend upon one's definition of the word, morality takes on a new meaning. If one is a true Christian and believes in God then they would automatically acknowledge that God is good and the basis for morality. This is how God and good relate:
God is not good because He does good things; things are good because God does them. You see, God is the standard of good, so I guess to answer your question about if something is acceptable because of God, then yes, it is good. You see, God has also given mankind that standard of good in something called a conscience. It says this in the Bible in Romans 2:15 (NKJV) "who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them" and also see Hebrews 10:16.
For example, God, in his ten commandments gives the law "Thou shalt not steal." see Exodus 20. If I were to steal something or in your example, torture an innocent person, my conscience would be screaming at me and telling me it is wrong. This is God's way of secretly informing all of us concerning what is "good" and what is not. Now, there is such a thing as a seared conscience. Guilt is the feeling produced by a violated conscience. The Bible speaks of a "good" conscience, and among other things, a "seared" conscience. A seared conscience is one that has lost its life on the outside, like a seared steak. The conscience has become callous so that it loses its ability to feel guilt.
To put it another way, if one dulls their conscience so that they don’t feel guilt, they are like a man who removes the batteries from his smoke detector, because he doesn’t want to be disturbed by its alarming sound. The conscience is there to warn you, and it should drive you to the mercy of God in Christ. That may not seem like a big deal now, but it will on Judgment Day. When it comes to morality, men usually define what they do as "good" because they do not feel guilty. Again, it doesn't matter whether one feels guilty. Even if one has hardened his or her conscience so you they no longer hear it, they still are guilty before a righteous God. The God-given sense of guilt is there to warn you of your condition of guilt so you'll do something about it.
Finally, to answer your question, there is no such thing as "one's label of morality." There is and can only be one true morality, and man does not decide this. When people base their actions on their own idea of morality, then disastrous consequences results. Hello chaos.
Morality is not something people can argue over whether one's view is better--because even for one to determine that a certain standard of morality is "better" than the other, you have to hold both to a higher absolute standard. Morality is not debatable. Morality is an absolute, and God is that absolute standard. To those who deny God, morality becomes quite a confusing issue, because God is no longer the standard, and fallible man is left to muse and ponder.
It's very simple.
God IS Good.
Good IS God.
God IS the reason it is good. Good is good because it is God. You cannot separate the two. The reason IS God.
That may be a little difficult to grasp for those who label good and morality based on what they personally embrace and those who deny God, but when you understand Good being God, and God being Good, then it makes perfect sense. Those who deny God are really left to their own fallible choices. And I noticed one answer said that "Christians" have done horrible things in the name of God.I'm sorry, but if they are referring to the true God, then those were not true Christians, and simply hypocrites. There is something known as false conversion. For example, people who claim to have been Christians and became atheists were never Christians in the first place..because to be a Christian, one must have a relationship with God and know God. You cannot know God and then deny His existence. People nowadays toss the word "Christian" around as a social category. But a true Christian is one who acknowledges their need for the Savior, repents, follows the law of God, bears fruit, and follows Christ in everything they do. Now yes, people make mistakes, but a true Christian falls into sin whereas a false convert dives into it. The true Christian sins against his will, whereas a false Christian sins because of his will. The true believer brings forth the fruit of a new lifestyle, a lifestyle that is pleasing in the sight of Almighty God. If we are rooted and grounded in Christ, it should be evident. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in Me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit.” Colossians 1, speaking of the gospel, says “the gospel brings forth fruit in the believer.”
Okay, what does the Bible mean when it speaks of fruit? Specifically? Well, #1, the fruit of repentance (Matthew
3:8).
I remember reading some years ago about a store that said in a newspaper they found a brown paper bag outside
their door on a Monday morning. They opened it up and there was a pair of pants and a note that said, “I stole
these from you on Friday, became a Christian on Sunday. Here’s the pants Monday. I’m sorry.” That’s fruit of
repentance.
Secondly, the fruit of good works. Colossians 1:10
Number three, the fruit of thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15). I mean, if you’re soundly saved, there should be a cry
within your heart, “thanks be to God for the unspeakable gift.”
Number four, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It should be evident in, “love, joy, peace, patience, goodness,
gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance.”
Number five, the fruit of righteousness (Philippians 1:11). There should be the fruit of that which is right, the fruit of
righteousness in your lifestyle. Remember Matthew 3:10 says, “every tree that brings not forth good fruit will be cut
down and cast into the fire.” Therefore as Christians, in our evangelistic endeavors, we should do everything we
can not just to get decisions, not just to get church members, youth group members, but to produce fruit-bearing
commitments to Christ, because “every tree that brings not forth good fruit will be cut down and cast into the fire.”
Not to get off topic, but basically, God is Good and Good is God. So morality follows that standard. Since no one is good according to God’s standards (We’ve all broken the ten commandments [God’s moral law] at one point) We need a Savior. Since God is good and holy, he cannot allow sin to go unpunished. So God died and took the punishment for our sin on the cross..Wow! When you understand this hope, then you truly become thankful, reverent, and understanding of God’s true and unwavering goodness.
Isn’t God good?
:) best wishes and merry Christmas.