Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Bridges immediately points out that Jesus did not say, “Blessed are those who are hungry and thirsty,” but the much stronger words, “hunger and thirst.” This hunger and thirst that they are referencing is, of course, for righteousness. Bridges then dives into the meaning of the word Righteousness.

Bridges points to the Biblical definition which states that to be righteous is to be in perfect accord with God’s Word in every way. This includes words, thoughts, deeds, and motives. To be in perfect accord with God’s Word all the time is impossible. Therefore, Bridges dives into why we ought to strive for righteousness.

First, Bridges points to the first law of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to God’s law. Jesus Christ did live a perfect, righteous life evidenced throughout Scriptures (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22; and 1 John 3:5). We in ourselves are not perfect, but since we are united to Christ once we get saved, we are considered by God to be righteous. Our sin is not tossed aside as though it is nothing, in other words, we need to still strive to live a holy life, but because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, we are declared righteous through His blood (Isaiah 53:5-6). This is referred to as positional righteousness.

Bridges then questions why strive for righteousness if we are already declared righteous through Him. The reason Bridges gives “is that the more we grow and mature in the Christian life, the more sensitive we become to the sin and failure we see in our lives.” This gives us a desire and need to pursue righteousness. This should become a daily hunger and thirst for the righteousness we have received through Christ. We ought to pursue this and give God thanks for this righteousness every day.

The second form of righteousness is experiential righteousness. Bridges explains that “whoever hungers and thirsts after the righteousness we have in Christ will also hunger and thirst to be righteous in his or her daily experience.” This is what he referenced earlier, that the closer we grow to God, the stronger our desire will be to hunger and thirst for righteousness because we will gain a deeper understanding our wickedness.

This hunger and thirst is sparked in two ways. First, a true believer will pursue righteousness because of the fact they are a believer. They have the Holy Spirit living in them. If they do not pursue righteousness then they were never really saved (1 John 3:10). Second, we will gain a greater gratitude for Christ and what He did for us. This will be through our realization of our wickedness and a better grasp of the blessing Jesus gave us by dying on the cross for our wicked sins.

What does this experiential righteousness look like? It is being obedient to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s leading. Diving into Biblical commands and seeking His face through prayer. Listening to preachers who teach from the Bible, not from their own personal experiences or thoughts. “There will be no growth in experiential righteousness apart from a regular intake of the Word of God.”

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