Podcast Summary: "Integrity"

Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life
Host: Tim Keller
Episode Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this sermon, Tim Keller explores the fruit of the Spirit known as "faithfulness," emphasizing integrity as essential to the Christian life. Through Ephesians 4:14-15, 20, 25, and 29, he addresses the modern crisis of integrity, the biblical vision for truthfulness, and how only the Gospel provides the resources needed to be people of genuine integrity—holding truth and love together.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Modern Crisis of Integrity

• Context & Relevance:
  • Trust in institutions is at a historic low due to perceived failures of integrity (church, business, government).
  • Quote: “There couldn't be a more relevant topic because... there is a sense that there's been a failure of integrity in our society at all levels.” (03:07)

2. The Demanding Practice of Truthfulness

Keller outlines three biblical aspects of truthfulness:

a. Refusing to Deceive (Speech Act Theory)

• Truth is not just factual correctness but refraining from misleading others.
• Illustration: Giving factually true but misleading answers is still deceit.
  • Quote: “An untruthful word is any word that deliberately tries to hide reality from the listener.” (06:22)
• Polite lies, euphemisms, exaggerations, and “benevolent” lies are still lies from God’s perspective.
  • Examples:
    • “I would love to go, but I’ll be out of town.” (false excuse)
    • “You always/never...” (exaggeration that inflames conflict)
    • “It was an incredible blessing” (word inflation creates cynicism)
  • Quote: “Hype is deceptive. Hype isn't reality.” (09:20)

b. Making and Keeping Promises

• Biblical truthfulness involves public commitment—being unafraid to make and keep promises.
• Our cultural obsession with personal freedom has eroded our willingness to pledge ourselves (marriage, church membership).
• Quote (Lewis Smedes):
  • “When we make a promise, we take it on ourselves to create a future with someone else. No matter what fate or destiny may have in store. This is almost ultimate freedom...” (11:48)
• Promises allow us to rise above circumstances and impulses.
• Keller’s Summary: “If you don’t make a promise, then you are a slave to circumstances, feelings, fears, impulses. Make a promise... and that makes you more free.” (13:54)

c. Integrity of Selves / Wholeness

• The Greek word for “falsehood” is “pseudo”—lack of integrity is living as divided selves.
• True integrity means being the same in private and public; one self, not multiple pseudo-selves.
  • Examples (especially in business):
    • Declaring “we’re for quality” while setting impossible deadlines.
    • Favoritism in perks or public presentation at odds with internal reality.
• Quote: “Don’t ask a fish to tell you about water... Maybe we’re getting to the place where we can’t even say to people... be people of integrity, because they don’t even know what that is because they are so used to the kind of behavior that this man said, ‘Don’t do, don’t do.’ But we just swim in it. It’s just everywhere.” (17:55)
• Integrity is rooted in God’s own character—absolute truthfulness.

3. The Problem With Abusing the Truth

• Speaking Truth in Love (Eph. 4:15, 29):
  • “Speaking truth” can itself become abusive if not designed to “build up” (literally, if not “grace-giving”).
  • Quote: “Even true words are rotten if not designed to benefit.” (22:34)
• Abusive truth-telling is not valiant for the truth but for self—using truth as a tool for power/status.
• Biblical integrity rejects both: using truth to wound or distort, and cowardly withholding truth under a guise of love.
  • Quote: “Anyone who uses the truth... to get more power and status for yourself is abusing the truth. You’re not valiant for the truth. You’re valiant for yourself.” (25:10)

4. Societal Tensions: Relativism vs. Legalism

• Two extremes in culture:
  • Relativism: “Who’s to say what is truth?”—leads to playing loose with honesty.
  • Legalism/Abuse: Using “absolute truth” to beat people down, fuel self-righteousness.
• Jesus and Paul critique both extremes; both are forms of power-seeking.
  • Quote (C.S. Lewis): “We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.” (31:23)
• True biblical integrity refuses both extremes.

5. The Unique Solution: The Cross as Truth and Love United

• Jesus as the Ultimate Man of Integrity:
  • Before both the moralists (religious leaders) and relativists (Pilate), Jesus acts the same—never two selves.
    • Quote: “Behold the wonder of the integrity of Jesus... The relativist says, ‘Who’s to say what truth is?’ to get power. The moralist says, ‘I have the truth’ to get power. But Jesus is the exact opposite.” (34:08)
• The Cross Unites Truth and Love:
  • Did Christ die for truth (God’s justice) or for love (our forgiveness)? The answer: Yes—both at once.
    • Quote: “The minute he died, the truth of God was infinitely satisfied... But the minute Jesus died, the love of God was infinitely satisfied.” (36:10)
• The cross changes hearts, overcoming both fear (that leads to cowardly deception) and pride (that leads to truth-abuse):
  • If you fear, remember: “Jesus Christ loved you so much he died for you.”
  • If you’re tempted to pride, remember: “Jesus Christ had to die for you—you’re that sinful.”
• The only way to “speak the truth graciously” is to have a heart changed by grace.

6. Integrity as Gospel-Formed Promise-Keeping

• The whole arc of the Bible is God making and keeping promises to redeem; Jesus is God’s promise-keeper par excellence—he fulfills the ancient promise by going to the cross.
  • Quote: “You’ve been saved by the integrity of Jesus. You’ve been saved by the promise-keeping of Jesus Christ.” (38:00)
• The Gospel humbles us (so we never use truth as a weapon), and emboldens us (so we fearlessly tell the truth).
• Final Challenge: Look to Jesus’ integrity; receive his gift; become people of integrity.
  • Prayer (paraphrased): May Jesus’ vision of integrity empower us to join truth and love in our lives and become a community of integrity. (39:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Speech Act Theory
  “Every word is not only designed to convey information, it’s also designed to get something done. It’s got an intention, it’s got a purpose.” (05:10)

• On the Dangers of ‘Benevolent Lies’
  “There’s enabling lies, like when you continually lie for an incompetent friend... Or Watergate lies—‘the little people wouldn’t understand’—this is all deception.” (10:03)

• On Public vs. Private Integrity
  “A person of integrity... is the same in private as in public, the same with this group as with that group, the same in what you think, with what you say, and the same with what you say, with what you do.” (15:02)

• On Speaking Truth in Love
  “Even true words that are not designed to build up and benefit the person, even true words are rotten... That’s what Paul’s saying. Rotten.” (23:10)

• On Jesus’ Integrity Before His Accusers
  “He’s the same both places. There’s no pseudo about Jesus... The relativist and the moralist, both are about power. But Jesus Christ is the exact opposite.” (34:15)

• On the Cross Uniting Truth and Love
  “Did Jesus Christ go to the cross for truth or for love? The answer is yes.” (36:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:04 | Setting the theme: Fruit of the Spirit—“faithfulness” | | 02:04 | Introduction to integrity as faithfulness/truthfulness | | 06:22 | Speech act theory and refusing to deceive | | 11:48 | On making and keeping promises, Lewis Smedes quote | | 15:02 | Integrity as wholeness of self | | 22:34 | Truth abused: speaking without building up | | 25:10 | Using truth for personal power/status | | 31:23 | C.S. Lewis on societal hypocrisy and integrity | | 34:08 | Jesus’ integrity before accusers—relativist/moralist | | 36:10 | The cross: union of truth and love | | 38:00 | Integrity and the promise-keeping of Jesus | | 39:15 | Final prayer: integrity as the fruit of the Gospel |

Conclusion

Tim Keller compellingly demonstrates that integrity—deep, fearless, whole-hearted truthfulness joined with love—is only possible through a supernatural change of heart wrought by the Gospel. The integrity of Jesus, supremely displayed on the cross, humbles and emboldens His followers to become people who keep promises, reject deceit, and speak the truth in love—embodying the unity of truth and grace the world so desperately needs.