Being People of Integrity

(Mark 7:1-15, 1 Kings 22:15-23, 26-28)

NC Motto: To Be Rather Than to Seem

A Definition

To have integrity is to courageously hold to what is right and true without compromise, to stand
undivided, consistent, immovable, to be consistent in both heart and action, word and deed. (see 1
Thess. 2:2) (Synonyms/Related Terms: Honesty, Uprightness, Principled, Complete, Morally Sound)
(Opposite: hypocrisy, Mark 7:6, Matt. 23:25-28)

People are often “divided” in many ways. A common division is that between what we know to be
right and what we, in fact, do. (see James 1:22, & 4:17)

Examples of a Lack of Integrity

So fearful were the ancient Chinese of their enemies on the north that they built the Great Wall of
China, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. It was so high they knew no one could climb over it,
& so thick that nothing could break it down. Then they settled back to enjoy their security. But during
the first 100 years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded 3 times. Not once did the enemy break
down the wall or climb over its top. Each time they bribed a gatekeeper & marched right through the
gates. According to the historians, the Chinese were so busy relying upon the walls of stone that they
forgot to teach integrity to their children.

In the middle of an interview for acceptance to a prestigious Ivy League school back east, the
interviewer asked his “sure of himself” candidate, “If no one would ever find out, and no one got hurt,
would you lie for $1M?” The young man thought for a moment and said, “If no one found out, and no
one was hurt? Sure, I think I would!” The interviewer then asked, “Would you lie for a dime?” The
young man shot back, “No way, what kind of man do you think I am?” The interviewer responded, “I
have already determined that, I am just trying to determine your price.”

Examples of Maintaining Integrity

Aaron Feuerstein, CEO, Malden Mills: Continued to pay his employees for several months after a
devastating factory fire until the factory was rebuilt. In Living a Life That Matters Rabbi Harold
Kushner describes the kind of people who are able to overcome the negativity in their lives as shalem,
people who are “whole, united within themselves, their internal conflicts ended.” Because of this, he
says, they are “persons of integrity.” Integrity, says Kushner, is a quality just as essential to human
well-being as is the pursuit of peace and justice. A man dedicated to the pursuit of shalom, Feuerstein
said that he felt “a responsibility” not only to his workers but to the community in which they lived. “It
would be unconscionable to put three thousand people on the streets,” he said, and it would “deliver a
deathblow” to the city where his factory was located. “Maybe on paper my company is now worth less
to Wall Street” he said, but to him, he concluded: “I can tell you it is worth more.” Kushner says the
thing that makes Feuerstein different from the executives of Enron is the attention he paid to the
demands of a faith which has a goal beyond that of making money. Feuerstein’s name, when translated
from Yiddish, means “firestone.” It seems an appropriate name for a man whose integrity was tested
by a fire.

Cleveland Stroud had coached the Blue Collar Bulldogs for 18 years before his basketball team made
it to the championship. Stroud recalls that “it was a perfect night” when they won. “A night you dream
of”. He was carried around the gym on the shoulders of his triumphant players and their proud
 parents. But the excitement was short lived. Two months after the championship, during a routine
grade check, Stroud discovered that one player was academically ineligible. The player in question had
only played 45 seconds in the regional qualifying tournament. Stroud says, “I thought it was all ruined.
I went through a phase where I was really depressed.” He struggled with what to do next. Yet, his
commitment to integrity led him to the right decision. “Winning is the most important thing for any
coach,” he said. “But your principals have to be higher that your goals.” He reported the error to the
league and the Bulldogs forfeited their trophy. When the team lamented their loss in the locker room,
he told them, “You’ve got to do what is honest, what is right, and what the rules say. People forget the
scores of basketball games, but they don’t ever forget what your made of.”

The Bible gives us powerful examples of men of integrity:

Joseph (Gen. 39:1-20)

David (Ps. 78:70-72, 1 Kings 9:4-5)
Peter and John...(Acts 4:18)
Peter and the Apostles... (Acts 5:28-32)
Stephen... (Acts 7:54-60)
Samuel, the Prophet... (1 Sam. 12:3-4)
An Unknown Man... (2 Sam. 18:10-13)
A Man of God... (I Kings 13: 7-9)
The Prophet Daniel... (Dan. 6: 1-5 &10)
Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego... (Dan. 3:12-25)
Job... (Job 1:22; 2:10 and James 1:12)

Other Scriptures on Integrity

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. (1 Chron. 29:17)

The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. (Prov. 10:9)

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Prov.
11:3)

Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. (Prov. 13:6)
He (God) stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. (Prov
2:7)

But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. (Ps. 26:11)

Some Blessings of Integrity

Integrity draws people to you because they believe they can trust you

Integrity brings peace (i.e. a clear conscience) Mark the perfect man (Hebrew Word: Tam = Man of
Integrity), and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.(Ps. 37:37) (see also 1 Kings 9:4)

Integrity enables you to leave a good name. President Harry Truman used to say: "Fame is a vapor,
popularity an accident, riches take wings, those who cheer today may curse tomorrow, only one thing
endures -- character." Charles Spurgeon wrote, "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who
loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you when forget-me-nots are withered. Carve your
name on hearts, and not on marble." Eccl.7:1 says, "A good name is better than precious ointment."
Some Questions to Consider

What tends to make us lose our integrity?

Peer pressure (1 Kings 22:13), Fear, Seeking personal glory (Matt. 6:1-8, 16-18, 23:5, Luke
16:15)

Legalism: Nullifying the Word of God with the traditions of men (Mark 7:8-13, Matt. 23:23)
(Tied to the belief in justification by works)

Are traditions inherently bad?

Virtually every family and every culture has traditions. And many of these
traditions are rich and meaningful.

The danger comes when we put our traditions on equal footing to the Bible.

Pharisees: Christians tend to get a negative picture in our minds when we hear the
word "Pharisee" because of how we know that they responded to Jesus. But to people
living in the time Jesus walked upon the earth, the Pharisees were heroes, not villains.
The word Pharisee literally means “Saint”. The Pharisees were all lay people, not any
priests among them. They were a reform movement who’s passion was to help ordinary
people in Israel learn to live out their devotion to God. They believed that if Israel was
to be a nation of priests as the Old Testament claims, then God required all people in
Israel to live by the same standards he required of the Jewish priests, in every detail of
their daily lives. So the Pharisees expected a higher level of obedience and commitment
among the people. The problem was, they put their traditions on equal footing to the
Old Testament law. They claimed that God gave Moses two laws: The law contained in
the Old Testament and that contained in the traditions of the elders. Eventually the
Jewish people would write down all these traditions in the Talmud and the Mishnah.
The Pharisees claimed that the Old Testament only told us what God wanted us to do,
but it didn’t always tell us how to do it, so it was inadequate to live a holy life, because
although we know what God wants us to do, we were not clear on how to do it. In
their minds, the traditions of the elders were given to show us how to do what God
wants us to do.

What helps us to maintain our integrity? (consciousness of our example/witness (Prov. 20:7),
truth faith that God is real and alive (1 Kings 22:14), the aid of God’s Holy Spirit)

God shall judge us according to our integrity (Ps. 7:8, Matt. 7:21-23). Do you dare to ask
what Job asked, “Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity”
(Job 31:6).