MacArthur Speaks on Haggard

I attend Grace Community Church each Sunday and enjoy the weekly teaching of John MacArthur, but I think that he brings his best to chapel at The Master's College.

Today he talked to us about the Ted Haggard scandal. The main thrust of his message was an exhortation to the students for integrity.

Here are the quotes that capsulize what he said:

"You only get one chance at a life of integrity."

"If I can't win the battle in my heart, I can't win it anywhere."

Here were some of his key points:

-False spiritual standards cannot restrain the flesh. If you are just trying to motivate yourself through emotion or sheer will-power, you are destined to fail. True spiritual change must have something real behind it.

-Sin on a habitual level is not isolated to one category. While one sin, like sexual immorality, may dominate others, the sin will never stay contained to one area.

-Self-deception is terrible. The key to being a good hypocrite is deceiving yourself. And you'd be amazed at how good we are at this.

I think this Haggard scandal should be exhortation to all Christians to show integrity and purity. We should rise up and be men of God in the church of God. And there must be something real behind these lifestyles. Integrity must spring from a new heart that has been changed, a heart that truly believes that God is the most desirable thing in the world. I know we say that a lot, but do we really believe it on the practical level of personl integrity and purity?