THE OUTSTANDING KEEPER OF INTEGRITY

12. Who was most suited to prove Jehovah’s side of the issue, and how did he become human? (John 1:14)

¹² However, the issue of integrity involves more than us humans. Even an angel of heaven had rebelled to become Satan, and other ‘sons of God’ later joined him in rebellion. (Genesis 6:4, 5) The issue is thus universal. No one could better prove Jehovah’s side of the issue than the highest person in the universe next to Jehovah​—the “master worker” who had assisted him in the creation! This heavenly Son gladly consented to God’s transferring his life to the womb of an Israelite virgin, Mary, so that he was born as a human on this earth where Satan had raised the issue.

13. How did Jesus meet Satan’s challenge? (1 Peter 2:21-23)

¹³ After growing to adulthood, God’s Son Jesus was baptized in symbol of his presenting himself to carry out the special task that God assigned to him. Satan soon came to the attack! He offered Jesus the sovereignty, which Satan then held, over all human kingdoms on earth, provided he would do an act of worship to Satan and so break integrity to Jehovah. Jesus answered Satan:

“Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’”​—Matthew 4:10.

14. Why could Jesus say that Satan had ‘no hold on him’?

¹⁴ Having failed to budge Jesus from following the righteous law of Jehovah, Satan next put tremendous pressure on him through the religious leaders of his day. They persecuted him cruelly and finally had him put to death on an execution stake, but they failed to make him swerve from the path of perfect integrity and obedience to God’s sovereignty. On the day of his death, Jesus could say of Satan: “He has no hold on me.” (John 14:30) On the third day thereafter, Jehovah rewarded His faithful Son by resurrecting him in the spirit and later exalting him to His own “right hand” of favor in heaven.​—Acts 2:32, 33.

15. How did Jesus encourage his disciples, and what have they proved to be? (Philippians 2:5, 8, 9)

¹⁵ To his loyal disciples this integrity-keeper had declared:

“In the world you are having tribulation, but take courage! I have conquered the world.” (John 16:33)

Jesus’ apostles and many Christians after them have also proved to be integrity-keepers, down to the death.

MAN’S INTEGRITY

8. What challenge did Satan raise regarding Job?

⁸ However, a related issue was also raised in the garden of Eden. It is this: Since the first humans rebelled, can God put any man on earth who will remain loyal to him under test? The Bible book of Job shows that there is such an issue. Its first two chapters describe what happened in the courts of heaven some 3,500 or more years ago. There, as the heavenly sons of God assembled before Jehovah, Satan also appeared, and Jehovah spoke:

“Jehovah went on to say to Satan: ‘Have you set your heart upon my servant Job, that there is no one like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright, fearing God and turning aside from bad?’ At that Satan answered Jehovah and said: ‘Is it for nothing that Job has feared God? Have not you yourself put up a hedge about him and about his house and about everything that he has all around? The work of his hands you have blessed, and his livestock itself has spread abroad in the earth. But, for a change, thrust out your hand, please, and touch everything he has and see whether he will not curse you to your very face.’”​—Job 1:8-11.

9. What record did Job make, and how was he rewarded? (Job 42:12-16; James 5:11)

⁹ Jehovah permitted this test. Job lost his livestock, and his children in death, but he did not curse God, or turn against him. Later, when Satan afflicted him with a loathsome disease, his wife said finally in desperation: “Curse God and die!” But he still held fast his integrity to God. Three false comforters then added to his suffering, but Job declared:

“Until I expire I shall not take away my integrity from myself!” (Job 2:9, 10; 27:5)

Later, Job was rewarded richly for his integrity-keeping.

10. What record have other integrity-keepers made? (Hebrews 12:1)

¹⁰ The Bible record, including Hebrews chapter 11, shows that many others of mankind have chosen unselfishly to uphold Jehovah’s sovereignty, despite every kind of fiendish assault that Satan could make on their integrity. The long line of integrity-keepers continues down to this day.