Hunger for Righteousness

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
– Matthew 5:6

In life we will experience longing for a variety of things. Some things will be better for us than others are. Some will have moral implications, and some will be morally neutral. Scripture clearly counsels us against longing for worldly things (1 John 2:15), though we may often find ourselves doing just that. While some longings may never be satisfied, Jesus says there is one longing that surely will. It is the longing for righteousness.

The writer of Hebrews indicates that Psalm 45:7 is what the Father speaks of the Son, saying, “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions” (Hebrews 1:9). It is an obvious affirmation of what God approves. The Father responds with blessing upon the Son because the Son has set His desire on righteousness. Looking forward to the eschaton, Peter reflects the hope of the Church by saying, “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). The longing will be satisfied.

A longing for righteousness might well start with ourselves. We know that God’s intent is for us to become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). If we love God, it would only be natural to long for what God desires. In addition to our own personal growth in righteousness, we may also hunger to see the Church, the visible Body of Christ in the world, grow in righteousness. The writer of Ephesians says it was for this reason that Christ died, “so that He might sanctify (the Church), having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:26-27).  

Ultimately our hunger for righteousness expands to include all of creation. That may seem like an impossibility, given the darkness that pervades our world. However, we can be sure that in the end God will establish righteousness throughout all of the created order. John’s apocalypse includes a vision of New Jerusalem, in which he is told “nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it…” (Revelation 21:27). As incredible as it may seem, the promise of God’s Word is that righteousness will prevail. Therefore, it is a certainty that those who hunger for it WILL be satisfied.

Until then, we will just keep leaning into it.

See you along the Winding Path.