Have you ever experienced a hunger so deep that nothing seemed to satisfy it?
A spiritual thirst that left you searching for something more, something that would finally fill the empty spaces in your soul?
Today, we’re exploring one of Jesus’ most profound promises from the Beatitudes – a promise that reveals how your deepest spiritual longings have already been completely satisfied in Christ.
If the work of Salvation isn’t complete and eternal, then we are of all men most miserable.
Apostle Paul put it this way: if Christ didn’t rise from the dead then our Christian faith would be useless, empty, futile, or without purpose and we are yet in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Among the spiritual blessings we receive in Christ is the gift of righteousness, but do you know it belongs to you now?
This isn’t something you’re working toward – it’s something you already possess through faith in Jesus Christ.
A Personal Testimony: When Righteousness Becomes Real
My spiritual journey took a significant turn when I discovered the writings of W.E. Kenyon. His book, “The Two Kinds of Righteousness,” profoundly impacted me.
By the fourth chapter, I was moved to tears, my heart filled with joy, and I found myself praying fervently in the Spirit. This revelation opened up a new spiritual realm for me, as if scales had fallen from my eyes.
My prayer is that as we explore the meaning behind the biblical statement “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” the glorious light of the gospel will illuminate your heart as well.
Understanding Matthew 5:6 in Its True Context
Our sermon text comes from Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (NIV).
Righteousness remains one of the most relevant truths in the New Testament and you’ll find it mentioned throughout the Epistles.
It’s also one of the bedrocks of the Christian faith. Personally, after one gets saved, the teaching of righteousness should be paid heavy attention to as if your life is dependent on it – because spiritually speaking, it is.
The book of Matthew chapter 5 is a popular passage in the Bible and it is fondly called the Beatitudes. But to understand what Jesus was really saying, we need to apply sound biblical interpretation.
The Foundation of Biblical Interpretation
One beautiful rule of Bible interpretation is that it can never mean today what it never meant when it was first written. This principle is crucial for understanding Matthew 5:6 correctly.
Ephesians 4:13 tells us: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV) reinforces this unity: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
From the above scriptures, you would see that there is nothing like multiple meanings of bible text or personal revelation of bible text.
The meaning, understanding, or message the primary audience got should be the same understanding of the message we should get.
The interpretation or meaning of scripture for the oppressed is the same as for the wealthy, there is no distinction.
The meaning of a bible text at the time of Christ is the same today. How the bible text was understood and applied is the same understanding and application today.
What Jesus Was NOT Saying in Matthew 5:6
Here’s where many misunderstand this powerful verse: When you read Matthew 5:6, it is not saying that it is good we continue to hunger and thirst for righteousness always.
Secondly, Jesus was not telling his audience who were unregenerate Jews to put up good conduct.
He was telling them to have faith in him for righteousness. Man, on his own, can never satisfy his hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Jesus made a similar statement in Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Notice He says “his righteousness” – not your righteousness that you work to achieve.
The Revolutionary Truth: Your Hunger Has Been Satisfied
Rather, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” means our desire for righteousness has been fully satisfied in Christ.
How, you may ask? Romans 5:17 provides the answer: “For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”
Righteousness is a free gift of God received by faith in Christ Jesus. Righteousness is received once, fully, and completely at salvation.
This is the satisfaction Jesus promised – not an ongoing hunger, but a complete filling that happens the moment you believe.
Understanding True Righteousness vs. Religious Performance
We don’t grow in Christ to become more righteous or less righteous. Jesus and the believer have the same level of righteousness. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
In an attempt to encourage good conduct, some preachers confuse righteousness with right living or good conduct. Righteousness is different from good conduct.
Here’s the crucial distinction you need to understand:
Righteousness is not right living but right believing, it is right believing that leads to right living.
As W.E. Kenyon puts it, Righteousness is the ability to stand before God with no iota of shame and guilt, or sin consciousness making us masters of the Devil.
Righteousness also means faith in the gospel outside of works.
The Good News: God’s Gift Satisfies Completely
However, the good news is, that God has given a free gift to man to quench man’s hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Jesus is the free gift of righteousness from God to man and anyone who receives him has their hunger filled and their thirst quenched.
This isn’t a partial satisfaction or temporary relief – it’s complete and eternal satisfaction.
We now have the righteousness of Christ by being in him and so we no longer thirst and hunger after righteousness, in him our hunger for righteousness is filled forever.
What This Means for Your Daily Christian Life
Receiving Christ is righteousness. The believer, therefore, does not sing or pray for his hunger for righteousness to be filled.
Your hunger has already been satisfied. You’re not seeking righteousness – you already possess it as a gift.
This transforms how you approach spiritual growth. Good conduct is the result of righteousness consciousness which comes from the renewal of the mind through spiritual growth.
Righteous people produce good conduct, but good conduct does not make a person righteous. This is the difference between living from righteousness versus living for righteousness.
The Blessing of Complete Satisfaction
When Jesus said “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,” He was describing the complete satisfaction that comes through faith in Him.
This blessing isn’t in the ongoing hunger – the blessing is in being filled.
You no longer have to live with spiritual hunger pangs or thirst that never gets quenched.
In Christ, you have received the righteousness of God himself, and that satisfaction is permanent and complete.
How This Changes Your Relationship with God
Understanding that your hunger for righteousness has been satisfied in Christ revolutionizes your relationship with God.
You no longer approach Him as someone who’s spiritually starving, desperately trying to earn His approval. Instead, you come as His beloved child, already fully accepted and righteous in His sight.
This doesn’t make you passive in your spiritual growth – it makes you secure. You pursue holiness and good conduct not to become righteous, but because you already are righteous.
The motivation shifts from fear and inadequacy to love and gratitude.
The Practical Outworking of Righteousness Consciousness
When you truly understand that you possess the righteousness of Christ, several things happen:
Prayer life transforms: You don’t beg God to make you righteous – you thank Him that you already are righteous in Christ.
Self-image changes: You see yourself as God sees you – perfectly righteous through faith in Jesus.
Conduct improves naturally: Right believing leads to right living without the strain of trying to earn what you already possess.
Confidence grows: You can stand before God without shame, guilt, or condemnation because you’re clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
Scriptural Foundation for Your Righteousness
Let these powerful scriptures saturate your understanding of your righteous position in Christ:
Romans 3:22: “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified (declared righteous) through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Philippians 3:9: “And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
Romans 4:5: “However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.”
The Great Exchange: Understanding What Happened at Salvation
Romans 3:24: “and all are justified (declared righteous) freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:25: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.”
This is the great exchange – Christ took your sin, and you received His righteousness. It’s not a process; it’s a completed transaction.
Biblical Examples of Righteousness by Faith
Romans 4:3: “What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'”
James 2:23: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.”
Abraham’s righteousness came through believing God, not through perfect conduct.
The same is true for you – your righteousness comes through faith in Christ, not through your performance.
The Universal Application of This Truth
Romans 5:18: “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.”
2 Peter 1:1: “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Every believer has “obtained like precious faith” through the same righteousness. You’re not second-class in God’s kingdom – you have the same righteousness as the apostles.
Your New Nature in Christ
Ephesians 4:24: “And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
You’re not trying to become righteous – you’ve been created in righteousness. This is your new nature, your spiritual DNA as a born-again believer.
Galatians 2:21: “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
If you could achieve righteousness through your efforts, Christ’s death would have been unnecessary. The fact that He died proves that righteousness can only come as a gift through faith.
Your Complete Package in Christ
1 Corinthians 1:30: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
Christ has become your righteousness. You don’t have partial righteousness or growing righteousness – you have Christ himself as your righteousness.
Living from Satisfaction, Not Seeking It
The beauty of understanding Matthew 5:6 correctly is that it frees you from the exhausting cycle of trying to become what you already are.
You’re not hungering and thirsting for righteousness anymore – your hunger has been satisfied, your thirst has been quenched.
This means you can focus on growing in the understanding and practical outworking of the righteousness you already possess rather than trying to achieve something that’s already been given to you as a gift.
The Transformation of Righteousness Consciousness
When righteousness consciousness replaces sin consciousness in your thinking, everything changes.
You begin to see yourself as God sees you – perfectly righteous through faith in Christ.
This consciousness naturally produces the good conduct that religion tries to achieve through rules and regulations.
The difference is profound: religious effort produces temporary behavioral changes that drain your energy. Righteousness consciousness produces lasting transformation that flows from your true identity in Christ.
Conclusion: Walking in Your Satisfied State
Today, I want you to understand that if you’ve received Christ, your spiritual hunger and thirst for righteousness has been completely satisfied.
You’re not blessed because you continue to hunger – you’re blessed because you’ve been filled.
Stop praying for God to make you righteous. Start thanking Him that you already are righteous through faith in Christ.
Stop trying to earn what you already possess. Start living from the security of knowing that you have the righteousness of God himself through your union with Jesus.
Your hunger has been satisfied. Your thirst has been quenched. You are righteous – not because of what you’ve done, but because of what Christ has done for you.
Walk in this truth. Live from this reality. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and that’s a satisfaction that will never fade, never diminish, and never need to be renewed.
The blessing isn’t in the seeking – the blessing is in the finding. And in Christ, you have found everything you were ever searching for.
Renew your mind today to this truth!
Finally, read our teaching on Understanding the Meaning of Zion in Hebrews 12 and clear every misconception about what does Jesus becoming poor mean in 2 Corinthians 8:9?
My passion lies in reaching out to young adults in communities and schools, witnessing the transformative power of faith in their lives.
This blog extends my ministry, sharing insights, encouraging believers, and exploring Christ's teachings in daily life.
Welcome, Brother James.
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