I am convinced that the words of Christ in His “Sermon on the Mount” define Christianity. Christ was addressing the religiously lost of His day, and correcting their understanding of what it means to have a right relationship with God. He begins His message with what we call the beatitudes and all nine of these define who is “blessed.” This word in Greek means supremely fortunate or well off. It should be noted that each of these statements run contrary to the natural thinking of mankind. He says, Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6). Christ is defining the character required of those in His kingdom. This is worded as a passion by those possessing it. It is not a natural desire, so that to have such a new desire and ambition means something has happened to the person to change them. This change to love righteousness can only be explained by the new birth in Christ.

Our natural desire for physical sustenance is something for which we can all equate. We don’t have to drum up or be encouraged to be hungry or thirsty. It is something that naturally occurs. Christ uses this physical reality to demonstrate a right spiritual appetite! The idea of righteousness to most people has to do with maintaining general morality, or decency as measured by man’s standards. But, here it refers to a condition required for being right with God. It is a condition which the Bible tells us we are unable to meet. Later Christ says that we are to, “Be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Because we are born as unrighteous sinners, we are both void of capability and desire for God’s righteousness. The something that is needed to change our desires from within is missing. What Christ is requiring and commanding is an ambition to move in the direction of His “be perfect” command. If we are, and only if we are, we are then placed in the category of the blessed. This blessed state means the person possesses a hunger and thirst for God’s true righteousness. This hunger and thirst is not only in the immediate tense, but also in the continuous tense. It is a personal requirement and a desire to be lived-out in this life.

It is one thing to be religiously concerned enough to accept Jesus as our Savior. Many claim the verse, “He made Him who knew no sin to be made sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21), but fail to possess a passionate longing to be righteous in character and actions.  Such a lack of testimony brings the new birth into question. Christ expresses “blessed” not for those who are self-righteousness, but those who “hunger and thirst for His righteousness.” He is not addressing perfection, but instead a new direction. Ultimately, this requires a change in nature leading to a passioned priority for God’s righteousness. This is an issue both positional and practical. If we are saved, we are as righteous as Christ by His imputation and justification; but we will also humbly desire to be practically righteous in our sanctified life. We will still be under temptation and fail at times, but we will own a love for what He loves and a hate for what He hates. Our Lord Jesus is expressing the new birth. The new birth means a new nature (Eph. 2:2) with a radically new disposition and new desires. One of our chief desires is a love for righteousness.

The fact that Christ presents this at the beginning of the greatest message ever preached and uses the clear terminology of who is truly blessed warrants our special attention. According to the wording and the ongoing context of this message, He is undoubtedly not just referring to those described as having a higher degree of blessing, but these are the only ones who are blessed because they possess true spiritual life. Put another way, the Lord is saying if a person is devoid of this kind of internal heart longing for righteousness, he does not have true saving faith. Paul states, “We have as our ambition…to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor. 5:9). This is not new theology. David wrote, “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). He also wrote, “How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart…O that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psalm 119:1-5).

How can we tell if we are hungering and thirsting for righteousness?  It begins with a high view and love of God’s truth – His Word! Do we have a desire for the truth of the Bible? Are we active in knowing it? All of us spend our life according to priorities. Those who have been regenerated have a view of their new life against the darkness of their past and the darkness of the surrounding world. Now, instead, we possess a desire to please Christ in righteousness. Those who are blessed seek the narrow gate and the narrow way. If this is a reality in our life, we are the blessed described by the Lord.