Proverbs: integrity

Speaker: Colin Boyd

Notes

A definition: "moral excellence" where the good words of a person are matched by good actions.

Proverbs 4:23, make sure the heart and the lips match. We are not always the best judges of our own integrity. What are our motives?

Remember that God's words will always fit with his actions. Do we match up to the integrity of Jesus?

Proverbs 6:12 and 6:16. The dangers of dissension being caused by falsehood and lack of integrity.

A look at the action of telling lies as an example of self-centredness as opposed to God-centredness.

Proverbs 10:9 Lies will be found out by a check on whether the words fit with the actions.

Integrity must apply in all parts of life, including business affairs. Proverbs 11:1

Integrity was not all sorted out in Old Testament times because 1000 years later Jesus had to tackle the subject of clever avoidance of truth and trustworthiness by use of selective oath swearing. Matthew 5:33-37. The point was that Christians should be known for their truthfulness and reliability.

Non-christians may judge Christianity by our integrity, or lack of it.

Application

Try the "true or false" game. Tell the group 3 things about your past, one of which is not true. Can the group detect the lie? Look at just how easy it is to mislead.

Consider an undercover police officer who infiltrates a criminal group in order to bring it down and save victims. The cover-story will be untrue. Do you put this in the category of "lying"?

Under what circumstances would you break a promise? Are there circumstances in which this would not show a lack of integrity?

Posted: 8 Nov 2009