By Dr. Joseph Parle
An old Cherokee once told his grandson, “A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.” This story illustrates the fight within the heart of every man. Romans 1:25-27 says, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Paul portrayed a fight between the truth of God and the passions that war against the truth. He told the Romans that they could either choose to feed their souls with the truth or exchange that truth for a lie.
At the core of this debate is where the authority for defining morality lies. For the Christian, the Bible is the sole authority for establishing morality. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible is the breath of God and is a completely reliable source for determining the Christian doctrine as well as for instructing them in righteousness so they might be thoroughly equipped for the Christian life. Following the commandments contained in the Bible is at the very essence of Christianity. Jesus said in John 14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” By contrast the Bible never gives man the authority to determine truth for himself. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” Proverbs 21:2-3 says, “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts. To do righteousness and justice is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice.”
