Stump The Pastor: What is Integrity and What Does It Mean To Have/Live With Integrity?

Special thanx to Brooke E. who asked me “What is Integrity and What Does It Mean To Have Integrity.” This Bible Study is my feeble attempt to answer her question.

Illustration of INTEGRITY (Author is Unknown; http://www.sermons.org/illus3.html)

Reuben Gonzales was in the final match of a professional racquetball tournament. It was his first shot at a victory on the pro circuit, and he was playing the perennial champion. In the fourth and final game, at match point, Gonzales made a super “kill” shot into the front wall to win it all. The referee called it good. One of the two linesmen affirmed that the shot was in. But Gonzales, after a moment’s hesitation, turned around, shook his opponent’s hand, and declared that his shot had hit the floor first. As a result, he lost the match. He walked off the court. Everybody was stunned. Who could ever imagine it in any sport or endeavor? A player, with everything officially in his favor, with victory in his hand, disqualified himself at match point and lost!

When asked why he did it, Reuben said, “It was the only thing I could do to maintain my INTEGRITY.” Reuben Gonzales realized that he could always win another match, but he could never regain his lost INTEGRITY.

Dictionary.com defines the word INTEGRITY

as “the state of being unimpaired; soundness or wholeness” (“integrity”).

The word INTEGRITY originated from

c.1450, “wholeness, perfect condition,” from O.Fr. integrité, from L. integritatem (nom. integritas ) “soundness, wholeness,” from integer “whole” (see integer). Sense of “uncorrupted virtue” is from 1548 “integrity” (“integrity”).

Here are some more definitions from the dictionary.com site:

INTEGRITY:

· adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

· the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

· a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship’s hull.

Here are some descriptions that I came up with trying to describe personal INTEGRITY.

· A person is thought to have INTEGRITY when that person is doing what he/she believes in, cares about and feel is important to him/herself and those around him/her.

· A person is thought to have INTEGRITY when he/she does what he says he will do. There is consistency in his/her actions

· A person is thought to have INTEGRITY when his/her actions are consistent with what he says in words.

· INTEGRITY is demonstrated by people who do what they believe to be the right thing, no matter what the circumstances may be (“Is It Holy?”)

· A man/woman of INTEGRITY does the right thing, even if it is not going to be easy for him/her or for others.

Here are some scriptures about INTEGRITY:

Importance of INTEGRITY:

NIV Psalm 25:20-21 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

NIV Proverbs 19:1-2 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.

Or the same verses in The Message translation

MSG Proverbs 19:1-2 Better to be poor and honest than a rich person no one can trust. Ignorant zeal is worthless; haste makes waste.

Real Success Does Not Compromise INTEGRITY:

NIV Proverbs 12:3 A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

Or the same verses in The Message translation

NIV Proverbs 12:3 You can’t find firm footing in a swamp, but life rooted in God stands firm.

How Our INTEGRITY is Tested:

NIV Luke 16:10-13 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Or the same verses in The Message translation

NIV Luke 16:10-13 Jesus went on to make these comments: If you’re honest in small things, you’ll be honest in big things; If you’re a crook in small things, you’ll be a crook in big things. If you’re not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? No worker can serve two bosses: He’ll either hate the first and love the second or adore the first and despise the second. You can’t serve both God and the Bank.

List of Works Cited

“integrity.” Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 22 Jan. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/integrity&gt;.