Eph. 4:12-13, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”
People of integrity guard the Truth, which is Biblical truth. The truth of Christ. John MacArthur has said, “Unity of faith is impossible unless it is built on the foundation of commonly held truth.” What he is saying, I believe, is that we need Doctrinal Integrity. We must be unified in what it means to be a Christian and what that looks like in our lives.
John 17:17-21, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
How do we guard the truth? First, we must believe the truth of Scripture. There is nothing to guard if there is only what you believe and I believe, as that is relativism. Acts 24:14, “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.” You must believe it, what it says as absolute truth and nothing less. It is the inerrant word of God.
Next, we need to memorize it and mediate on the Word of God, so it impacts our very souls. We also want it ingrained in us so we are ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us. 1 Peter 3:15, “always be ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” While we are living it we need to also use our mouths and tell people about Christ.
The only way you can memorize and meditate on the Word of God is by studying it. We all need to be students of the Bible, as this is how we grow in our faith. 2 Timothy 2:15, “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.”
Lastly we need to live it and proclaim it. Col. 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” If we care about the welfare of others we will live the Christian life as a testimony while demonstrating our love for Christ. But ultimately we will then proclaim it, because how else will people know the means of salvation. Timothy 4:2, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience, and instruction.”
As Christ said, “go and make disciples, go. . .and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).
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