Upholding Truth: The Ethics of Integrity in Crisis

Devotional

Day 1: Upholding Truth in All Circumstances

In a world where deception is often justified by good intentions, Christians are called to a higher standard of truthfulness. The sermon emphasizes that God is a God of truth, and as His followers, we must reflect His nature by being people of truth. Using deception, even with the aim of saving lives, aligns us with the devil, the father of lies, and undermines our Christian integrity. Upholding truth in all circumstances is not just a moral obligation but a reflection of our faith and trust in God. [05:39]

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." (Proverbs 10:9, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a situation in your life where you are tempted to use deception for a perceived good outcome? How can you choose to uphold truth instead?

Day 2: Rejecting Moral Compromise

The Bible clearly opposes doing evil that good may come, as seen in the Apostle Paul's defense in Romans 3. Compromising moral principles for perceived good outcomes reflects a lack of faith and contradicts our identity as new creatures in Christ. Christians are called to live out their faith with integrity, trusting that God will work through their obedience. This requires a commitment to reject moral compromise and to trust in God's sovereignty over the outcomes of our actions. [08:06]

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." (Romans 12:9, ESV)

Reflection: Are there areas in your life where you have compromised your moral principles? What steps can you take today to align your actions with your faith?

Day 3: Trusting God with the Outcomes

Christians are called to trust God with the outcomes of walking in integrity and holiness. The sermon highlights that resorting to worldly tactics, such as deception, is a sign of a lack of faith in God's power to bring about good. Instead, we should rely on God's power and wisdom, trusting that He will work through our obedience to achieve His purposes. This requires a deep faith and a willingness to surrender control to God, believing that His ways are higher than ours. [08:21]

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (Psalm 37:5, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to trust God with the outcomes? How can you practice surrendering this area to Him today?

Day 4: The Consequences of Compromise

Compromising our integrity can lead to more harm than good, potentially sending more people away from faith. The sermon warns that our witness is powerful when it is consistent and truthful, and compromising it can undermine our ability to share the gospel effectively. Christians are called to live out their faith with integrity, trusting that God will use their witness to draw others to Himself. This requires a commitment to truthfulness and a willingness to trust God with the results. [09:00]

"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways." (Proverbs 28:6, ESV)

Reflection: How has compromising your integrity affected your witness to others? What steps can you take to restore your integrity and strengthen your witness?

Day 5: Divine Power in Obedience

God is able to make consistent, humble, and sacrificial obedience have vast soul-saving effects. The sermon emphasizes that our human calculations cannot match the divine power of living out our faith truthfully. When we choose to obey God and live with integrity, we open the door for Him to work through us in powerful ways. This requires a commitment to obedience and a trust in God's ability to use our faithfulness for His purposes. [10:12]

"And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'" (1 Samuel 15:22, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you practice humble and sacrificial obedience in your daily life? How can you trust God to use your obedience for His purposes?

Sermon Summary

In today's discussion, we delved into a challenging ethical question: Is it permissible to lie to women seeking abortions if it might save a baby's life? This question, posed by a woman working in a Crisis Pregnancy Center, highlights a significant moral dilemma faced by many in similar positions. The core of the issue is whether using untrue doctrine or manipulative tactics to influence decisions aligns with Christian values. The answer is a resounding no. From a biblical standpoint, it is not permissible to intentionally scare or manipulate mothers with false doctrine, even if the intention is to save a life. This approach contradicts the very nature of God, who is a God of truth, and it aligns us with the devil, the father of lies.

The broader cultural implications of this question reveal a troubling trend in American Christianity, where moral compromises are made in the hope of achieving good outcomes. This strategy of using deception to save lives is fundamentally flawed and ultimately counterproductive. The Bible clearly opposes doing evil that good may come, as seen in the Apostle Paul's defense in Romans 3. Christians are called to trust God with the outcomes of walking in integrity and holiness, rather than resorting to worldly tactics.

The call to action is clear: Christians must stop compromising biblical faithfulness by using the weapons of the world. Instead, we should embrace consistent, humble, and sacrificial obedience, trusting in God's power to bring about soul-saving and life-giving effects. This approach requires faith and a commitment to living out the truth, even when it seems counterintuitive. The integrity of our witness is at stake, and compromising it could lead to more harm than good.

Key Takeaways

1. Truth and Integrity: God is a God of truth, and as His people, we are called to be people of truth. Using deception, even with good intentions, aligns us with the devil and undermines our Christian integrity. We must uphold truth in all circumstances. [05:39]
2. Moral Compromise: The Bible opposes doing evil that good may come. Compromising moral principles for perceived good outcomes is a lack of faith and contradicts our identity as new creatures in Christ. [08:06]
3. Trusting God with Outcomes: Christians are called to trust God with the outcomes of walking in integrity and holiness. We should not resort to worldly tactics, but rather rely on God's power to bring about good. [08:21]
4. Consequences of Compromise: Compromising our integrity can lead to more harm than good, potentially sending more people away from faith. Our witness is powerful when it is consistent and truthful. [09:00]
5. Divine Power in Obedience: God is able to make consistent, humble, and sacrificial obedience have vast soul-saving effects. Our human calculations cannot match the divine power of living out our faith truthfully. [10:12]
** [10:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - Introduction to the Ethical Dilemma
[00:28] - Crisis Pregnancy Center Context
[00:53] - Pressure and Manipulation Concerns
[01:23] - Theological Misunderstandings
[01:38] - Question of Permissibility
[02:11] - Biblical Perspective on Truth
[03:09] - Wider Cultural Implications
[04:36] - God as a God of Truth
[05:39] - Deception and Its Consequences
[06:19] - Biblical Abhorrence of Evil for Good
[07:49] - Paul's Defense in Romans
[08:21] - Trusting God with Outcomes
[09:35] - Call to Christian Integrity
[10:12] - Divine Power in Obedience

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Titus 1:2 - "In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began."
Romans 3:4 - "Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, 'That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.'"
John 8:44 - "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

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Observation Questions:

According to the sermon, what is the main ethical question being addressed, and what is the pastor's short answer to it? [02:11]
What are some of the pressures faced by the Crisis Pregnancy Center as mentioned in the sermon? [00:53]
How does the sermon describe the nature of God in relation to truth? [04:36]
What biblical passages are cited to support the idea that God is a God of truth and that His people should also be people of truth? [04:36]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the sermon interpret the use of deception in the context of Christian ethics, and what are the potential consequences of such actions? [05:39]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that compromising moral principles can affect the Christian witness and integrity? [09:00]
How does the sermon relate the concept of trusting God with outcomes to the idea of walking in integrity and holiness? [08:21]
What does the sermon imply about the relationship between divine power and human calculations in achieving good outcomes? [10:12]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you faced a moral dilemma. How did you handle it, and what would you do differently in light of the sermon’s message on truth and integrity? [05:39]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of not compromising biblical faithfulness. What are some areas in your life where you might be tempted to compromise, and how can you address these temptations? [09:35]
Consider the idea of trusting God with outcomes. Is there a situation in your life where you need to let go of control and trust God more fully? How can you take a step towards that trust this week? [08:21]
The sermon warns against using worldly tactics to achieve good. Are there any "worldly tactics" you rely on in your personal or professional life that you need to reconsider? [09:35]
How can you cultivate a lifestyle of consistent, humble, and sacrificial obedience in your daily walk with Christ? Identify one specific action you can take this week to live out this principle. [10:12]
Reflect on the sermon’s message about the consequences of compromise. How can you ensure that your actions align with your Christian values, especially in challenging situations? [09:00]
The sermon discusses the power of living out our faith truthfully. What is one area of your life where you can be more transparent and truthful, and how might this impact your relationships with others? [05:39]

Sermon Clips

I work in a Crisis Pregnancy Center in a small community in the Bible Belt, helping meet the needs of pregnant women and single mothers along with providing access to clothing and parenting classes. We also share the Glorious message of Christ's work on the cross for sinners. It is our desire that expecting mothers make the right choice. I know God is Sovereign and only the Holy Spirit can make dead hearts come alive to make those right decisions. [00:26:02]

The biblical reality at stake, the biblical reality at the root of the issue, is that God is a god of Truth. God never lies Titus 1 2. Let God be true though every man a liar Romans 3 4. And consequentially his people are people of Truth. We are workers for the truth third John 1 8. We speak the truth with our neighbor for Ephesians 4 25. [00:266:24]

We cannot do anything against the truth second Corinthians 13 8. We do not lie to one another Colossians 3 9. We do not join the devil in his nature, for when he lies he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar and the father of Lies John 8 44. Truth is at the heart of who God is and at the heart of who we are as his people. [00:286:51]

A so-called life-saving strategy built on regular deception is utterly contrary to who God is and who we are as his people. It aligns us with the Devil, who is not only a deceiver from the beginning but also a murderer. So to think we can borrow the devil's strategy of deception to save life is going to backfire and we are going to be found serving his purposes, not gods. [00:335:28]

The biblical abhorrence of doing evil that good May Come, in other words, coming up with human strategies that involve moral compromise in order to pursue human guesses that more good will come that way, the Bible opposes that presumption. For example, the Apostle Paul defending himself against that very accusation in Romans 3. [00:381:18]

If our unrighteousness serves to show God's righteousness, what should we say, that God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? I speak in a human way, by no means, for then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie, God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? [00:414:41]

Why not do evil that good May Come, as some people slanderously charge us with saying, their condemnation is just. Wow, when people accuse Paul of teaching that we may do evil that good may come, he's angry and he says let them be condemned, that's serious. Later in Romans 6 he asks are we to continue in sin that Grace May abound. [00:448:80]

His answer is not just no, his answer is that it contradicts the very nature of who we are as new creatures in Christ. How can you who died to sin still live in it? In other words, new creatures in Christ trust God with the outcomes of walking in Christian integrity and Holiness. We trust God with the outcomes. [00:480:00]

Christians should not do evil that good may come, it's a lack of faith. We should not Embrace evil practices or evil people in the vain hope that such compromises will advance human created strategies for doing good. It is virtually certain that our duplicity will be exposed, indeed shouted from the house tops, and when it is, the undermining of Christian integrity may send more people to hell. [00:510:72]

I think that one of the great needs of the hour is for Christians to stop compromising our Biblical faithfulness by using the weapons of the world in the service of strategies that we think are more likely to do good because we have calculated that compromise will work. [00:565:44]

Though we walk in the flesh we are not Waging War according to the flesh, for the weapons of our Warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. God is able to make consistent humble trusting sacrificial obedience have vast soul-saving life-giving effects beyond all our human calculations of what good may come through compromise. [00:596:45]

Here's a closing admonition from Pauline 2 Corinthians 10 3. Though we walk in the flesh we are not Waging War according to the flesh, for the weapons of our Warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. God is able to make consistent humble trusting sacrificial obedience have vast soul-saving life-giving effects. [00:612:14]

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Upholding Truth: The Ethics of Integrity in Crisis

Devotional

Day 1: Upholding Truth in All Circumstances

Day 2: Rejecting Moral Compromise

Day 3: Trusting God with the Outcomes

Day 4: The Consequences of Compromise

Day 5: Divine Power in Obedience

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Upholding Truth: The Ethics of Integrity in Crisis

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