Losing Your Integrity
Posted on January 11, 2012
Filed Under Exhortation, Moral Issues | 1 Comment
This year I have decided to do a chronological reading of the Bible. This plan quickly got me into the book of Job, and as I was reading a couple of days ago, a couple of verses drew my attention:
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” (Job 2:3)
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9)
First, notice that God challenged Satan to test Job because of the type of man that he was. Job was determined to serve God, despite the fact that he had suffered greatly at the hands of Satan. He wasn’t going to give up his integrity, even when his own wife turned against him, and encouraged him to do so even to the point of cursing God so that he could die!
This account made me start thinking about the idea of integrity. How easily do we give up our integrity today? In what circumstances do we justify doing away with our integrity?
Perhaps a good place to start would be to define what we mean by integrity. First, consider the definition, as given by dictionary.com:
adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
Second, consider what Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary has to say about this word:
INTEGRITY — honesty, sincerity, singleness of purpose. In the Old Testament, Noah (Gen. 6:9), Abraham (Gen. 17:1), Jacob (Gen. 25:27), David (1 Kin. 9:4), and Job (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3, 9; 4:6; 27:5; 31:6) were called people of integrity. Although Jesus did not use the word “integrity,” he called for purity of heart (Matt. 5:8), singleness of purpose (Matt. 6:22), and purity of motive (Matt. 6:1–6).
The emphasis of this word is one of honesty and solid moral character. Telling the truth, and abiding by strong moral principles are imperative to the Christian life. And yet, it has become acceptable, at least in our society, for people to lay aside the telling of truth or other moral principles when there is some advantage given to them by doing so. Recently, the president of the United States Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama sat down for an interview in which he was asked several personal questions. One of the questions asked of him was: On what occasions do you lie? The answer may or may not surprise you:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Usually, the only time I lie is very personal interactions with family members, who you say, “You look great,” and they don’t. “Wonderful dress…” Uh, not so much.
MICHELLE OBAMA: Things where the truth would hurt other people.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Right, the things where truth would hurt other people. Not too many big things. I said during the campaign that I’ll always tell you what I think, and I will, always tell you where I stand. I’m not perfect, but you’ll know what I believe.
MICHELLE OBAMA: I think the same thing. When it would hurt somebody else’s feelings. When the truth isn’t helpful.
I do not intend this to be a political post in any way, as I am sure most of the presidents regardless of party, would have a similar answer. My point here is that our society has accepted that under certain circumstances it is OK to be dishonest. So, if it is beneficial to you in some way, it is acceptable to let go of integrity!
It would be nice to be able to write about this issue as if it is a problem only in the world. But sadly, it this is a concept that has found its way into the Lord’s church as well. There are too many Christians that believe that it is acceptable to be dishonest under certain circumstances, or that it is acceptable to give up their moral and ethical principles under particular situations.
Let me share just a couple of examples that come to mind.
Lying. Whether we like it or not, many Christians have adopted the same idea of being dishonest as is expressed by the president and his wife in the above quotes. Such actions are justified by acting as if telling the truth is harder, or will cause some hardship. Sometimes it is easier, either for ourselves or on someone else if we tell just a small lie. No matter how much we try to justify it, lying is never acceptable to God. In fact, he speaks of the consequence of lying in the strongest possible language (Revelation 21:8).
Other sins of the tongue. James tells us that the tongue is the hardest part of our body to tame (James 3:1-12). Knowing this, it seems that some Christians have no desire to even try! There are many Christians who speak just like the world around them, using the same foul language and telling the same profane jokes. But, we as Christians are instructed to use our mouths wisely (Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 3:8). In fact, Jesus warns that we will be judged by every word that comes from our mouths (Matthew 12:33-37), so we had better be cautious! How can we think of these passages and think that it is acceptable to forget our moral principles and use our tongues for profane speech?
Dishonesty with brethren. Maybe this one stands out as “different” from the rest of the list, but it seems to be more and more prevalent in the church. Recently, a friend of mine posted a quote on his Facebook page which said: ”Always represent the other viewpoint as its best adherents represent it.” -Roger Olson. It is sad to see brethren who will be dishonest about what another brother believes so that they can “win an argument.” I am aware of one man who has blatantly misrepresented a brother in his effort to mark him as an “apostate” because he disagrees with him on one particular subject. This brother pulled a quote out of context, ignored what was being said or taught, and then accused his brother of teaching that the silence of the scriptures is authoritative. This type of dishonesty shows a complete lack of integrity. Sadly, it seems to happen more and more. Perhaps Jeremiah’s warning would be well heeded today:
For even your brothers, the house of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you (Jeremiah 12:6).
It would be good if we could always trust our brethren, but unfortunately some have proven themselves to be untrustworthy. These have laid down their integrity for their own gain in some way. They are not the children of God! For our part, let us hold to our integrity, and be ever trustworthy with all that we have dealings with!
Fornication and adultery. While the other sins listed may be easily justified in the mind of the perpetrator, it is amazing that some are trying to justify something like this example. And yet, there are many Christians who have laid down their integrity for their own physical pleasure. Unmarried men and women are involving themselves in the sin of fornication, without fear of consequence. They seem to think that there are no consequences if they are not caught. Young ladies think themselves “safe” as long as they do not become pregnant. Married people justify the sin of adultery because “God would want us to be happy.” They are convinced that they deserve better than what they have in their own marriages, and so they choose to commit this sin against God. No matter how acceptable these things become in our society, they will never be acceptable to God. If one lays down his integrity for such carnal pleasure, he will sacrifice his reward in Heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
This list could certainly continue, as there are any number of areas that Christians try to make compromises with the world. However, as we conclude these thoughts, remember Job. He was unwilling to give up his integrity, no matter how bad things got for him. We too need to hold fast to our integrity. If we lose all else, no one can take our integrity away from us. We have to give it up on our own!
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Maintaining our integrity is required of every Christian. We must be honest in what we say as well as what we do. We have to be aware of how easy it is to “slip up” in this requirement. Satan is looking for every way possible to cause us to sin and lose our way. His goal is to keep everyone from Heaven. Just because we have started on the right path doesn’t mean we can ever let down our guard. Satan multiplies his efforts to get Christians away from God’s favor. He already has everyone else. Being honest, moral and ethical are the main points that separate Christians from the world. If we give this up, we are lost!