“……..In integrity of heart and innocency of hands I have done this” (Gen 20:5)

I looked up the meaning of integrity in the dictionary and came up with the following;

1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code

2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness

3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness



To the Christian, the definitions above can be easily understood. We are committed to the obedience of God’s laws which are both moral and spiritual. A man who is walking in integrity is in a sound state. He has a clear focus of what is good and what is bad. He is not confused or doubtful about what is required of him and he exudes the character of one who can be trusted.

Christians should understand the concept of integrity more than anyone else. If there was anyone who displayed the quality of being sound and undivided, it is our Lord Jesus Christ. While He walked the face of the earth, He was focused and He had very high moral standards. If this were so, how come the Church which Christ gave himself for, is battling with integrity issues today? Pastors complain that they do not have dependable people to work with while many church folk question the integrity of their pastors.

In Gen 20, King Abimelech took Sarah, Abraham’s wife having been told that she was Abraham’s sister. In the middle of the night however, God told him in a dream, ‘You are a dead man because the woman you have taken is another man’s wife’.  See Abimielech’s response, “Did not the man tell me, She is my sister? And she herself said, He is my brother. In integrity of heart and innocency of hands I have done this.  (Gen 20:5, emphasis mine.)

God recognizes integrity. He saw it in Abimelech and that was one of the reasons the king and his family were spared. God told him, “Yes, I know you did this in the integrity of your heart, for it was I Who kept you back and spared you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not give you occasion to touch her” Gen 20:6

The church needs men and women of integrity. Where to find them? You and I can be those men and women.  We can start upholding truth, fairness and justice anywhere we find ourselves. It does not mean we are perfect as could be seen in the case of Abimelech. But it means we stand for what we believe and it guides the way we live.

When we walk in integrity, people are naturally drawn to trust us. We are seen as dependable. We can be counted upon to speak the truth even at the risk of embarrassing ourselves. We don’t follow the crowd because ‘everyone is doing it’. We dare to be different!

God boasted about Job, “And the Lord said to Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns all evil [because it is wrong]? And still he holds fast his integrity, although you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause.”  (Job 2:3)  Can God boast about the integrity of His people today?

You and I can the team up to become a strong army of God’s people who walk in integrity.  People whose lives will impact upon our generation.

These are the people the Church needs today. Dare to join?

Steve O. Popoola

Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the webmaster of Biblepraise Fellowship Online at http://www.biblepraise.org. He currently resides in London where he works as an IT professional. He serves in the ministerial team of his local church as well as in the music ministry. He is the Moderator/Editor of Biblepraise Newsletter. He can be reached through His email address, steve@biblepraise.org