Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
There are two things Jesus Christ commands us to seek in this life: the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Together, they bring the believer to spiritual maturity in Him.
One cannot be separated from the other. Whoever seeks to enter God’s kingdom with great zeal while disregarding His righteousness has not fulfilled the conditions Christ established.
WHAT IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD?
We must understand this if we are to be perfected in Him.
The righteousness of God is revealed in Jesus Christ. Whoever believes in Him is counted righteous, just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham did not merely believe in God; he also obeyed His commandments. Even when God required him to sacrifice his only son, Abraham obeyed without argument. His obedience was rooted in his faith in God’s Word.
Everyone in God’s kingdom is accounted righteous. No one can enter His presence while remaining in unrighteousness.
We must be clothed in the righteousness of God to enter His presence. If Jesus Christ is not formed in you, you are not qualified to stand before Him.
The righteousness of God is the garment of the saints. Your own righteousness cannot qualify you to stand in His presence, nor can the righteousness of your forefathers qualify you to enter His kingdom.
The Pharisees had their own righteousness. Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, we shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven.
How, then, can our righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees unless the righteousness of God is imparted to us?
The law given through Moses established the standards by which the Israelites were to walk in righteousness under the old covenant. In the same way, obedience to the commandments of Jesus Christ demonstrates the righteousness He works in us under the new covenant.
Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” He also taught that those who keep His commandments are those who love Him. If we refuse to obey His commandments, how can we claim to love Him?
How can you claim to possess the righteousness of God while refusing to obey the Word of Christ?
This is what many people do today. They claim the righteousness of God while living in disobedience to His commandments.
It is the image of Christ formed in you that demonstrates the work of His righteousness in your life. You cannot bear His image while refusing to follow His example as He walked on earth. Neither can you bear His image without His character being formed in you.
The Apostle Paul said that he travailed until Christ was formed in the believers. No matter how much you serve in the kingdom of God, if the character and nature of Christ are not formed in you, your service cannot substitute for His righteousness. You will remain far from displaying the character of Christ before God.
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
Self-righteousness belongs to fallen human nature, which humanity inherited through Adam. Everyone needs the transforming work of God to be delivered from this nature and conformed to Christ.
The righteousness of the Pharisees originated in human effort and was rooted in religious observances. That was why Jesus rebuked them. Their outward religious appearance could not transform their inward nature. Their righteousness had not brought them to the transformation that God requires.
It is only through Christ and His redemptive work at Calvary that we can receive the righteousness of God. Those who receive His righteousness must surrender their fallen nature and allow God to transform them into the image of His Son.
That is why the Bible says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”
Without the righteousness of God, you cannot claim the privileges of His kingdom while continuing to live as a slave to sin. No inheritance can be obtained by relying on self-righteousness.
If you do not bear the image of Christ, which is revealed in His righteousness, you are not qualified to claim the inheritance He has prepared for His people. This is what we must seek first, not food, clothing, or drink, because these are the things the nations seek after. They must not be our priorities, for His righteousness is essential to our standing in His kingdom and is the key to our earthly and heavenly heritage.
It distinguishes those who belong to Christ and prepares them for the inheritance God has ordained for His people. It is also the garment in which we must be found when we come to the end of our earthly journey and stand before Him.
Whoever appears before the King without the required garment will be cast out. Such a person will face the judgment reserved for those who reject the righteousness of God, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
YOU CANNOT CHOOSE WHICH COMMANDMENTS TO OBEY
Even if heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of God’s Word will pass away until all is fulfilled. Everything Christ commanded must be taken seriously. We must neither add to His Word nor subtract from it.
Some may say, “The Bible says we only need to believe.”
But if you truly believe in Christ, your faith will be demonstrated through obedience to His commandments. If you believe His Word, you will understand the consequences of disobedience and take His warnings seriously.
If you truly believe what He says about holiness, you will pursue holiness and present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.
If you claim to be a Christian but obey only the commandments that please you while rejecting those that conflict with your carnal desires, you are presenting your own righteousness before God rather than submitting to the righteousness He requires.
If you obey the words of men above the commandments of God, you are following the same pattern of religious self-righteousness that Christ condemned. Such a path cannot qualify you to enter His presence.
Every garment other than the garment of His righteousness represents a spirit of slavery: slavery to self and slavery to the devil under spiritual masters.
It is those who have exchanged their garments at the foot of the cross to receive His garment of righteousness who can receive the Spirit of adoption, become children of God, and claim their inheritance in their Father’s kingdom.
To be continued.
PRAYER
Father Lord, remove the garment of slavery from me and clothe me with the garment of Your righteousness, in Jesus’ name. Amen.