An upright person in a corrupt world

"Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." Job 1:8

Long ago a dialogue took place between God and Satan.

God referred to Job as a man who was blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. What a commendation! The Hebrew word used to describe Job as "upright" means "conforming to the laws of God and man, and living in accord with them." The word eventually came to describe a person who is righteous. Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, used the word to describe a person who was honest and whose heart was pure.

The issue confronting us is this: Can such an individual really succeed in today’s world? Can you make a living and still be upright? Can you keep your integrity and still get ahead?

One thing for sure, individuals who fall into that category are in the minority. Individuals who seek to live in conformity with God’s purpose–whether as a secretary in a large office whose boss wants to take advantage of her, or as an importer who refuses to pay off corrupt custom officials–will find that theirs is not an easy life. Few people of true integrity have ever succeeded in being elected to public office. Few find their names cast in bronze on the doors of corporate offices. But take heart in the fact that their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Righteousness is not something we are born with. Jeremiah wrote that the heart of man is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9 kjv).

If we are not born righteous, and our old natures make it easier to lie than to tell the truth, easier to cheat than to be upright, how do we turn the corner and change our lives? That is the very heart of the New Testament message.

Because we couldn’t change ourselves, God took it upon Himself to send His Son. As His life touches ours, our hearts change, and our lives take on a new dimension. The Bible describes it as being born again.

From that point on, we begin to live a different kind of life as the indwelling Holy Spirit helps us to walk uprightly. In simple terms, we are able to "do the right thing".

Paul gave us a tremendous secret. He said the upright man or the righteous person is one who lives by faith (Romans 1:17). He sees beyond the immediate personal gain. He lives by a different set of values. He understands that one plus God is always a majority. This is the kind of person God can help you to become.

Resource Reading: Romans 1:8-17