Integrity

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
(Matthew 5:37, ESV)

The fourth principle of the Law that Jesus discussed is that of telling the truth. The Jews were not to bear false witness. To this, Jesus stated the following.

“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matthew 5:33–37, KJV)

They apparently had a practice of making oaths to do things by invoking the name of the Lord, or the Temple, or Heaven. The problem with this was that they did not see other commitments as binding. In other words, they would bind themselves by an oath to do certain things, but other things became optional.

Jesus’ words to simply let yes be yes and no be no, brings us an understanding that true citizens of the Kingdom are people of integrity. They keep their word. People can count on them. This kind of commitment is something born in the heart and not the flesh.

Commitment is no problem when it is easy. However, it is not when things are difficult. We need people today who keep their word regardless of the difficulty. All too often I find that people will make a commitment to do something and then either not do it or quit before completion. This is not a new issue. It has been the problem of man since the time of the fall. The problem is one of man’s fallen nature.

In contrast, true children of the Kingdom have a different standard and a different nature. True citizens of the Kingdom have a new divine nature. This nature wants to demonstrate integrity. However, every believer struggles with the old fleshly nature. It is a question as to whether the flesh is in control or the Spirit.

We should examine our words. We should be honest. If we do not plan to do something, do not say yes just to be polite, to please another, or to avoid looking less than admirable. If we do not plan to do something, say no.

Alternatively, if we make a commitment to do something, do not let anything get in the way of fulfilling the commitment. We must not let personal preferences, difficulties, or anything else keep us from keeping our word.