Seeking God's Righteousness
Are there times when a familiar passage in the Bible springs out and for the first time, you ask God, "now what does that mean"? You have read it or prayed it for a long time, but suddenly you question it. Jesus stated we were to first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The little word "and" indicates there is more and also something different between the two. Much study is devoted to understanding the Kingdom of God. How is His Righteousness different that the Kingdom of God? When we Christians accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and believe he died for us, we accept the righteousness of Jesus for our sins. It is the great exchange. What is Jesus directing his disciples to do then?
This book begins by describing what the Kingdom of God is and summarizes the need for it within our fallen world. The triune nature of humanity, spirit, soul and flesh bodies are defined. When Adam and Eve rebelled, there was a separation of the spirit body from access to the other two bodies. When we seek the Kingdom of God, we follow a God ordained path to reunite the spirit as it is reborn within the individual.
A child is born into a broken world. Choices and events within their lives form an ego that does not have the advantage of a reborn spirit connected to the other two bodies. Practical examples for how this happens and how it is overcome by the grace of God are described. God intervenes in individual lives. His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ is available. As one accepts Jesus as Lord, and the Holy Spirit activates the individual spirit within the person, a new birth occurs. Now the person can seek the Kingdom of God. These ideas are explained with scriptures to support them. A process of sanctification is ignited within the spirit of the person.
Paul describes this process of sanctification in many of his letters. Paul also states that many believers are stuck at the milk level of understanding and have not moved into the level of discerning righteousness or seeking the meat of the Gospel. The rest of the book illustrates with scripture and examples how one moves to the meat level understanding. This is seeking the righteousness of God.