integrity is Christ-centered…
When Jesus saw the crowds He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit... Blessed are those who mourn... Blessed are the meek... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness... Blessed are the merciful... Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God... Blessed are the peacemakers... Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness... Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you... You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world... You have heard it said, “Do not murder... Do not commit adultery... When you pray do not be like the hypocrites... Do not worry... The man who hears my words and does not do them...” (Matthew 5-7)
The Sermon on the Mount contrasts two ways of living before God. One way to measure faithfulness is by what we do, and the other is by who we are. In short, the Sermon on the Mount is about integrity that is distinctly Christian. Every sentence bears the conviction that who we are on the inside matters immensely to Jesus because there is no inherent relationship between what we do and who we truly are. A woman may go to church, sing the songs, and read her Bible but never have the essential poverty of spirit that God blesses with salvation, love, and strength (Matthew 5.3). A man may not cheat on his girlfriend or wife, but his obsession compromises his fidelity with lust and sexual fantasies of every kind (Matthew 5.27-30). Anyone may pray eloquently in front of others, but God knows that it is not an expression of faith but a will to impress, influence, and manipulate (Matthew 6.5-15).
Christian integrity is distinct. Philosophers suggest that integrity means living according to a consistent set of principles, but surely consistency is the wrong criterion because one could then argue that the devil or a “Hitler” has integrity! Christian integrity is less a state and more an exercise of living, discerning, loving, reflecting, and doing that is inspired, empowered, and exemplified by the person and power of Jesus.
There are three basic steps to pursuing a life of Christian integrity. The first step is to spend the time to discern the presence of Jesus in our lives. Our relationship with Him is our foundation for understanding right and wrong, good and evil, commitment and hypocrisy. Therefore, prayer, Bible study, and quiet reflection are essential disciplines for those seeking a life of integrity. Christian integrity is distinct because we live according to our relationship with Jesus— He alone is our living “set of principles” that we seek to be consistent with.
The second step to a life of Christian integrity is to struggle to live according to our relationship or faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift but the Christian life is a lifetime-encompassing challenge. We pursue a life of integrity when we are willing to fight, strive, and persevere to live in a manner that reflects the life of Jesus Christ within us. This means that a life of Christian integrity will be counter-intuitive. We will love those who Jesus loves although we may initially feel no natural attraction; we will take actions that will advance Christ but do little for us; we will risk the loss of favor and esteem to live out our life in Christ.
The third and overlooked step to a life of Christian integrity requires us to be open and emphatic about Who and what we are living by— to say why we do the things we are doing or believe the things we believe. Witness is an essential ingredient to Christian integrity because integrity, as a lifestyle, can never be separated from the person and power of Jesus Christ. We live, believe, act, relate, love, hope, judge, and yearn the way we do because of Jesus. Christian integrity mandates that we bear witness to Him because it is only His person Who can make sense of the life of integrity that we struggle to achieve.
Christian integrity must be Christ-centered lest we understand integrity legalistically rather than relationally. Integrity flows from His living presence in our lives and it returns to Him as our living sacrifice. Integrity is never a “box we check”. It will always be a life we aspire to live.
