International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Integrity:

in-teg’-ri-ti (tom, tummah): The translation of tom, “simplicity,” 

Genesis 20:5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”

It is interesting that the first use of the word integrity was said by Abimelech king of Gerar.

Dictionary

Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more

in·teg·ri·ty

noun

1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
2. the state of being whole and undivided.

And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

The simple answer was that Sarah was his sister but fear on Abraham’s part kept him from revealing the whole truth. Abraham fell in love with his half sister and married her. Things in this world are never as simple as telling half truths.

The biblical definition of integrity isn’t just simplicity. It also means  “soundness,” “completeness,” rendered also “upright,” “perfection.”

When we let fear interfere with soundness, completeness, uprightness and perfection, we have failed to trust God for our protection. I can say that because God said this; Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

God is faithful even when we are not. Abraham did not lie, he just let fear keep him from telling the whole truth. We are not perfect, not yet anyway. When we allow fear to keep us from being completely honest it allows those in the world to render a false assumption about our character.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Matthew 5:11-13 English Standard Version

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

At the end of the blessings from the sermon on the mount, Jesus continues speaking to those that are blessed by telling them to rejoice. Then he continues on to address everyone.

When He says “You are the salt of the earth, He is addressing both those who are blessed and those who are not. He addresses first a good quality of salt, making foods tasty. Then He addresses the issue of salt that is used in a manner that is not a blessing.

What happens when salt is thrown down and trampled under foot? It kills vegetation so that nothing grows. Whole regions have been salted rendering the land unfit for farming. The Dead Sea is so salty life does not exist there.

Genesis 19:26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Our blood needs a low percentage of salt to operate properly. Too much salt is lethal. When we sweat our electrolytes we are out of balance and we need to restore balance by drinking electrolytes.

Jesus asked, how can saltiness be restored?

1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Just as our bodies suffer from loss of salt, Christ Himself will restore us. In that moment He will confirm, strengthen, and establish us. In doing that the likelihood of losing our saltiness again is lessened. Just as when our electrolytes are out of balance we will know the signs to treat the imbalance by returning to the source of our balance.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them,” Ref. Proverbs 11

Integrity is our guide.