Integrity..

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I believe every Bible school or seminary should have at least one class devoted to integrity of character and behavior. When one begins to associate with Christian pastors it soon becomes apparent that integrity is in short supply in the Christian world. I am employing the term "integrity" to mean honesty, faithfulness, and truthfulness of character and behavior.

The idea of integrity, of decency and trustworthiness, seems to have diminished greatly in our country, and perhaps in other countries as well, in addition to its lack in our churches.

(10/4/2009) Perhaps "integrity" is another name for "righteousness"! However, there may be a slight difference in the way the terms are used.

To be righteous in the sight of God is to be pleasing to Him at any given moment.

Integrity refers to sincerity, truthfulness, and honesty of character and behaviour.

The question that needs to be raised in today’s Christian preaching is, "Can a person be righteous in the sight of God but lacking in integrity in the sight of people?

"Absolutely," roar the "faith alone" proponents.

"It depends," responds the thoughtful Christian. If a believer obeys the Spirit of God at all times, that individual is righteous in the sight of God. If he is lying or stealing of committing adultery, the Spirit will point out his sins and enable him to overcome them. So while he is growing spiritually, he still may be lacking in integrity but righteous in God’s sight.

The problem with today’s preaching is it offers a perpetual righteousness to whoever makes a profession of belief in "Christ, even though the individual is not obeying the Spirit, and not growing in integrity.

It is as though we are permanently righteous in God’s sight even though we continue to obey our sinful nature.

We do not need to be a Bible scholar to see immediately that the New Testament does not teach we can continue behaving according to our sinful nature and then inherit eternal life. The New Testament certainly does not support this point of view. It has been deduced by selecting a few verses, taking them our of their contexts, and them using them as axioms.

I remember as a boy the anecdote about George Washington telling the truth about what happened to the cherry tree. Also, there was a story, that I remember as having originated in England, about the man who walked several miles barefoot to borrow a pair of shoes he needed to participate in a wedding. He returned home barefoot, carrying the shoes.

After the wedding, he carried the shoes back to the owner, walking barefoot so as to keep the shoes in the best possible condition. Many of today’s Americans would laugh at and scorn such ideals.

Mothers wanted their sons to grow up to be President of the United States, implying that only the very highest and purest of mortals could ascend to that lofty position of honor and purity of character.

And then we have Mr. Clinton and his aide, and their behavior in the White House. The difference between their behavior, and that held as exemplary as recently as a hundred years ago, is just about unimaginable.

Men prided themselves on returning a borrowed tool in better condition than when they were given it: the axe was sharper; the crescent wrench was oiled and polished. A man’s word was his bond, they used to say. A person’s promise was as dependable as a written contract.

Well, it is not true today. We have become more "civilized," I suppose.

Perhaps how people behave is none of my business.

But being a pastor, a Christian leader in that sense, I think that how Christians behave is indeed my business. Perhaps we assume that "accepting Christ" results in an individual of greater integrity than that of non-Christians. Then we remember that the Protestants and Catholics of Ireland are given to murdering each other. They all worship the same Christ, and yet they rejoice as they cripple and murder each other.

How can this be? Is there no power in the blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ to make better people? Is being "born again" nothing more than a religious slogan? When we review the history of Christian people we see that the majority are little different in character from the non-Christians. Can this be true? Did the Christians in England force opium on the Chinese? Did wealthy Christians in America engage in the slave trade, and steal land from the Indians? It is little wonder so many of the world’s people are not overly impressed with the Christian religion. Yet God has promised that righteousness and praise shall spring forth before the nations of the earth.

It appears the power of the Divine redemption has not had its full effect as yet. The goat of the atonement has been operating, but the goat of removal is not in effect as yet.

I have noted on several occasions a lack of integrity on the part of Christian pastors and evangelists. I have been surprised at this lack. I was not raised in a Christian home or under any other kind of Christian influence. However, while I was growing up I looked on churches and ministers with the greatest respect and confidence, although I did not want to attend services.

But now, after many years as a Christian, both as a member of congregations and also as a pastor, I see that various forms of immoral behavior characterize many Christian leaders, ranging from mere lack of disciplined character to outright moral filth and dishonesty.

I have speculated on the reason for this undisciplined character and lawless behavior. As I see it, there are several causes.

It may be true that one primary cause for the paucity of integrity is that through the centuries the Christian salvation has consisted largely of words, of philosophy one might say, rather than of power that transforms character and behaviour.

I do not claim to be well versed enough in Church history to make definitive statements about the Christians of the past, but I can venture my impressions. As I outline what seems to be the bulk of the record of the Christian religion, it must be kept in mind that throughout the Christian Era there have been outstanding saints. Also, it is clear that the Christian religion has influenced the nations positively in which Christianity is the dominant religion. There are efforts in the "Christian nations" to treat people humanely that we do not always see in non-Christian nations.

Having issued this important disclaimer, let us proceed.

Prior to the Protestant Reformation, the dominant religion in Europe was Catholicism. I would say that the emphasis of Catholicism at that time was on obedience to the various aspects of the religion rather than on transformed character.

I believe I am correct in stating that the same is true today. While the Pope has stood resolutely against abortion, as I do also, the concept of the Divine transformation of the individual seems to be set aside in favor of various penances. Perhaps I am incorrect here.

The Protestant Reformation may have reacted against the religious works of Catholicism, such as self-abuse, by overemphasizing the role of belief. "Faith alone!" But as I have listened to this watchword for many years, I have come to the conclusion that it is interpreted as "belief alone."

Why do I say this? Because "belief" suggests a mental acceptance of the theologic facts about Christ. "Faith," however, includes obedience to the commands of Christ and His Apostles. The strident call to "faith alone," at least in our day, means "belief alone."

I have been criticized many times for teaching "works." What I actually am teaching is the behavior that results from the work of the Holy Spirit in us. However, the "faith alone" crowd will have nothing to do with any suggestion that true salvation always results in a new moral creation, not the same old creation which by some magical "grace" is seen by God to actually be righteous.

Obviously, if one views "faith" as adherence to the principles of theology subscribed to by a denomination and portrayed in its "Statement of Faith," then any but the most feeble attempt to emphasize integrity will be viewed with suspicion if not outright hostility.

What a mess we are in today! It is no wonder our government has lost its moral compass!

It appears the basic cause of our lack of integrity (righteousness) is the confusion about Christ’s work of redemption. It seems to have been true over the past period of time, perhaps throughout the entire Christian Era, that our salvation is principally "forgiveness" so we can go to Heaven and not Hell when we die.

The fact is, the genuine Christian salvation primarily is not forgiveness but deliverance from the chains of sin plus the desire and willingness to behave righteously, that is, to demonstrate integrity of character. God’s salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ brings forth a new moral creation, a person in God’s image.

Until the confusion about the purpose and nature of salvation is taught clearly, I do not believe that integrity will become a part of the Christian experience.

So the current lack of integrity on the part of Christian people and their leaders may not be due to a willingness to behave dishonestly but to confusion concerning what Christ can due for us. And because the Christian people do not reveal in themselves the good works that are the light of the world, the rest of mankind plows forward in the mud, so to speak, not realizing that the problems and frustrations they suffer continually are the result of their behaviour.

Another reason for the lack of integrity is the sense of sins forgiven. When an individual comes to Christ for forgiveness he experiences a lightness of spirit. A sinner has come home. This is why many Christian adults behave foolishly, not exhibiting the discipline and restraint of unsaved people.

Yet another factor leading to lack of integrity is the example set by older Christians and their leaders. When we are young, or a new Christian, we are apt to regard the older saints with awe. We suppose they are pillars of holiness and obedience to God.

After a period of time, as we see repeated instances of a lack of sincerity or even of truthfulness and basic honesty, we become disillusioned. We had supposed that the older Christians behaved during the week as they did during Church on Sunday. We were not aware of the Christian "game," of the practice of repeating the expected phrases of carrying our cross and serving Christ on Sunday, and then living as a worldly person during the week.

When Audrey and I went to pastor a church for the first time, an influential lady in the congregation asked us, "When are you going to get real?" She meant when were we going to "let our hair down" and have a party or two. She did not believe people actually lived like my wife and I were teaching.

The pastor you looked up to when you were a youth leader in his church, who left his wife and moved to a distant city in order to live with another woman.

The evangelist who appointed someone in the audience to stand up and say he would give the first thousand dollars. The pastor who arranged for air to blow through the air conditioning ducts so people would think it was the Holy Spirit.

The evangelist who had all the young people starry-eyed, who actually was fornicating with women of the church. The evangelist who sent out workers to the homes of widows to get them to change their wills so their inheritance would go to the evangelist rather than to their children.

The televangelist who bundled up the prayer requests and put them in the garbage.

The evangelist who tells his audience that if they will give him a thousand dollars they will never get cancer. The lying evangelists who makes up stories about incidents that never took place.

The patriarchs of orthodox churches who fight with one another over property.

The thousands of priests who have molested children.

The "Christian" woman who leaves her husband and goes off with another man, who also left his spouse. Then the two of them go from church to church singing musical "specials." They also record CDs.

The pastor is too busy figuring out how much of the morning offering to hide from the IRS, to spend time inquiring about the integrity of his musical evangelists. Yet the Bible warns us about deceivers, about wolves in sheep’s clothing.

I could easily enlarge this list.

Why is this? Why does the religion that bears the name of the Lord Jesus Christ not change people?

I will tell you why. It is because no religion actually changes the hearts of people. It is only a personal walk with Christ that really changes people. Whenever a Christian church places more emphasis on the faithful practice of its sacraments and rites than it does on growth in integrity of the individual communicant, that church is more of Satan than it is of Jesus Christ.

I know from personal experience that there are fine Catholic people. But when the Catholic churches emphasize penances rather than genuine, heartfelt repentance, a turning away from sin, it is not doing the work of God.

Do you remember the story of the "old prophet" who caused the death of the younger man of God? So it is that a minister as he grows older may neglect to follow Christ. He may go into selling insurance or real estate. He may remember the days when the Spirit of God rested on him. But he has fallen short of what God had for him.

When we say someone has been converted we often mean he has accepted Christian theology as being truth. He did not actually enter the death and resurrection of Christ when he was baptized in water. He went down dry and came up wet. No one ever told him he now is dead to the world that he may live in the Presence of Christ and keep His commands.

I think denominations often regard the local church as a business. The pastor is the chief executive officer of a business. The mark of the successful pastor is an increase in the offerings and in the number of people who attend. This being the case, the pastor may be wise to not tell the people that in order to be a disciple, a Christian, we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross (our personal imprisonment), and follow the Lord Jesus every day and night. So the wise pastor will choose to preach what God wants, or else curry favor with the people so the church grows in numbers. It reminds us of the parable of the unrighteous steward.

There simply is no middle ground. Either we faithfully present the burden of the Word of the Lord, or we keep in mind how what we are preaching is going to affect the offerings and the attendance.

Sad to say, in addition to the above examples of weak, worldly ministers of the Gospel, there are a few who are blatantly wicked. They have learned how to move congregations with their "great swelling words," as the Apostle Paul said, and obtain a great deal of money in this manner. But they are of their father, the Devil, so there is no use even discussing them.

After reviewing in my mind the sorts of things that take place in the Christian religion, I have concluded that "Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness" will be the reception numerous Christians are going to receive when they die and stand before Christ.

Integrity! God will not work where there is lying and insincerity. It does not matter if ten million souls "accept Christ." The end never justifies the means with God. Man-directed Christianity, with all of its self-seeking and moral filthiness, will never be accepted by the Lord Jesus.

Those who continue in their sinful nature might just as well leave the Gospel and pursue some other philosophy or religion; for God and His Christ do not know them and have not accepted their works.

You can hear the morning sermon at morning.http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening.http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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