Definition of integrity
The word “integrity” is thrown around a lot and sometimes it doesn’t seem to mean the same thing to everyone. Let’s look at some dictionary definitions and talk about what they mean.
- Integrity
- 1 The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. –English Oxford Living Dictionaries
- 2 the quality or state of being complete or undivided –Merriam-Webster
- 3 a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition –Dictionary.com
- Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, or moral uprightness. It is colloquially a personal choice to hold oneself to consistent moral and ethical standards. –Wikipedia
Sometimes, as in the Proverbs, it’s good to compare and contrast the opposite of something in order to understand it. The opposite of integrity is dishonesty without moral principles with imperfect divided loyalties and impaired double-minded opinions. Integrity is the opposite of situational ethics. Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy.
The essence of integrity
When Lot lost his family, livelihood, and health, his wife foolishly told him to give up his integrity: curse God and die. He rebuked her by remembering the good things God had given him. (Job 2).
The 2 most important concepts of integrity are: truth and honesty. If you cultivate these in your life and make them part of the fabric of your being, you will never lose your integrity.
- Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure (Philippians 4:8)
- Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ (Ephesians 4:15)
Prayers and wisdom about integrity, honesty, and faithfulness
The prayers and songs of the Psalms and the wise sayings of the Proverbs speak a lot of integrity, honesty, and faithfulness…
- Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD, and keep their promises even when it hurts. (Proverbs 15:1,4)
- Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. (Psalms 24:3-4)
- Integrity and honesty will protect me because I wait for you. (Psalm 25:21)
- The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. (Psalm 34:15)
- In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever. (Psalm 41:12)
- Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: (Proverbs 3:3)
- People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. (Proverbs 10:9)
- Integrity guides decent people, but hypocrisy leads treacherous people to ruin. (Proverbs 11:3)
- The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin. (Proverbs 11:5)
- The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth. (Proverbs 12:22)
- The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace. (Proverbs 13:5)
- Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner. (Proverbs 13:6)
- Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the LORD, people avoid evil. (Proverbs 16:6)
- The LORD wants weights and measures to be honest and every sale to be fair. (Proverbs 16:11)
- A king will remain in power as long as his rule is honest, just, and fair. (Proverbs 20:28)
- He who walks with integrity will be delivered, but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall. (Proverbs 28:18)
- Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech. (Ecclesiastes 10:20)
Examples of Integrity that were blessed
- Jacob, in the care of Laban’s property Ge 31:39
- Jacob, returning money which had been placed in the sacks Ge 43:12
- Joseph, in resisting Potiphar’s wife Ge 39:8-12
- Moses, in taking nothing from the Israelites in consideration of his services Nu 16:15
- Samuel, in exacting nothing from the people on account of his services 1Sa 12:4
- David, in self-reproach for the cutting of Saul’s robe 1Sa 24:5
- David, in preventing foraging by his insurgent forces 1Sa 25:15
- David, in his conduct while in refuge with the Philistines 1Sa 29:6,9; with 29
- The overseers of the temple repairs 2Ki 12:15; 22:4-7
- Priests, who received the offerings of gold and other gifts for the renewing of the temple under Ezra Ezr 8:24-30
- Nehemiah, reforming the civil service, and receiving no compensation for his own services Ne 5:14-19
- Nathanael, in whom was no guile Joh 1:47
- Paul and Barnabas, when the people of Lystra desired to deify them Ac 14:12-15–Naves Topical Bible
Examples of lack of integrity that didn’t end well
- Laban’s treatment of Jacob (Genesis 29:21-30;31:36-42)
- Rachel steals the household gods (Genesis 31:19)
- Simeon and Levi deceive the Shechemites (Genesis 34:15-31)
- Achan hides the wedge of gold and the Babylonian garment (Joshua 7:11-26)
- Micah steals one-thousand one-hundred pieces of silver (Judges 17:2)
- Ahab confiscates Naboth’s vineyard (2 Kings 21:2-16)
- Judas’ hypocritical sympathy for the poor (2 John 12:6)
- Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10)
- Peter and other Christians at Antioch (Galatians 2:11-14)
- False teachers at Ephesus (Revelation 2:2)–Naves Topical Bible
Be careful what you promise, and keep your promise
- Don’t make rash promises (Ecclesiastes 5:2)
- Make sure to keep your promise (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7)
- When you make a vow to God you must do it (Numbers 30:2-4)
- Don’t be slow to pay it—God will judge sin (Deuteronomy 23:21-23)
- Jesus said, don’t make an oath you can’t keep, just say yes or no (Matthew 5:33-36)
- Keep your promise even when it hurts (Psalm 15:4)
The importance of truth and honesty
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
- But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2)
- Whoever covers over his sins does not prosper. Whoever confesses and abandons them receives compassion. (Proverbs 28:13)
- If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
- Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:5)
- There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops. (Matthew 10:26-27; Luke 12:2-3)
Because God will judge
Habakkuk expresses the same complaint as all of us. Why does God seem to tolerate sinners? God’s answer is particularly unsatisfying until he reminds him that God is sovereign and will judge wickedness at the appointed time. Habakkuk needed to rest in 2 things.
- The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:1-4), which is the same revelation that moved Martin Luther to understand the nature of God’s grace.
- Remember all the wonderful works of God; they assure us that God will act at the right time (Habakkuk 3:1-16)
This is the same thing that Peter expressed to the Jews of the dispersion who were being persecuted in the early church…
- If God did not spare angels when they sinned, did not spare the ancient world, condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he will hold the unrighteous for punishment (2 Peter 2:4-9)
- I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago (2 Peter 3:2)
- They deliberately forget that God created the earth, that he destroyed the ancient world in the flood, and that he is waiting for the day of judgement (2 Peter 3:5-7)
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