Matthew 5:8 – WH – μακαριοι οι καθαροι τη καρδια οτι αυτοι τον θεον οψονται (5695)
Matthew 5:8 – KJV – Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see (5695) God.
Well…it was hard for me to do these. It wasn’t until I audited a class on Engineering Dynamics that I got to see integral equations at work. I went to the book store and bought the Schaum’s Outlines for the Calculus, Differential through Integration, including transformation equations. I studied it, now that I had a visual idea what it means. I finally made decent enough grades in Math to move on. Today, I am researching Vedic Maths (Another blog, another time).
The moving picture at the top of the screen is an illustration of integration at work. It shows in form what integration looks like. Everything moving together, at different rates of speed in order to be a complete, whole, and functional system. It is pure in that it does not deviate from its’ design. It’s purity, or innocence is maintained as long as no foreign objects, wrenches, junk, dirt, rocks, etc are introduced to the system. Throw a wrench in the works, you have a system that is broken, and fails to meet its’ designed expectation. The timing of the gear’s mesh is perfect for its function.
Each gear is identifiable as being separate from each other…they have their own identity. They work as one because of their relationship to each other. Their design is harmonized, and functional, as long as it is being used for its’ purpose.
The first thing I asked myself, when I first saw this is, “How do I measure integrity?” If some one has integrity, do they have ENOUGH integrity. However, that question contradicts itself…if you lack integrity to the smallest degree, you lack integrity.
The ethics of hell teach us that we can do the wrong thing for the right reason, the right thing for the wrong reason, do nothing, or in doing something, we may cause more harm than good. Our society, being bereft of a moral compass is fine with the ethics of hell because, “What matters is your intent, how you felt”. That makes any outcome acceptable because you meant well. But I can still hear Grandma Wells telling me, “Little David! The road to hell is paved with good intentions!”
And she was right.
Because of that exercise in logic, I had to ask myself, “Who here decides what the baseline of integrity is?” I asked this of myself because of other places I worked. Other companies are all about the bottom line. It was “good integrity” in their eyes if you supported the bottom line at the expense of all sense of right and wrong. To fail to do this, would be a lack of integrity in their eyes.
Integrity, as I think I understand it, is not subject to any ones individual whim, and remains a constant without deviation. So, who decided what integrity is, anyway???
I believe the scriptures are the word of God. I believe that, if it is in the Bible, God wanted us to learn something from it. For a list of places where integrity is even remotely hinted at, CLICK THIS LINK.
As you can see, I looked up the definition of integrity as used in the bible, both Old Testament and New Testament. The New Testament does not use the word directly in the Greek language, even though some translations have translated the meaning of the word as “integrity”. It is still accurate.
Vocabulary Word: Integrity
FROM THE HEBREW – תֹּם
|
Pronunciation
|
|
Part of Speech
masculine noun
|
Root Word (Etymology)
|
|
|
Outline of Biblical Usage
-
integrity, completeness
-
completeness, fulness
-
innocence, simplicity
-
integrity
|
|
.
|
|
Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon
|
Here we see what God intended for mankind. When we were in the Garden of Eden, we were COMPLETE. We reflected the FULLNESS of God as we are made in his image and likeness, meaning we look like him, and were supposed to act just like him (That is what likeness meant, His Character). We were innocent of sin. There was no corruption, nothing lacking, we had everything we needed to walk after God and fulfill his design for His purposes for us. In our innocent state, we had no guile, no deceit, no awareness of what we might do wrong. We were innocent. We were pure.
That is how God designed us.
THE FALL
At the fall, because we considered Satan’s lie that God was holding out on us, and we believed that lie, we learned what sin, separation from God, illness, and corruption was all about. We were no longer pure, innocent, complete, full of His glory, and life got really complicated. Instead of becoming LIKE God (The state we were actually already in), we became like Satan (The State Satan was already in.)
The fall is where we died. That is why God told mankind that eating the fruit will kill you. Our soul perished, we were broken. We had a wrench in the works, and we threw it there. This is why Jesus was able to tell people this:
John 3:18 AMPLIFIED : He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation–he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.]
Because we were already dead, and if we chose to not believe in Jesus, we are ALREADY condemned because our souls were already dead. Dead souls is not what God had in mind.
SO, HOW DO WE GET FROM THE FALL TO INTEGRITY???
I am glad you asked.
Integrity, like Attitude, is not something you can fake for very long. It is another attribute that is often imitated, but never duplicated. Integrity, REAL integrity lives in a redeemed heart. Here, I’ll show you from the New Testament:
FROM THE GREEK – καθαρός
| Transliteration |
Origin |
| katharós |
of uncertain affinity |
| Definition [ Thayer’s | Strong’s ] |
|
|
Matthew 5:8 – WH – μακαριοι οι καθαροι τη καρδια οτι αυτοι τον θεον οψονται (5695)
Matthew 5:8 – KJV – Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see (5695) God.
As I mentioned in my last blog on
ATTITUDE, after the fall, we lost the ability to naturally have holiness as a way of life. In order to redeem mankind to a working relationship with God, Jesus had to come here and become all of our sin so that, in exchange for him becoming all our sin, we are given all the attributes of Christ. If we have accepted this free gift, we are now the Children of God.
BECOMING PURE IN HEART
Last August, when the Spirit of God filled me and got hold of me, the first thing He did was work at getting my mind right. It is one thing to intellectually agree that I am saved and am a child of God, but it is entirely a different thing to apprehend this fact in my heart. To be infused with the spirit, not merely possessed. This is the first step of integration for the new believer. You are infused, immersed, filled…down to the mitochondrial level, all the way into the DNA. Infused with the life of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That is why Galatians 2:20 says :“I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.”
And why II Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
When this happens, the world begins to look different. As you permit the Spirit of God to affect change in you, you begin to see things the way God sees them.. You begin to think His thoughts. You begin to want to do as Jesus did. And what did Jesus say would happen if you allow Him to graft you into the vine, and if you abide there?
He said THIS: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Do you see where this heads? It starts with The Spirit infusing you and guiding you to be like Jesus. The more you submit to this process, the more you desire this process. You desire it because once you walk in it, you discover a joy and pleasure you have never known. Fear is gone, and assurance lives in you. The laboring in to rest for this comes in where you have to remember that you are dead, Christ is alive in you. It takes time and effort to get this fact down. The more you understand it, the more you can walk the walk. The pruning part of the Greek definition comes in when the Spirit cuts away every unproductive thing in your heart and mind. That way, you have more resources available for what is left of you. Eventually, as the graft of you into Jesus (The Vine) solidifies, you will produce good fruit, as Jesus did, and more.
OK, Dave, but can we get back to the Integrity thing???
Sure.
Here is what I am trying to say. Many, many people can emulate Integrity, but in the long run, they either succumb to the fatigue generated from faking it, or they deviate from the walk, even though they think they have integrity, because the source of all things holy is not their source.
A changed heart and a changed mind must integrate with the Spirit so you can harmonize with the will of God. God empowers you when you surrender to the gentle work of the Spirit. It eventually feels effortless compared to how it used to feel to fake this attribute.
Like Love, Faith, Grace, Mercy, Attitude, etc, Integrity must come from the heart and infuse your thinking. When that happens, you will walk the walk. You cannot walk this walk without the power of the living God who, in the form of the Holy Spirit, dwells in you, and infuses every aspect of your being. HE does this, not you. You simply become Him the more you submit to His love and guidance.
WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD
There are plenty of times I want to deviate from God’s will for my life. Every time old habits or my old flesh try to come back to life, I have to labor back into the rest of God. I do this by knowing and proclaiming the scriptures, and through prayer. My old self lied, cheated, stole, and, basically, broke every commandment that existed. I even made up commandments so I could rebel against them, too!
Now, I am filled with the Spirit of God, and I genuinely want and desire to be like Christ. Fortunately, there is nothing I have to do but submit.
Integrity really is how you are when no one else is looking. What you do with your thoughts and intentions when you are alone reveals your true character. Unless you have allowed the will of God through the power of the Holy Spirit to change your heart, you cannot fake integrity for very long.
THe big challenge is when your public life and your private life actually harmonize with the will of God. THIS is what having integrity really means. In the case of CATES, having this integrity means always keeping your word, honoring your commitments, being pure in your intent, and having your work ethic match your intent.
This is how it is in God’s kingdom, too.
If you struggle with integrity, chances are there is a part of your heart you hold on to, and do not let God transform. The lack of purity there will always, in one form or another, manifest itself in your daily life. This is a tough one. It is tough because, even if you are aware of this discrepancy, no matter how much effort you put into changing it yourself, the change will never take place. Not with out you submitting to the will of God. This is what it means to labor to rest. Give up your will, and deny your self, and see what it is that God wants to do in your life.
I have never met a living soul who regretted walking in the life God made possible through Jesus. But I have seen misery in many forms from people who think they have it all together but don’t know Christ.
Do you want integrity? Do you want it to become easy to obtain? Trust the finished work of the cross, and let the Spirit of God lead you to this…after-all, it IS why Jesus said His yolk is easy, and His burden is light.
Now, Let’s be about it.
I love you in the name of Jesus.
If you have a prayer request, please write me by filling out the form below.
Love always,
David G. Perkins
David G. Perkins 