Are You a Person of Integrity?
Most dictionaries define integrity as a person who lives by moral and ethical principles, a person of good character, and honesty. But I think a stronger definition is needed to understand biblical integrity. Integrity in the life of the Believer is when your beliefs match your behavior. What a Christian believes about God and His Word will be lived out in his or her life ...this is true integrity.
James 1:19-20
“My
dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring
about the righteous life that God desires. Let me give you an example. Most Christians would agree that God, through the bible, commands us to attend church (Hebrews 10:25), pray (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), study the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15), and give of our resources/income in service to the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). So, ask yourself the hard questions:
- Is God within His rights to ask you to obey these commands?
- Is Jesus within His rights to proclaim "If you love me, keep my commands" (John 14:15)?
- Do you obey these commands? The path to integrity is to first admit our weaknesses and faults.
- Based on the definition of biblical integrity, how does your behavior line up with your beliefs?
Most of us, including myself, do not fair well in these self examination tests. The good news is that God already knows our weaknesses and faults, and He wants to build our integrity through trials. The Holy Spirit, speaking through James, begins to guide us through the process of building integrity by asking us to develop three character qualities in our lives:
- Be quick to listen
- Be slow to speak
- Be slow to become angry
In the original Greek language the passage begins with a word meaning “wherefore” or “therefore” telling us the context of this passage is connected, in context, to the previous verse. So let us refresh our memory on what James said back in verse 18, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”
Because God gave us salvation (birth) through the word of truth (Jesus), we should (therefore) be quick to listen to what God is telling us, slow to speak our opinions too quickly about what God is telling us, and slow to become angry when we do not like what God is telling us.
Quick to Listen
The concept here is every true believer should be eager to listen to what God tells us in the Scriptures. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (ref. Matthew 5:6) he said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness”. In the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to have this same sense of eagerness in regards to His laws. Deuteronomy 11:18-20 says, “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.”
How’s your integrity looking? Does your behavior towards God’s Word match up with your beliefs?
Slow to Speak
Some people are always ready to offer opinions on subjects they know very little about. Those professing to be believers, especially new believers, need to be careful when speaking their opinions about the Scriptures. No one, even experienced teachers, should think they are an expert in the Word of God without careful consideration of what they are about to say. James 3:1 reminds us of this, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” The idea here is not to be silent, or ever offer an opinion, or never give input in a discussion, but to carefully think over what you want to say before actually speaking out. There are many who offer opinions in justifying why they do not pray, study, give of their resources, or why they do not attend church. Some have become highly critical of churches, not realizing they are speaking poorly about the bride of Christ.
I remember being in a Bible study several years ago discussing salvation when one person in our group boldly stated that “all religions lead to heaven!” I gently reminded the group of Jesus’ own words (John 14:6), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This individual became angry with me for point out the error of his or her thinking and continued to argue the point… thus leading us to the next step of being “Slow to Anger”.
Slow to Become Angry
The Word of God will always challenge us to change our way of thinking, our way of doing things, and our way of living. As I previously mentioned, I came in contact with an individual who became angry when I pointed out the biblical truth stating Jesus as the only way to heaven. This person had the opinion that only one way to heaven was narrow-minded and unfair. I can only assume this person had loved ones who were either not involved in church or following other religions. We cannot re-interpret scripture to suit our needs.
The type of anger James’ describes in this text is not referring to a physical display of anger, but an anger of the mind. It means to be indignant, to show anger or annoyance at what you feel is unfair. It is an argumentative anger that wants to justify its own behavior. This anger holds a grudge against others, including God, and can express itself in complaining, slander, and gossip, as the individual attempts to persuade others to agree. I find it troubling how many people have expressed this type of anger against me, as a teacher, when his or her real disagreement is actually with God and His Word.
God will send trials to develop our ability to be quick to listen to His Word, slow to speak our opinions about His Word, and slow to become angry when we do not agree with His Word. Biblical integrity is God's goal to make sure what we say we believe actually lines up with how we are living. How is your integrity? Maybe it is time we all get down on our knees, admit we are not doing well with integrity, repent of the sin, and ask for wisdom to start growing into the "righteous life that God desires" for us.
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