CHARACTER COUNTS: Integrity

More in the CHARACTER COUNTS Series In an effort to strive for balance we tend to create “silos” for the different areas of life such as family, work, church, and leisure.  While it can be good to keep work from seeping into our family life, our character should be consistent in all areas of life regardless of where we are and what we are doing. This is a life of integrity.

Integrity is from the same word as integer, indicating a whole number, not a fractional number.  Integrity to character is when we are wholly authentic and not only "partially" authentic.  We are wholly godly and not only partially Godly. 

In 1 Peter 3:8-17 the anuthor encouraged believers to endure faithfully and consistently with integrity.  Like a waffle, it’s okay to have separate “waffle” squares for different areas of our lives. However, our character, needs to be like melted butter or syrup that spreads across all the squares filling in the high spots and the low spots with consistency. This consistency creates a waffle with butter/syrup in ALL areas.  The alternative is to have a portion of the waffle without butter/syrup.  This example of consistency is a good illustration of integrity.

We learn that we are to be the same person at all times, in all areas of the "waffle" of our lives – our “waffle” house.

1 Peter 3:8-12

8 Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, 9 not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For the one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, 11 and let him turn away from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, 12 because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do what is evil.

Peter starts this passage by reviewing behaviors that should be found in every life compartment.  He calls for us to be like-minded and sympathetic. He calls for us to love one another and be compassionate and humble. He calls for us to be a blessing to other people in order to show God's favor in the world.

When Peter called for living with humility and compassion he was describing an attitude of non-retaliation and a positive witness to the gospel. He was describing an objective of not using our words to deceive people, not doing harmful wrong, but replacing it with goodness and righteousness.

We are to live the same way no matter what the present circumstances of our lives. Peter called his audience to live in harmony, to share a common heritage of faith and ethical values. The Greco-Roman society valued this attribute as it bound people together as a cohesive community, a civilization.  Christians were to be like-minded in their beliefs about Jesus. However, even with naturally arising differences they needed to promote unity, not division, in the church.

These believers were to demonstrate a sympathetic spirit, meaning they were to care deeply about the needs, joys, and sorrows of others. Built upon the Greek word for “passion” and “together,” the Greek term for sympathetic means to share a common passion for one another. Sympathetic people care deeply about and show concern toward others as the phrase Love one another indicates.The Greek word for “brotherly love” challenged these believers to treat one another as respected family members. 

Peter also emphasized the need for believers to be compassionate, and humbly motivate people to place the needs of others equal to or superior too their own. How can a civilization flourish if it's people are concerned only with their individual selves rather than the collective whole?

The reference to evil for evil is pointing to the Old Testament which limited the extent to which persons could seek retribution upon offenders for wrongs done. Jesus taught His disciples not to repay evil with evil. He commanded His followers to respond to evil, insults, and hatred with love and blessings. It’s very easy to respond to gossip, hurt, and/or slander in kind, if you are living in a Jr. High school world. However, Jesus called his followers as people of integrity to respond by blessing and doing good to their enemies. 

Peter quoted from Psalm 34:12-16 which speaks of how God delivers those in the midst of suffering and affliction. While in the context of the psalm, life and good days refer to experiences in this world, in Peter’s context they refer to eternal life fully experienced in the age to come.  

Peter is pointing out to us that there must be a correlation of behavior in all areas of life. We can’t act nice and sweet at church while being rude to others and expect our lives to have eternal impact on the world for God's behalf.

 

1 Peter 3:13-15

13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

If you are constantly pursuing good, then the probabilities for harm decrease. Harm is not the normally expected outcome for those who do good. However, in this life that is not always the case. Peter assured believers that nothing can ultimately harm them if they continue to walk in God’s paths, and that the pain inflicted on them now is only temporary. A person who is completely committed to a cause describes a zealous pursuit of virtue, even when faced with persecution for doing the right things. 

Those who steadfastly follow the ways of the Lord soon find themselves paddling upstream in relation to society, and it can lead to persecution in this life but not harm in the eternal sense. While people suffer for many reasons—poor choices, unfortunate circumstances, and the evil of some around them—this specific kind of suffering is for one’s faith. Staying true to faith and the ways of Divinity sometimes places the believer in the crosshairs of evil. God promises that believers who suffer persecution and mistreatment because of their faith will be blessed with great reward in heaven – the holy, eternal dwelling place of God, angels, and redeemed souls.  We are not to fear them or be intimidated. Instead of fearing our persecutors we are to regard the Divine as holy--to acknowledge Him as the supreme authority in one’s life. 

Peter also points out the way that we can do this more easily.  We  should have a ready defense for their faith and should be prepared to give such a defense in any and all situations (at any time) and to any and all people (anyone who asks you).  Please note that this is not just a "correct answer" type of defense, this is a "What it means to ME, personally" defense.  We DON'T have to be theological professors.  We just need to be people with opinions and beliefs that we have thought about,  that WE know why WE believe and hold dear because WE know, understand, and wisely execute their precepts.  We do this because WE KNOW and not merely because we were told to by someone else. There is a difference between "I have to be nice to you because the preacher told me to", and "God loves you so I'm going to be nice to you too."

Hope is a primary characteristic of a joyous life.  Persecution can make life difficult, but it cannot harm the eternal life that awaits believers, and because of this Christians can live in joy, hope, and love even when being persecuted and suffering.

 

1 Peter 3:16-17

16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 

Even when defending faith before their persecutors, we are to do so with gentleness. Also sometimes translated as “meekness.” The Greek word describes someone who has a true understanding of himself, who does not have an overly-developed sense of self-importance. The word carries the ideas of humility, courtesy, and considerateness. Gentleness was a primary characteristic of Jesus. Responding with gentleness to one’s persecutors does not come naturally, but through the power of the indwelling Spirit we CAN do it. 

A clear conscience requires integrity. Believers must live out their faith in their daily lives both in public and in private. Living with a clear conscience is possible because the Spirit of God lives in us and enables us to make choices and decisions in accordance with the will and ways of God, if we listen and heed God’s guidance.  

Unbelievers will mistreat others because of their good conduct.  Peter acknowledged that suffering for doing good is sometimes the outcome of our choices and those around us. Jesus said that in this world suffering is to be expected by Christians – to be persecuted as He was. 

Jesus also encouraged His disciples to take heart because He has overcome the world. Christ has won the victory over the world and the ruler of this world, and believers will share in that victory. The truth of the matter is that character matters and a consistent character of integrity really matters. 

A life of integrity maintains conduct that withstands any scrutiny or criticism.  Peter calls us to live lives able to stand up to examination and critique, both in attitude and action. To seek to live transparently and with integrity. To keep and maintain a clear conscience, with on-going self-evaluation.  We are to keep on shining in the darkness and always remaining true, especially in hardship.

Our lives have an eternal impact when we exhibit consistent Godly qualities in every situation. “Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles (Nations), so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.”  Referring to either the last days or to the day God visits the evildoer’s awareness.