THOUGHTS ON INTEGRITY

Based on a talk at the Monday Club by Joss Apperley

All Scripture references are to the New International Version, UK edition of 1984, unless stated otherwise.

We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

DO YOU KEEP an autograph album? Browsing the other day through my dear deceased mother's relics, I found her treasured little volume, packed with tokens of love and friendship, humour and words of wisdom. The endearing sentiment of bygone times is rarely seen today, and if a youngster has an autograph book it is very likely used to collect the signatures of rock stars or sport celebrities.

One admonition in Mother's album set me thinking: Above all, to thine own self be true thou canst not then be false to any man. It's loosely quoted from William Shakespeare's ʻHamletʼ, and still expresses a widely accepted rule of conduct. Being true to oneself may be otherwise understood as having personal integrity the honesty and truthfulness or constancy of one's words and actions. As the opposite of hypocrisy, integrity is properly regarded as a virtue. We all judge others according to their honesty and consistency of character, and recognise that they judge us in the same way.

But in our lifetime standards of personal conduct have undoubtedly declined, and it is sad to hear a friend declare with some bitterness: ʻI trust nobody!ʼ Faced with this mind-set of suspicion, friends may become uncomfortable and cautious in contact with such a cynic. And it isn't surprising that the cynic's own code of conduct may be compromised, former scruples being abandoned. Money is often the bone of contention, and St. Paul's admonition in this respect is still pertinent (1 Tim. 6: 6, 9, 10):

[G]odliness with contentment is great gain. . . . Those who want to get rich fall into temptation . . . . For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Does God Expect Perfection?

Can we always be true to ourselves? The Scriptures refer to King David as one who walked before the LORD in integrity and uprightness, and his successor Solomon was exhorted to do the same (1 Kings 9: 4, 5). Yet while the historical account of their deeds reveals conduct that falls far short of the divine standard, David is described as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13: 22).

The frailty of human flesh that is, our inherited fall from the perfection in which Adam was created is recognised by the Lord, and He makes allowances. Bitter remorse was in effect David's punishment, and the prospective sacrifice for sin would be divinely apportioned to him, as to all the faithful of Old Testament times, men and women of imperfect character, but with undoubted faith in the divine promises.

Living now, as throughout the centuries of the Christian era, we are ʻjustified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesusʼ (Rom. 3: 23, 24). To be justified may be understood as being made just, made right, an imputed status granted to those who trust sincerely in the merit of Christ's sacrifice for sin. Too casual an observance of the terms of such a favour could lose it for us, but with personal integrity as our standard we can hope to please the Lord.

Always True to Ourselves?

Probably not! Surely we've all resorted to the occasional ʻwhite lieʼ, those untruths which we tell to minimise embarrassment or distress to others or to ourselves. Perhaps our modification of the truth seems necessary to maintain good relations a kind deception. But in this we may be on a sticky wicket, and discover that we must add further untruths to support the original one. What began as a tactful avoidance of a difficult truth may become an uncomfortable breach of one's integrity.

On the other side of the coin, watching for white lies from others, especially if we are willing to accept some criticism, is a wise course. Sometimes friends will try to protect us from distress or embarrassment, but knowing what they really think is a far better option. Being able to take harsh truths is a good sign of character and can lead to improved levels of trust. As the poet Robert Burns put it in the Scots dialect: ʻO wad some Powʼr the giftie gie us, To see oursels as others see us!ʼ

Jesus could never be charged with resorting to white lies. But sometimes it seemed to the disciples that He did not answer their questions as directly as they wished. His reply to Philip's plea to be shown the Father may have seemed obscure, or even evasive: ʻAnyone who has seen me has seen the Fatherʼ (John 14: 8, 9). How were they to understand such an answer? But when they asked Him ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ and He replied that ‘the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to themʼ (Matt. 13: 11, 13), the disciples would surely see the logic of such caution. In other words, there were occasions when even the Lord Jesus saw the wisdom of being economical with the truth!

Self-Deception?

The apostle John in his advancing years cautioned the believers (1 John 1: 8):

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

A sober observation! The Apostle Paul certainly did not deceive himself, but felt despair at his own failings (Rom. 7: 19, 24):

[W]hat I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do this I keep on doing. . . . What a wretched man I am!

We do know, however, that Paul won the victory well enough to be assured of a ʻcrown of righteousnessʼ in the Lord's due time (2 Tim: 4: 8).

But while St. Paul was acutely conscious of his failings and fought for mastery over them, as many have done, others may try to achieve peace of mind by the exercise of self-deception. Blocking out certain memories can be an involuntary reaction for example, where traumatic experience has severely damaged someone's peace of mind. But the habit may also be consciously adopted and cultivated until it seems that the pretender really believes in his own deception. And while we know that Christ paid the price for sin, there are some who through pride or fear shrink from confessing their wrongdoing and persuade themselves that they have no need of forgiveness.

It is comfortable to believe we have the approval of the Lord and our fellow believers, but it is necessary for one's perception to be based on reality, rather than on wishful thinking. A song popular during the Second World War was Wishing (Will Make It So). But it isn't true!

The Integrity of Our God

As belief in the Bible has been eroded with the advent of evolutionist teachings, so there has followed a decline in standards of morality and personal integrity. Jesus once asked a somewhat puzzling question: ʻ[W]hen the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?ʼ (Luke 18: 8, KJV). But let's take comfort! It is still here, thriving and directing the conduct of the faithful in their millions, though persecuted, ridiculed, or at best tolerated, by the powers that be. And through the prophet Isaiah (chapter 59) God prepared us in advance for such conditions:

4. No-one calls for justice; no-one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. . . . 9.So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. . . . 14. So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.

So Isaiah mourned the godlessness of his day, as we may well do in our own day. But he was blessed also with hope, confidence, in a future restoration of mankind's relationship to their Creator. Let's share his vision of conditions under the reign of Christ as the rightful heir to the throne of King David (Isa. 2):

3. Many peoples will come and say, ʻCome, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD . . . . He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.ʼ . . . 4. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples . . . Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more.

Are we happy? Surely we are! Now let's all start an autograph album, and we'll pass our pithy sayings on to our ancestors in the great resurrection!

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