Sunday School Lesson: Choosing the Path of Integrity

Purpose: To discern the nature of righteousness.

Scripture: Proverbs 11:1-14

Let’s think about the word “integrity”. What does “integrity” mean to you?

Think of someone whom you would think of as possessing the character quality of integrity.

What makes a person a person of integrity?

Definition of integrity:
INTEGRITY, n. 1. quality of being honest and up-right in character, 2. condition of being complete.

What are some common qualities of person’s of integrity?

Two qualities of integrity that are addressed in today’s scripture are honesty and humility. We can also see from the definition of integrity that integrity also includes completeness or wholeness. To have integrity is to be “integrated” with honesty and humility. A person of integrity is “sound”, “whole’, “complete”, and “altogether”honest and humble.

Can we also use the word “righteous” to describe a person of integrity?

How would you define “righteous”?

What do honesty, humility, and integrity have to do with being righteous?
As we will see from today’s scripture, these qualities of character, taken together form the definition of righteousness.

I sometimes have a hard time with the concept of human righteousness, mainly because of Paul’s statements in Romans:

.... "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."
(Rom 3:10-12 ESV)

Does Paul mean that there has literally never been or never will be one “righteous” person? Or is Paul speaking only of non-Christians? Is it possible to be “righteous” through our own efforts? Can we be deemed “righteous” through faith alone? Is righteousness a product of faith and works? Or is righteousness purely a work of grace?


Other scripture verses that deal with righteousness:

(Gen 15:6 ESV) And he believed the LORD, and he counted it (his belief) to him as righteousness. (Righteousness through faith.)

(Deu 6:25 ESV) And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.' (Righteousness through the law.)

(Job 29:14 ESV) I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban. (Righteousness through works of justice.)

(Job 33:26 ESV) then man prays to God, and he accepts him; he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he restores to man his righteousness. (Righteousness as a product of grace.)

(Psa 23:3 ESV) He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (We are lost without His guidance. Would we pursue righteousness without His guidance?)

(Psa 24:5 ESV) He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Grace.)

(Psa 106:3 ESV) Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! (Works.)

(Mat 5:6 ESV) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

(Mat 5:20 ESV) For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Mat 6:33 ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

(Rom 1:17 ESV) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

(Rom 3:22 ESV) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

(Rom 4:3 ESV) For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it (his belief) was counted to him as righteousness."

(Rom 4:5 ESV) And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

(Rom 4:13 ESV) For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

(Rom 6:18 ESV) and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Sanctifying grace?)

(Rom 10:4 ESV) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Faith as the end of the law.)

(Phi 1:11 ESV) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Sanctifying grace.)

(Tit 3:5 ESV) he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (Salvation is only possible by grace through faith, not personal righteousness.)

(1Jo 2:29 ESV) If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. (Righteousness is not possible outside of faith.)

These are but a few of the nearly 300 occurrences of the word “righteousness” in the Bible.

It seems that if taken as a whole, all of these passages indicate that righteousness is impossible without Christ. There is no possibility of righteousness without faith in Jesus Christ. No matter how hard we try. And likewise, with faith in Christ there is no possibility of unrighteousness. We are accounted righteous through faith, but also with faith we actively pursue righteousness. It is impossible to experience justification and new birth in Christ and not begin the process of sanctification which is moving on toward righteousness.

There are two types of righteousness according to Methodist theology: Imparted righteousness and imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus that is given to or credited to the new Christian at the moment of justification. This imputed righteousness can also be called justifying or saving grace. We are seen as righteous because of what Jesus has done for us. Imparted righteousness is also a gift that is given to us at the time of the new birth. This imparted righteousness gives us the ability to strive for holiness and sanctification. This is also known as sanctifying grace or the second blessing of grace.

Proverbs 11 has much to say about righteousness and the contrast between righteousness and wickedness.

Pro 11:1-3 ESV
(1) A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.
(2) When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
(3) The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

What three qualities of character do we encounter in these first three verses?
Honesty, humility, and integrity. As I stated earlier, these three taken together form a definition of righteous character.

In verse one what is the main issue? A glance at the verse would indicate that accurate weights and measures is the issue, but the deeper issue is honesty. We could reword that verse and say: “dishonesty is an abomination to the Lord, but honesty is His delight.” This verse echoes the legal codes of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Other than in Proverbs the phrase “abomination to the Lord” is only found in Deuteronomy. Honesty comes first in this passage because it is a basic trait of righteousness.

What is the second character trait of righteousness mentioned in this passage?
Humility. What is humility. Humility is the state of being humble. A humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others.

Humility is not false modesty or self-deprecation. Humility is a form of honesty. Humility is not (in the words of Screwtape) “pretty women trying to believe that they are ugly or clever men trying to believe they are fools.” Those are being dishonest. There is no dishonesty in humility.

And what is the opposite of humility?

Can anyone tell me what is number one on the list of the seven deadly or cardinal sins?
Pride. The sin of pride does not mean that being proud of our accomplishments is a sin. Pride as sin is the “I’m better than you” pride.

And what is the third character trait of righteousness in this passage?
Integrity. To have integrity is to be integrated, sound, whole, together. This integrity includes honesty and humility.

Pro 11:4-8 ESV
(4) Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
(5) The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
(6) The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
(7) When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.
(8) The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead.

Can anyone tell me what is the first question asked in the United Methodist “Baptismal Covenant”?

The first question is this:
“Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?”

As we read that passage from Proverbs 11, did you notice any references to the “spiritual forces of wickedness”?
This passage repeatedly contrasts wickedness and righteousness.

Verse 4 begins the many references in this passage to righteousness. We have already discussed some aspects of righteousness. Let’s look at some others. Righteousness can be defined as “right belief”, or faith. It can also be defined as “right relationship”. A right relationship with God requires that we align our lives with God’s will. This involves being faithful and obedient.

Why lead a righteous life?

As stated earlier, righteousness requires that we submit to God’s will. What is God’s will? God’s will is that we love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Righteousness requires much more than pious belief and worship. It requires love in all our words and actions.

According to this passage, what does righteousness lead to?

What does wickedness lead to?

According to this passage, righteousness leads to life and wickedness to death. Can we understand these references to life and death literally?

What are the meanings of life and death in this passage?

Throughout the Bible a good working definition of “death” as used in this passage is “alienation from God.” Wickedness may offer many promises , but only delivers death and destruction. We can interpret the word of this passage as death = alienation from God and life = relationship with God which fits perfectly with the definitions of imputed and imparted righteousness.

Does verse 8 indicate that the righteous are protected from trouble? If so, how does that fit with the story of Job, a very righteous man who suffered greatly?

Verse 8 doesn’t say that the righteous are protected from trouble, it says that the righteous are delivered from trouble. Job remained righteous and prayed for deliverance and was delivered from his troubles, if not from his sorrows.

Can anyone think of an example in the Bible where a righteous person was rescued from trouble and a wicked person suffered?
The Book of Esther is a great example. Esther and Mordecai and all the Jews were delivered and the evil Haman was condemned.

Since righteousness leads to life and wickedness leads to death, why would anyone choose wickedness? Let’s not only think about the bad choices of others, but think about some of the times that we have made wrong choices and why.

Pro 11:9-14 ESV
(9) With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
(10) When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
(11) By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
(12) Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.
(13) Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
(14) Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Can the actions of individual members affect groups, communities, or even nations?
Can our individual righteousness or wickedness lead to life or death to our groups, communities, or nations?

Where do we see examples of righteousness and wickedness in today’s world?

Is it possible to live a righteous life alone, outside of a community?

Because our righteousness is not only an individual matter, but has much to do with our relationship with God and our neighbors, there is no way that righteousness could not affect our community. Righteousness needs community to grow to it’s fullest expression. To attempt righteousness outside of the community of faith is to fall into the trap of self-righteousness. When a member of the community is righteous the community rejoices and the blessings of the righteous member also blesses the community.

If we are going to count ourselves among the righteous, we must pay attention to the quality of our relationships, especially in the church. It is never just ‘my’ righteousness or “my” relationship alone with God; it is always a matter of “our” integrity as the body of Christ, “our” righteous relationship with God through Christ, in which we find forgiveness and wholeness and direction for living.