Godly integrity coupled with Christlike character does ..yeah, prayerFULLY.
Godly Integrity is consistency in following the Christ (of the Bible) and God the Father’s ways according to His Holy Spirit and Book. It’s righteous living in His will for you just as He intended. Are you in a right relationship with Him in order to begin? You can be -- here and now is good for a new beginning!
Desmond Doss enlisted with the United States Army during World War II to serve his country and protect its freedom and liberties. However, his religious beliefs prevented him from using weapons and taking someone’s life. He chose to serve as a combat medic because, in his words, he could “be like Christ: saving life instead of taking life.” Doss’ pacifism caused hardship and scorn by his commanding officer and fellow soldiers. Doss was considered a pest; he had his sincerity questioned and was harassed by having shoes thrown at him while he prayed.
In 1945 Doss and his battalion were sent near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, to participate in the Pacific campaign. Part of this battle included climbing a 400-foot-cliff nicknamed Hacksaw Ridge. Japanese soldiers were secretly waiting atop the ridge and were able to kill many of the Americans. Near the end of the fight, Doss, being the only combat medic available, joined his fellow men atop the cliff risking his life against gunfire and explosions, and dragged 75 wounded soldiers to the edge of the cliff and lowered them to safety. Later that year, this same soldier who refused to use a gun due to his religious beliefs was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman for his heroics and bravery in saving his fellow soldiers.
Q: When have you witnessed integrity and honor in someone’s life? What effect did that have on you and others?
Q: Is integrity valued in our culture? Why or why not?
Q: How does integrity relate to our faith? Explain.
Be well, do the work of an evangelist well. When biblically fishing for souls, bait the hook well (with what’s clean and liked). Chum the waters well, cast far and wide and pull in the net! Live it well and tell it accurately! Put a hook in every opportunity.
Proverbs 2:6–15, 21–22; 4:3–6; and 13:6
Point 1: The Lord guards those who walk with godly integrity.
Q: In what ways can living in integrity keep us safe (guard us) from harm in life?
The Hebrew word translated “integrity” in these passages is tom, which literally means “completeness” or “full measure.” Living with godly integrity is living as a full human being, meaning as God intended, in His image.
The literal definition of the Greek word for “sin” (hamartia) is “missing the mark” of what God intends. Integrity is the opposite; it’s hitting the mark, living in the fullness of what God intended for humanity.1 It’s more than not doing wrong; it’s doing what’s right – seeking God’s will, pursuing how He would have us live. That doesn’t mean we do everything perfectly all the time; no one can. But it’s pursuing God’s design for our lives and the world around us.
In English, we have the same nuance for the word “integrity” when talking about structural integrity. It’s the state of being whole, unified or undivided. Godly integrity is having internal consistency, a lack of corruption, or being sound.
A building is sound when it has structural integrity: when things are complete and whole, and built correctly and consistently throughout; when everything functions the way it is supposed to. A building must have structural integrity to stand right. The same is true for human beings. Sure, if we want to stand firm and right against the schemes of the devil (See Ephesians 6:10–18 and context), we must have godly spiritual “structural” integrity:
• Soundness: Knowing what we believe theologically and making sure it is “sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9)
• Consistency: Living out what we say we believe (not hypocrisy) and being the same person no matter what environment we are in (not acting differently around our church friends versus our work friends, neighborhood friends or family)
• Lack of corruption: Not being corrupted or swayed by the world, but keeping our minds and hearts on the things of God (2 Corinthians 10:5; Colossians 3:2) • Firmness: Being firm in our moral principles, beliefs and actions
• Completeness: Not having divided loyalties or purposes. A person of integrity focuses solely on pursuing God’s kingdom and His righteousness, not the things of this world (Matthew 6:24, 33).
Walking with godly integrity demands consistency in your walk (it’s not saying one thing and doing another) and involves commitment to following God’s way, not by your own wisdom. Pastor Chuck Swindoll wrote:
Godly integrity is completeness or soundness. You have integrity if you complete a job even when no one is looking. You have integrity if you keep your word even when no one checks up on you. You have integrity if you keep your promises. Integrity means the absence of duplicity and is the opposite of hypocrisy. If you are a person of integrity, you will do what you say. What you declare, you will do your best to be. Integrity also includes financial accountability, personal reliability, and private purity. A person with integrity does not manipulate others. He or she is not prone to arrogance or self-praise. Integrity even invites constructive and necessary criticism because it applauds accountability. It’s sound. It’s solid. It’s complete. Integrity is rock-like. It won’t crack when it has to stand alone, and it won’t crumble though the pressure mounts. Integrity keeps one from fearing the white light of examination or resisting the exacting demands of close scrutiny. It’s honesty at all costs.
Proverbs tells us that righteousness “guards” those who live in integrity (2:11; 13:6). When you live this way, your spiritual “structure” will be secure, your foundation will be Firm, and your spiritual “building” will stand no matter what storms the world throws at you. Integrity is like a fortress that protects us from attack. It’s like a shield that guards us against the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:10–18). When you live an honest, non-duplicitous life of integrity, someone may try to attack you, but they won’t be able to knock you down.
The Lord is a shield to those who walk in integrity (2:7). This passage doesn’t mean He protects us from all bad things, trials or suffering, but that He protects us from the Evil One (John 17:15). In fact, Scripture tells us to “count it all joy” when we face trials (not if) because it produces steadfastness, and steadfastness, in its full effect, can make us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4). There is that word “completeness” again, the definition of integrity! God’s purpose isn’t to protect us from all pain and suffering but to use suffering to build integrity in us.
All of this is consistent with the overall theme of Proverbs – the way of true wisdom is to follow God’s wisdom, not our own. When we follow God’s ways, our lives will be better. God is the Creator of the universe and of us. He knows what is best for us better than we do. This is what Proverbs means when it says those with integrity will “inhabit the land” (2:21); they would enjoy God’s blessing. In the Mosaic covenant, the promised land – having a land of their own where they would dwell in peace with God as His people – was the blessing. Today, God doesn’t give us a physical kingdom to live in because His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). But He dwells with us wherever We live on this earth. We aren’t promised peace from our physical enemies, but He does give us peace in our hearts (Philippians 4:6–7). When we walk with integrity, we will enjoy the blessings of His kingdom – righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17) – in our lives today. And the future promise of the consummation is that there will be a physical kingdom and physical peace one day in heaven (Revelation 21).
Q: Describe ways you have seen living in integrity pay off for yourself or others.
Q: In what ways does righteousness “guard” those who live in integrity?
Q: How does walking in integrity impact your spiritual, emotional and mental health?
Proverbs 10:9; 11:3; 14:2; 20:7; and 28:18
Point 2: Those who don’t walk in integrity will be found out.
Q: Why is the way of integrity contrasted with “crookedness”?
These proverbs share the very practical side of why people should walk in integrity rather than trying to lie, cheat, and deceive their way to the top. Simply put, those who are “crooked” in their ways will be found out eventually. People can only keep up a lie for so long before the truth comes out (10:9). The contrasting imagery in many of these Proverbs is between those who walk in integrity and those whose ways are “crooked” (10:9). Here, the ESV has a literal translation: the Hebrew means literally “twists his ways” or “makes his ways crooked.” Figuratively, it can mean to “pervert” his ways, to take something good and pervert it or twist it into something bad. The imagery gives us a stark contrast. God’s ways are straight, while the way of wickedness is crooked.
This imagery, especially in Proverbs, hearkens the reader back to one of the introductory proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (3:5–6). What are the benefits of straight paths? You get where you’re going faster, without wrong turns or rabbit trails. Think about two people running a race, one following a straight path from point A to point B and one following a crooked path, even through some dangerous areas. Who’s likely to get there first? And with fewer injuries?
We will have a more direct path to success in life with fewer bumps along the way when we follow God’s wisdom. This doesn’t mean we will have no bumps at all, but the bumps we do have will be things that happen to us, not troubles we cause for ourselves by straying off the straight path. When we follow the crooked path and live by deception, cheating and manipulation, we bring those hard things on ourselves. We cause our own destruction (28:18; 11:3). But when we follow God’s ways, He makes our paths straight; this is how integrity “guides” us. God’s Word shows us the way to live, the right path to walk. There are two paths we can follow, one leading to life and blessing and the other to death and destruction (12:28). It seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? And yet, sadly, Jesus said few would choose this narrow path (Matthew 7:14).
Q: Why is it more common for people to walk in “crookedness” instead of in integrity?
Q: In what ways are the children of a righteous man blessed (Proverbs 20:7)?
Q: What connects integrity and security (Proverbs 10:9)?
Proverbs 16:8; 19:1; 21:29; and 22:1
Point 3: It’s better to have less with integrity than riches gained by wickedness.
Q: Describe someone you know who has a reputation for integrity. How has that been beneficial to him or her more so than with riches in life?
This last point is a logical result of what we have learned about integrity so far. Because integrity leads to blessing and life, it is better to have integrity than riches. Having wealth isn’t a bad thing, but it is not worth trading your integrity for. If you must use dishonesty or injustice to gain it, you will not be better off, because wickedness leads to destruction.
As Solomon wrote in wisdom literature elsewhere, wealth is meaningless in and of itself; it will never satisfy (Ecclesiastes 5:8–20). But integrity leads to life and blessing. If you must choose between the two, go with integrity. Proverbs is not saying it is always the case that the wealthy have gained their riches by trading their integrity. Many people of integrity gain wealth in honest ways and use it for the kingdom of God. Yet it happens often enough that Solomon warned us about this temptation. It can also be a temptation to trade integrity for power, fame, or something else other than wealth. This is consistent with the introduction to Proverbs, where folly is personified as an adulteress, crying out to us to ignore the wisdom of God and follow her ways. Many have felt that same pull to turn their backs on integrity to gain wealth.
Maintaining our godly integrity, Christlike character takes intentionality in a world where all kinds of voices call out to us to follow them instead of God. Solomon said the upright “gives thought to his ways” (21:29). The Hebrew word here literally means to “be firm,” to “determine,” or “establish” his ways, steps or path. British Bible scholar Derek Kidner summarized this verse by saying, “A bold front is no substitute for sound principles.”
Anyone can put up a front of being a follower of Jesus, but the righteous live a consistent lifestyle of actions
that please God and follow His wisdom and His ways; this is the difference between being a person of integrity and just giving lip service to Jesus.
Q: Why can’t money, in and of itself, satisfy you?
Q: How does a lack of consistency in demonstrating godly integrity impact your witness as a Christ-follower?
Q: How would the world around us be different if we maintained our godly integrity, Christlike character and were still wisely successful in the world? What kind of witness would that be for Christ?
Took or your take away: Abraham Lincoln had a reputation for being a man of good character and godly integrity. He was honest Abe, no matter the personal cost. It’s true, his excellent godly character led to his being nicknamed “Honest Abe.” When you consider your reputation, would others attach the word “honest or Integrous” to your name? Consider the following questions.
• Are you brutally honest with God in your prayer life?
• Have you been dishonest with anyone for personal gain?
• Did you do anything this week you do not want others to discover? • When you make a commitment to God or others, do you follow through? • Do you act differently when you are around believers than when you are around non-believers?
• Is your life characterized by pursuing God’s kingdom versus the things of this world?
GOT SOME CHALLENGES?
THINK on this Q: Why is it so hard for many people to walk with godly integrity? In what ways do you see people sacrificing integrity for personal gain? Even some so-called Christians have done this to their own hurt and to God’s. It doesn’t please Him at all. What are the results of those tradeoffs? What can you learn from their experiences? In what ways are you tempted to trade your integrity every day? How can you stay firm in what is right and walk in the Lord’s ways when you are tempted?
PRAY BELIEVING: Pray for God to reveal to you any way you are not walking in integrity, any way your loyalty is divided between Him and the world. Any way you are tempted to trade your integrity for worldly gain. Ask Him to show you any areas where your walk has been inconsistent with your talk or ways you have not been living in the fullness of what it means to be human, reflecting God’s image to the world.
ACT WISELY: Memorize Scripture. Choose a Bible verse (or part of a verse) to repeat to yourself when you are tempted to trade your integrity for worldly gain. Maybe it’s Proverbs 3:5– 6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Maybe it’s something shorter like Proverbs 12:28: “In the path of righteousness is life.” What will help? Quickly flee temptation. Do like Joseph did. Prayerfully quote these verses to yourself when you are tempted.
Thanks for all the editing on this and encouragement Jonathan Adkins. Great team -- I've got a great Bible teaching church with excellent leaders and attributions for all this. (Prestonwood 6801 W. Park Blvd; Plano Texas 75093 USA w/Jack Graham). Please do contact me if you desire them. Here: facebook.com/shareJesus
