“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).
There is a multitude of excellent, Biblical reasons for being a person of integrity—a person intentionally faithful to his every “yes” and “no”. Here are three:
Be a person of your word because God is. The very first verse of the New Testament is a subtle, yet powerful, testament of God’s enduring faithfulness to His word. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).
Roughly 2,000 years prior to the birth of Jesus (in Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 22:18) God gave His word to Abraham. The New Testament is tangible proof of God’s immutable fidelity to His word.
Roughly 1,000 years prior to the birth of Jesus, God gave His word to David (2 Samuel 7:12-14; Psalm 110:1). The gospel—with its glorious good news of spiritual victory through Jesus, David’s Lord and offspring—is tangible proof of God’s fidelity to His word (cf. Romans 1:1-4). There is a multitude of examples within the Scriptures which tell of God’s absolute fidelity to His word.
Be a person of your word because God commands it. Jesus’ unambiguous words here in Matthew 5:37, James’ equally clear words in James 5:12, and a host of other Bible passages forcefully echo the mighty chorus of God’s expectation—be a person of your word.
Be a person of your word because it is essential to a blessed and godly life. To enjoy the sweet fellowship of the holy God, a person must have the integrity which keeps his word, even when it is disadvantageous to him (Psalm 15:4).
If you are a person of your word, “A promise made is a debt unpaid.”