One way that Christian faith motivates someone toward excellence in writing is that every action
someone makes should glorify God. Excellence done for the wrong reason can be trouble and a
cause for chaos. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all
for the glory of God.” (Green, 2018). It does not matter what setting you are in as long as your
actions are proof that you are living for God.
Another way that Christian faith motivates someone toward excellence in writing is the ten
commandments, specifically the eighth commandment. Although there is no specific law or
commandment about plagiarism, the eighth commandment says thou shall not steal. Plagiarism is
the act of copying and/or rewriting anything published without permission from the author. It is
an act of stealing which is against the current law and the Bible. Plagiarism was first documented
in the fifteenth and sixteenth century by Joseph Hall (Eaton, 2021). It has been around for
centuries, and it still happens all the time, especially in high school and college. It is so easy to
cheat or copy/paste another person’s work into your own document and claim it as your own. As
Christians, we should cite all our sources because we know it is the right thing to do.
The final way that Christian faith motivates someone toward excellence in writing is integrity. It
does not matter if a professor finds out someone cheated or if no one ever finds out. God is
watching. In Proverbs 15:3, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the
good. (Green, 2018). There are specific characteristics to have academic integrity such as
generosity, humility, and gratitude. Integrity is an easy concept to lose focus on because there are
so many options to take the easier route out.
