20 Words of Integrity
The Book of James
By Pastor Jim May
James 5:12
Several years ago, a man in Long Beach, California went into a fried chicken place and bought a couple of chicken dinners for himself and his date late one afternoon. The young cashier at the counter inadvertently gave him the proceeds from the day-a whole bag of money (much of it cash) instead of fried chicken. The store manager had placed the deposit inside a bag that was used for chicken orders.
After driving home, the two of them sat down to open the meal and enjoy some chicken together. They discovered a whole lot more than chicken--over $800! The man was honest and quickly put the money back in the bag, got back into the car and drove back to the restaurant. He got out, walked in, and became an instant hero. By then the manager was frantic. Losing that money meant his job along with the cashier.
The guy with the bag of money looked the manager in the eye and said, "I want you to know I came by to get a couple of chicken dinners and wound up with all this money. Here, take it back." Well, the manager was thrilled to death. He said, "Wow, let me call the newspaper. I’m going to have your picture put in the local newspaper. You’re the most honest man I’ve ever met." But the honest man quickly said, "Oh no, no, don’t do that!" Then he leaned closer and whispered to the manager, "The woman waiting for me in the car is not my wife and I don’t want my wife to know that I’m having an affair.”
Now there’s a man who has a real problem with integrity. He may be honest in some ways, but he’s a cheat and a liar in others. He has no integrity.
Integrity means that you are the same all the time. Honesty is a virtue but without loyalty and truthfulness, it really means nothing. An honest man who lies isn’t an honest man. A man who cheats on his wife doesn’t have loyalty, and he has a real problem with true love as well.
James tells us that we should have integrity. Though he does not use the word integrity, the meaning of verse 12 of chapter 5 has everything to do with integrity.
Not only that, but James is also continuing his teaching about controlling the tongue and being careful of what you say. As one man told another, “Son, your mouth is writing checks that your body can’t cash. You’d best be quiet before you bankrupt your mind.”
We usually think of someone with integrity as someone who is completely honest and totally moral, and never wavers under pressure. We think of them as someone who can keep their word because their word is their bond. You don’t have to sign a contract in triplicate to force them to fulfill their vows. When they say something, you can take it to the bank. Do you know people with integrity? I believe you do. But I also believe that many of the people that I meet do not have integrity. How many would you trust with a checkbook filled with signed checks or one of your credit or debit cards? If you can’t trust them, there is a reason, and that reason is that they have no integrity.
I like the story of one little boy who understood what it takes to have real integrity. A lady was sitting in her beach chair on a Florida beach when the little boy, in his swimming trunks, and carrying a towel, came up to her and asked her, "Do you believe in God?" She was surprised by the question but she replied, "Why, yes, I do." Then he asked her: "Do you go to church every Sunday?" Again, her answer was "Yes!" He then asked: "Do you read your Bible and pray everyday?" Again she said, "Yes!" She began to wonder where the question were leading to when The little boy gave a sigh of relief and said, "I finally found the right person. Will you hold my quarter for me while I go in swimming?"
So what does James say about controlling your tongue and having integrity?
James 5:12, "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation."
It all has to do with the condition of the heart, your ability to communicate, and your ability to control your tongue under stress, frustration and/or impatience.
A Christian with real integrity knows how, and is able to control his tongue under all conditions. For too many of us, stress, frustration and impatience cause us to throw integrity to the wind and we say and so things that are not very Christ like.
James says that we are to swear not! We hear people all the time who use swear words, cursing God, bosses, and everything else in sight when things go wrong. I believe that there are a lot of people out there who couldn’t talk without using swear words because that’s the only way they know to get an emphasis where they need it.
But its not just the uneducated who swear. I’ve heard it come from the lips of college professors, doctors, lawyers and people who have a great vocabulary.
The fact is, we all know, and agree, that there is no excuse for cursing, swearing or taking the Lord’s name in vain, no matter what the circumstances.
God gave Moses the 4th of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:7, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
1) This pertains to the first kind of swearing which is related to swearing at something or someone through the use of abusive, violent or blasphemous language.
2) Another use of the word “swear” is we say that we “swear by” something or someone. We might say that we swear by our doctor, or our preacher, meaning that we place a great reliance on them or have ultimate confidence in them.
3) We also say that we swear by something if we think that we have sufficient knowledge of it such as, “I swear, I think she left the job early yesterday; or I think he said that today would be Membership Sunday, but I couldn’t swear to it.”
4) Another thing that we do is that we swear by something such as when we say that we swear by God that we said is truth
We also use the term swear when we talk about someone taking a legal or official oath such as the swearing in of a witness at a trial, or the swearing in of a new President or Governor. Is there anything wrong with this type of swearing? No, that’s not what James is talking about.
Another use of the word swear is when we swear off of something such as saying, “She has sworn off drinking and smoking and swore to God that she would never touch them again.” Is this type of swearing condemned by James? No it isn’t. In fact this type of giving an oath or a vow can be very good but only if you have the integrity to carry it out.
Don’t make solemn promises that you can’t keep, because it becomes a lie and that is sin.
One other use of the word swear is when we use it in legal terms such “swear out a warrant”. This means that we are making a formal charge and submitting formal letters to see that a law is not broken and a criminal is brought to justice. Is this type of swearing condemned by James? No, of course not.
So what kind of swearing is James speaking of when he says to swear not? Well, it falls under two of the categories that we named. One, of course, is the swearing using profanity and cursing, but what is the other?
The second type of swearing that James specifically condemns is found in the 4th point that I made and says that we should never “swear by” anything or anyone to try to make an emphasis.
We should never swear by God, by the angels of Heaven, by the sky above, the earth beneath or by anything else to try to make others believe us.
The Jews in the time of the disciples were known for making some very colorful oaths, or swearing by things that were supposed to emphasize their honesty and truthfulness. Their word alone wasn’t enough and so an oath was given to support and prove their word.
Perhaps one of them would have gone like this: “I swear by the power of the angels of Heaven that if I do not tell the truth, may they come down and erase my name from the sons of my father and remove my birthright forever.” Maybe another might be, “I swear by the certainty of the rising of the sun and the earth beneath my feet that my words or true, or let the earth open beneath me and the sun burn away my flesh while I stand.”
It’s no wonder then that James says, “…swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay…”
These types of swearing were completely useless and offensive. If your words were true why do you need to swear so? If you tell a lie, does that mean that the sun will burn you away and the earth will swallow you up instantly? To say such things, swearing upon such foolish things doesn’t prove your truthfulness and most of the time was only used to try to convince someone that a lie was the truth.
James says that if you have integrity, you have no need of such swearing and oaths. If your word is your bond, why swear to tell the truth. If your word is right, there is no need to emphasize its truth. Time will prove you right.
People with integrity only need to say yes or no. No more emphasis or proof is needed. Speak the truth always, with integrity, and you will be believed without any swearing.
Christians should not swear for doing so only points out their lack of integrity. Let your conversation be simple and to the point, “Yes” or “No”. Anything else is not necessary and only leads to doubts of your word.
Swearing of oaths to prove your truthfulness only leads to distrust and condemnation by those around you and by God himself. If you are telling the truth, your words are your bond, and you have integrity, then why swear to it at all. Truth is truth. Truth doesn’t change whether you believe it or not. Truth is truth, period.
Watch your tongue. First of all, we should never be found swearing at or against anyone or anything. Secondly, don’t swear oaths to prove your point. Let truth be your proof.
William Shakespeare, the great poet, once wrote:
This above all, to thine own self be true,
and it must follow as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
He was talking about integrity in word and in deed. People with real integrity don’t have to prove anything.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger used her nationwide radio talk show as a strong pulpit to promote morality and integrity in America. She has come under criticism for taking a strong stand against the moral breakdown in societyI Dr. Laura, after much soul searching, realized that the ideals she preached are far too controversial for this progressive culture, so she confessed that she had caused much grieve to people by speaking harshly. She made a declaration of her “guilt” and called it, “The Ten Stupid Things I’ve Said That Have Gotten Me Into Hot Water.”
• Number 10: (Drum roll ): Do the Right Thing (even if it tastes bad!)
• Number 9: Adoption is the best option (for unmarried, pregnant women)
• Number 8: Don’t cheat on your spouse
• Number 7: Take your kids to church
• Number 6: Fathers really are necessary to children’s health and happiness
• Number 5: If you have kids, don’t divorce just because you’re feeling unfulfilled (whatever that means!)
• Number 4: Don’t have kids, if you won’t raise them.
• Number 3: Don’t have unmarried sex. Don’t shack up.
• Number 2: Take responsibility for your own actions.
• And the very stupidest thing I ever said that gets me in hot water is:
Number 1: Obey the Ten Commandments.
This is a list of things Dr. Laura said that got her into trouble. More of us should be in this kind of trouble.
Our integrity as Christian compels us to shout Amen to what she says. We must stand for truth. We must guard our tongue. And, we must never compromise the truth for any reason.
