Question

What is a Biblical definition of the word integrity?

Answer

Well, simply put, integrity is living what you believe and living what you preach--that is as simple as I can put it.  In other words it's conducting yourself in your behavior in accord in what you say you believe.  The lack of integrity comes when a person proclaims to believe something and does not live up to that.  I'll give you a good illustration, it's not a Biblical one, but we could talk about the Biblical things.  I think Paul hits it on the head when he talks about having a clear conscience.  In other words, what he is saying by that is, "My behavior and my belief are in accord so my conscience is not wounded," but let me give you an illustration that might help and I have used this some years ago. 

Imagine that we are making bread, now you have to imagine that I am making bread--I never have made bread in my life so I'm guessing at this.  Let's assume that we had a big pan and we want to make bread.  We take flour--right?  We put some flour in there and then water I think, and put some water in there, and then maybe you want egg bread so you put an egg in there--just drop an egg in!  See, I told you--OK, French Bread--what do I know?  Let's assume that you put a little salt or sugar--whatever, you just put in flour, put in water, put in yeast, put in an egg, and take it and stick it in the oven.  What are you going to have?  You are going to have a mess--a warm mess.  You left out one thing, what was that?  Mixing it all together.

Your life has a lot of components.  You have integrity when every component touches every other component--that's integrity.  When every ingredient touches every other ingredient you make bread, and when every ingredient of your life: what you believe; what you say; and what you do all touch each other--that's integrity.  I believe that it is best affirmed in the sense that you have a clear conscience and you know that what you have said is in fact the way you live.