THE PURSUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

MATTHEW 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well

(Matthew 6:33).

The phrase “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17) can also be translated “the righteous shall live by trust.” We rarely speak in modern terminology about people being “just.” We don’t say, “There goes a just man.” Unfortunately, neither do we speak about people being “righteous.”

Righteousness Is Central

I’ve been puzzled by a peculiarity that I have encountered in my teaching and pastoral experience. People will ask me, “How can I be more spiritual?” They will ask how to be ethical, or moral. I’ve heard people discuss what genuine piety is. But never in my ministry has anyone ever come up to me and said, “Please teach me how to be righteous.”

In the Bible, the goal of the Christian life is righteousness. All these other things—ethics, piety, spirituality—are only means to that end. We are justified by faith, which means we are justified by the righteousness of Christ, but the moment of our justification is only the beginning of the Christian life.

Righteousness and Trust

Justified people are called to show forth the results of justification. We are called to produce the fruits of righteousness. If we have true faith, we are in the process of being sanctified, of being made righteous. This cannot merely be a superficial righteousness as was the case with the Pharisees. It must rather be a righteousness that gets to the very core of our souls.

Do you want to be righteous like that? The Bible says that the righteous man lives by trusting God. If we trust God, we will believe His Word. If we trust God, we will know that His law is perfectly designed for us, and we will obey Him. Trusting God is the bottom line of Christian righteousness.

CORAM DEO

Many of us are content with lackluster attempts at righteousness and halfhearted obedience. Consider for a moment the biblical language. “Seeking” demands an intensity, a perseverance that will not be denied, and a zeal to achieve the desired objective. In addition to refocusing your goal of righteousness, allow the Scriptures to also speak to your motivation and commitment.

For further study: Matthew 6:1–18; 1 John 3:9–10

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may