Standing Firm on God’s Word

The virtue of integrity is the action of standing firm in God’s word. It’s pleasing to the Lord when we show others an unwavering adherence to His truth. Indeed, acting upon Christ’s Gospel without reservations, the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with love, peace, and joy. This great consciousness of God’s holiness proves our salvation’s security and gives the reason for our gratitude for eternal life.

The Essence of Integrity

Christ is the essence of integrity. When God delivered Jesus into the world, it highlighted a new way of rectitude. In the Messiah, a believer gains the wisdom of the Lord’s will and the power to carry it out. Since our Father made Christ the entry into His kingdom (John 14:6), it becomes my responsibility to hold to His Deity.

Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5,6,7) shows us the actions needed to remain embedded in God’s truth. In this homily, Christ discussed integrity regarding marriage, divorce, selflessness, loving enemies, prayer, and judging others. He gives us the blueprint to staying firm on God’s word.

For example, Jesus said this about divorce:

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32, NIV)

As shown above, God sees marriage as binding and sacred. He makes it known that adultery is the penalty for divorce for both men and women. So, we see that staying married is honorable in our Father’s eyes. There are exceptions, sexual immorality, and physical violence (isn’t mentioned).

Besides Christ’s sermon, Apostle Paul shows us the Holy Spirit’s workings in integrity. We find this in the fifth chapter of Galatians (Galatians 5:22-23). Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is the markings of a solid foundation in standing unyielding in God’s word. He unveils nine divine attributes the Holy Spirit uses to keep us centered in God’s truth.

As if that’s not enough, Disciple Peter, in his second Epistle, unearths seven godly principles to demonstrate Christian integrity (2 Peter 1:5-7). Peter, in these scriptures, shows that growing in faith is an active practice of adding God’s precepts to our lives.

Conclusion

Given these points, we see integrity as an action where we act upon God’s word and show others His truth. This is a brief and incomplete picture of staying firm on God’s word. The Bible has many other ways to live with spiritual integrity. They are there for you to discover.

What’s your outlook on integrity?