Ethics, Morality,
and Integrity
May 31, 2004
There is nothing people want more in a leader than
integrity. Yet, to understand integrity we have to comprehend
three words that are often used interchangeably: “Ethics,
Morality and Integrity.” Each has a distinct meaning and when
properly used, they bring clarity to a crucial but often
misunderstood reality of life.
Ethics is a defined standard of right and wrong,
good and evil.
Morality is a lived standard of right and wrong,
good and evil.
Integrity comes from the word integer and means
“whole.” An integer is a whole number—not 1 ½, but 1 or 2.
Integrity means sound, complete, integrated. To the extent a
person’s ethic and morality are integrated, that person has
integrity. If a man tells you he will lie, cheat and steal from
you, they have a low ethic. If they do business that way, they
also have a low morality. That person is unethical and immoral,
but he has integrity because the morality is consistent with the
ethic. If the person who claims to cheat and steal DOESN’T cheat
and steal, they are moral in their practice but they lack
integrity because their morality doesn’t match their ethic.
If there’s one thing Jesus condemned it was a lack
of integrity. That’s why he became so angry with the Pharisees.
Seven times Jesus called the Pharisees “Hypocrites” (Matthew 22:
13, 14, 15, 22, 25, 27, 29). Notice how each verse that lists
the word “hypocrite” begins. He summed up their problem in
Matthew 22:3, “They say things and do not do them.” The
hypocrite suffers from a lack of integrity. He says one thing
and does another.
You can have a high or low ethic. You can be moral
or immoral. But if you want to have integrity, you must choose
your ethic and live to match it. Anyone who wants to lead owes
it to prospective followers to let them know what they’re
getting into.
Jesus calls us to a high and holy ethic. One who
claims to be a Christian, or who lives by the Bible makes an
ethical statement. He or she has committed to a certain
morality. To possess integrity, then, is to live by the biblical
ethic. In Jesus’ book, the worst choice is the hypocritical one.
Read Matthew 23:1-36 and let Jesus’ words echo in your mind
until you’re convinced of his displeasure with those who “say”
and do not “do!” Make a commitment to be a leader of integrity.
One who knows the right thing and consistently does it—even when
nobody is looking. That, my friend, is serious business!
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