A Higher Authority

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Friday, August 28, 2009

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. - Romans 12:2

I had a conversation awhile back with a young woman who was having an affair with a married man. This woman professed to be a Christian, so I asked her, "Do you consider yourself a Christian?"

"Yes I do," she said.

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Then I asked, "Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?" To my surprise, she said yes. So I proceeded to explain why her choices were wrong. And I pointed out passages of Scripture that made this clear. Her response was that it was my opinion, while she, on the other hand, felt what she was doing was okay for her to do. It is not as though she came back with other Scripture to refute my point. She simply felt that I had my opinion and she had hers.

The lyrics of the 1970s hit, "You Light Up My Life," claim, "It can't be wrong when it feels so right," but check this out: It can be wrong when it feels so right, because your emotions can mislead you. Your feelings can lead you astray. You cannot base your decisions on whether it feels right or seems good. You must have a higher authority, and of course that authority is the Word of God.

Someone asked me awhile back what I do when I come to a passage in the Bible that I don't agree with. My answer was that you change your opinion, because you are wrong. It is as simple as that. It is not for you to disagree with the Bible. It is for you to conform yourself to what the Bible teaches you about God. And you can discover that the easy way, or you can discover it the hard way.