Choosing to Have More Integrity
Updated: Jul 6, 2024
Dr. James Merritt recently spoke at the Gridiron Men’s Christian Conference about integrity, and I suspect some of what he said came right out of his latest book, “Character Still Counts: It Is Time to Restore Our Lasting Values.”
Dr. Merritt is a prominent figure in the American evangelical Christian community.
He is the founding and Lead Pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Georgia, a large congregation with a significant online presence. Merritt has authored numerous books on Christian living, leadership, and faith, including "Excuses Begone!”, “When Life Hurts." And “Character Still Counts: It Is Time to Restore Our Lasting Values.” He hosts the television program "Touching Lives," which broadcasts his sermons and teachings to a wide audience.
Merritt earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Stetson University. He holds a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
In his personal life, he has been married to his wife, Teresa, since 1976, and they have three sons, daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren.
I do not like disagreeing with a notable pastor, but I believe this sermon failed to convey the Gospel simply, as integrity was confused with loving God. It kept mentioning the importance of integrity and how it can be costly, but the action plan was centered around me, not God. I recognize that Dr. Merritt has everything more than me, education, experience, reputation, and even kids. However, the Bible's message is for everyone not just the elite professional Christians. I want you to know I went over his sermon multiple times and reviewed more Scripture than normal.
The message reminded me of many Baptist ministers I heard growing up. They wanted us to live holier lives but failed to tell us we could not do it alone. Choosing to have more integrity, I believe, will leave you lacking if you do it on your own. You can make a strong effort to be a person of steadfast truth and high morality. I believe that others may even recognize the effort. However, what you try to do will never be the same as what supernaturally flows from you. I discuss this at length in my post: “Head Knowledge vs Heart Knowledge” https://www.walkinthetruth.org/post/head-knowledge-vs-heart-knowledge
Daniel 6 was his main passage, and here is his sermon’s key point:
Your reputation is what people think you are when they see you through a window. Character is what you know you are when you see yourself in a mirror. If your reputation met your character on the street, would they recognize each other?
His three steps to be a person of integrity:
You have to live a life of integrity.
You have to count the cost of integrity
You have to be willing to pay the price of integrity.
My concern began when he arrived at verse 4 of chapter 6 as he began laying the groundwork for the statement: "It was his integrity that got him into deep trouble."
He embellished the investigation into Daniel’s life by saying it involved turning over every rock, interviewing all of his associates, and employing tactics used by the CIA, IRS, and FBI. To which he concludes:
“But when they put Daniel's life under a microscope, here's what they found: a man who had been honest, hardworking, and holy for 70 years.”
But the Bible does not say that. Verse 4 says they were looking for issues with his government work. Remember that there is a worldview of goodness that includes integrity, and there is God’s truth. We know from Scripture that Daniel failed to live a perfect life, as we all do. The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We know there were things to find if they were looking like God looks. We also know that Daniel was gifted with administration. When God gifts someone with administration, it is supernatural.
Already, we have a problem with simply getting up in the morning and choosing to have more integrity. Daniel was a prophet and was blessed with the Holy Spirit. God gave Daniel this gift of administration. His story is similar to the story of Joseph found in the last 13 chapters of Genesis. When people came in contact with them, they wanted to put them in charge of more. In contrast, if you look at Moses, who had leadership abilities, you will see that he was not a gifted administrator.
Back to Daniel 6:4-9, once Daniel’s new subordinates realized they could not attack his government service, they set a legal trap for him so that he could be convicted and killed. In verse 10, Daniel opens the window and begins praying, but is that an act of integrity? Dr. Merritt says it is, and I can see how he got there, but I believe it is an act of love.
Why is this important? The word we need here is relationship. Daniel has a loving relationship with God, which empowers him to take leadership roles as a captive. Deuteronomy 6:5 sums up the law by saying it all umbrellas under loving God with everything you are and everything you have.
It is our relationship with Christ that can empower integrity in us. One of the many passages you will see that I considered before I wrote this is John 15:1- 9. We cannot produce fruits of the Spirit without abiding in Christ. We cannot abide in Christ without love because it is an intimate relationship.
Once you change the word from integrity to love, counting the cost and being willing to pay the cost also align with the Gospel.
Counting the cost is the cost of following Jesus, which can be a high cost while we still live in this world. As Dr. Merritt pointed out, the lions did not harm Daniel, but that will not always be the case. Christians have been targeted and killed since the very beginning, and it still happens today.
The greatest example of character is Jesus. A Christian should want to be like Jesus. Choosing to have more integrity is choosing to be more Christ-like. To do it, you must get out of your own way. As John 3:30 says, more of Him and less of me.
Replacing love with integrity, one of Dr. Merritt’s points would read:
“Love doesn't just talk the talk, it walks the walk. It never veers off course, never takes a shortcut, never cuts corners. It stands tall, it stands tough, and it stands true to what is right.” Doesn’t that remind you of 1 Corinthians 13 a little?
I applaud all efforts to realign Christianity with integrity and character. But you first need to realign Christianity with Christ as King and Savior. Following Christ is being His disciple and obeying Him because you love Him. It is not a get out of Hell by saying a prayer deal or a heaven retirement plan. It is not a religion. It is a relationship. It is also a relationship that transforms you.
Choosing to have more integrity involves three steps:
Love God more than anyone or anything else.
Repent and get out of your own way.
Pray for God’s help in steps 1 and 2.
The Gospel is simple, and I believe we should keep it that way.
If you want to be more of a servant, a better spouse, a better parent, employee, leader, teacher, preacher, etc. It is the same three steps. Those three steps have layers upon layers, but the steps do not change. They are the steps of a disciple who follows Jesus.
For my post on repentance, click this link: https://www.walkinthetruth.org/post/the-7-r-s-of-repentance.
Don’t settle for the level of character or integrity you can accomplish. Grab on to Jesus and let that relationship transform you into the level of character God can accomplish. It will likely get you in trouble, but it is the case with following Christ.
I considered or used the following Scripture when writing this post titled “Choosing to have more integrity.”
Genesis 37-50, Exodus 2:11-12, Exodus 18:13-23, Deuteronomy 6:5, Judges 6, Psalm 78:70-72, Psalm 127:1, Proverbs 22:29, Jeremiah 17:9, Jeremiah 23:28, Ezekiel 3:16-22, Daniel 5:10-12, Daniel 5:17, Daniel 5:25-31, Daniel 6:1-17, Matthew 12:38-42, Matthew 22:37-40, Matthew 23:23-26, Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 14:25-33, Luke 15:11-32, John 3:30, John 14:15, John 15:1-9, Acts 6:1-7, Romans 3:23, Romans 7:18-19, Romans 8:37-39, Romans 12:6-8, Romans 13:14, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Corinthians 12:28, 1 Corinthians 13, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 2:3, Ephesians 2:8-9, Philippians 2:12-13, Philippians 4:13, Colossians 3:10, Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:5, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Timothy 4:12, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 John 1:5, 1 John 1:9, 1 John 2:15, 1 John 4:16, 1 John 5:3
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