Integrity(conscientiousness)
Summary
Moral wholeness and uprightness of character, marked by consistency between profession and practice.
☩Definition and Nature
Integrity denotes moral soundness, wholeness, and uprightness. The Hebrew word (tom, tummah) conveys the idea of completeness or perfection in the moral sense. A person of integrity is one whose inner character matches their outward conduct—whose life is 'all of a piece' without duplicity or hypocrisy.
☩Biblical Examples
Job is the paramount example of integrity in Scripture, described by God Himself as one who 'holds fast his integrity' despite severe testing. David walked 'in integrity of heart and in uprightness' and prayed to be judged according to his integrity. Noah was a 'just man and perfect in his generations.' These examples show integrity involves both personal character and public conduct.
☩Preservation and Testing
Scripture presents integrity as something to be guarded and preserved. Job refused to let go of his integrity despite his wife's urging to curse God and die. The path of integrity provides protection: 'The integrity of the upright shall guide them.' Yet integrity is often tested—through adversity, temptation, or the pressure of the ungodly.
☩Requirement for Service
Integrity is required for those who would serve God and lead His people. The psalmist asks who may ascend the hill of the Lord, answering: one with clean hands and a pure heart. Leaders are to be chosen from those who 'hate covetousness.' God seeks those who worship in spirit and truth, whose integrity before Him matches their profession.
Related Verses115 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Integrity," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).