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HOLDING TO INTEGRITY

IKE REIGHARD

"Are you still holding on to your integrity?" This is the question posed to a grieving Job by his wife. "Are you going to keep holding fast to God and the claim that you have not sinned against Him, in spite of all this suffering? Why don’t you just curse Him and die?" Though tormented and miserable, Job did hold on, and later declared, "Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me" (Job 27:5). He thus proved God’s assessment of him: "There is none like him on earth" (Job 2:3). And God blessed the latter part of his life more than the first.

True Christian integrity is:

EMBRACED BY BELIEVERS

Job won the admiration of God because he was blameless, upright, feared God, shunned evil, and held fast to his integrity. Believers in God’s gospel are likewise summoned to embrace personal integrity. The book of Job paints a picture of God’s brand of integrity, a necessary ingredient for credibility in a Christian’s life. Like Job, committed believers will embrace God and His truth.

In the values vacuum of modern society, people are asking of Christians, "Are you real? Can I trust what you say and what you appear to be?" Christians bear the responsibility of demonstrating unquestionable character before man and God.

In the struggle of everyday cares and toils, it is easy to fall away from veracious living. There are numerous ways to be dishonest—from expressing falsehoods to adopting a dishonest life-style. Maturing Christians will avoid living a lie. For example, it is possible to live the lie of an impure mind. Committing sin is wrong, and that is easy to understand. But it is equally wrong to harbor sin. Hurtful and impure thoughts coddled in mind and heart develop into secret sins and must be purged, forgiven, and forsaken.

Also, to live with an unrepentant attitude is to live a lie. Attitude can be a good friend or a dangerous enemy. It is the bookkeeper of past experiences and the author of future decisions. A hardened attitude becomes a dread disease when left unchecked. Christians with hidden bad attitudes pretend to be someone other than who they really are and thereby spoil their integrity.

Another life—lie is deception. According to the writer of Proverbs, a vicious man harbors deceit. "He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself" (Prov. 26:24). The truth can be falsified in various ways. A partial truth is still a falsehood, and the only white lies are lies painted by those who tell them. People can be misled by a look, a sign, a gesture, or even by silence. Most people are easily fooled, especially by those whom they trust. To deliberately mislead is to destroy the pattern of virtue, along with the credibility of the one who chooses this action. Personal unsoundness in reaction to life’s problems renders individuals impure by God’s measure, and perverts and obscures their testimony of His gospel.

Then, too, Christians can live the lie of being lacking in love. Since love is the theme of Christian living, there remains a falseness in one who does not follow the actions of love. Love is God’s greatest commandment, and acting it out demonstrates the indwelling of Christ. Unfortunately, Christians are often found to have love that is shallow, short-lived, or reserved for certain people. Paul says in Ephesians 5:2 that we are to "walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us." To maintain a pretense of walking in love is dishonest. Again Paul mentions truth in the context of our walk with God in Ephesians 5:8: "Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)."

Thomas Jefferson once said, "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." Wise followers of Christ will be convicted of the need for strong character. They will stand before the court of their own consciences and be able to return a "not guilty" verdict within their hearts.

EMBODIED IN CHRIST

God does not leave the world ignorant concerning His truth. His Word and His works are fight and correct, and He desires that His creation know and live by His truth. The Psalmist understood this when he said to God, "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts" (Psalm 51:6).

God revealed His true nature in Jesus Christ. Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Truth in the scriptural sense here means more than the absence of falsehood. It means complete revelation. Jesus completed the revelation of God, who is honest, correct, pure, and dependable. Christ embodies all of these qualities, as well as others that are beyond the ability of human language to interpret, or the human mind to comprehend. He manifested His Father’s purity and holiness in His walk upon the earth. As the perfect example, He earned the fight to call believers to follow Him. Peter said it this way: "as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ’Be holy, for I am holy’" (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). Being obedient to God by imitating His Son produces excellence in the character of His children.

EMBLAZONED IN THE SCRIPTURE

God’s indestructible Word is alive with truth. It exalts the perfection of the King of kings. It is at the same time a down-to-earth book written about human relationships. It is a documentation of experiences of people who came to know God and be known by Him.

The Bible is the measuring rod of right and wrong, truth and falsehood, light and darkness. It contains the thoughts of God and is a book to be read for wisdom, safety, and holiness. Experiential knowledge of the Word of God is the key to understanding its beauty and sacredness.

"Your word is truth" (John 17:17). God would never have asked His people to obey and follow His truth without providing its clear revelation. Fervent and regular study of the Scripture produces essential knowledge and inspiration for the living of a life hidden in Christ Jesus. Such study will not be neglected by the earnest seeker. Either the Word will keep one from sin, or sin will keep one from the Word.

EMBATTLED BY SATAN

Early in Scripture Satan reveals himself to be God’s enemy, and the enemy of truth. He refutes God’s word, tempts Eve to disobey God, and brazenly declares, "God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God" (Gen. 3:4, 5). Satan lied in the ancient garden that day, and he lies today in any setting where he can get an ear.

As Christ is the embodiment of truth, Satan is the embodiment of that which is false. He is referred to in Scripture as a liar and the father of lies. He even lies to God. He has the audacity to stand before God’s throne even now, accusing believers of wrongdoing and shortcomings (Rev. 12:10). Thank God for the promise that Jesus intercedes.

The name Satan means "opposer," and he has opposed God from the day he fell. Christians and the work of God are the special targets of Satan. Peter warned, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Satan attempts to convince people of his lies and to destroy their relationship with God. Paul says his works are "power, signs, and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9).

Being an imitator is another form of Satan’s falseness. He imitates God; he

Imitates beauty and goodness. He can transform himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), and is known as the prince of this world. His desire to be like God caused his expulsion from heaven. Since that time he has devoted himself to trying to conceal and confuse the truth of God.

God gave Job the strength to hold on to his integrity in the face of all that Satan threw at him. This strength is still available to all who meet the conditions established by God.

 

EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

What keeps a Christian from giving up the fight for truth? Where is the power for holding on to integrity when the soldier of the cross is weary and worn with the battle? The Holy Spirit of God living in the believer gives wisdom to know the fight path to take, the strength to walk in it, and the assurance that God’s glory awaits at the end.

Jesus promised His disciples that when He left them, He would send the Holy Spirit to guide them. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). God Himself, manifested in the Holy Spirit, will guide believers in complete integrity.

The strong teaching found in Psalm 41:12 expands the biblical principle of integrity: "As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever." To be set by God before His face is strong incentive for careful behavior. The goal of Christ’s own is to be like Him, firmly adhered to the Father, unimpaired, undivided, uncompromised, yet liberated.

"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth. and the truth shall make you free’, (John 8:31, 32). Only God through Jesus

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