Integrity Means We Don’t Make Excuses

According to dictionary.com an “excuse” is “a pretext or subterfuge.” Over the years I’ve had many hundreds of people decline to do a Bible study with me because of what seemed to me to be an “excuse.” I can’t judge any particular person’s heart (read their mind – I Cor 2:11), so I won’t call them liars. But a person who makes excuses (as we use that term) is lying and is therefore condemned by scriptures like Rev 21:8 (“all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”). Saying things just to “save face” is not honest.

As an example – a childhood friend told me this past summer he would study the Bible with me once grass cutting season was over. When I called him back in late October, he told me he was going out of town; he would call back. He never called me back.

Not too long ago I asked a Christian lady (a friend of mine) to help me with a female Bible prospect that lived in her area. She told me she had a conflict with the time for the study. I believed her, so I rearranged the time with the prospect. But then my friend told me she couldn’t help because she has headaches.

Maybe about 15 years or so ago, a gospel preacher kept telling me every time I saw him that he was going to get back with me about a particular dispute between two congregations. He must have told me that at least 6 or 8 times; I am thinking you can guess he never got back with me.

I think all of us have run into people who make excuses about why they won’t do something, or even follow through on something they already told us they would do. We kind of know they are making excuses, but maybe can’t tell for sure. We can’t control other people’s lack of integrity, but let’s resolve not to be that kind of person ourself that makes excuses. Instead let’s have the integrity to let our “communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matt 5:37) and never be “covenant-breakers” (Rom 1:31).

Luke 14:18-19 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

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