In addition to seeking rst the Kingdom of God, we are to seek also His righteousness. This is not a rst and second priority but two parts of one complete whole. God’s Kingdom cannot be separated from His righteousness. A kingdom always re ects the nature and character of the king. God is righteous and therefore His Kingdom is also righteous.
Only righteous people will enter the Kingdom. The problem is that none of us are righteous on our own. As
David, psalmist and king of Israel wrote, “The Lord looks
down from Heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Ps. 14:2-3). When we are
born again through the new birth by repentance of sin and faith in Christ, God imputes righteousness to us. He declares us righteous on the basis of the righteousness of His Son and we gain entrance into the Kingdom.
The New Testament calls this transaction justification. Justi cation is a legal term, not a religious term. It means to declare someone innocent just as if that person had never committed an o ense. When we are justi ed in Christ, we receive a royal pardon from the King. He naturalizes us as citizens of His Kingdom and all the rights, privileges, and resources of the Kingdom become ours. But we also come under the government and administration of the Kingdom and are accountable to the King.
Seeking the righteousness of God is extremely important because His righteousness protects us. It keeps us under the Kingdom covering. And once we are under the Kingdom covering, all the additions—“all these things”—become automatic.
Like justi cation, the word righteous is a legal term. It means “right positioning, to be in correct alignment with the ruling standard.” To be righteous means that we do not violate the laws of the government. A righteous person is in right standing with authority. Right standing carries with it the even deeper element of being in fellowship with that authority. As long as we abide by the laws and standards of
government, we have nothing to fear. Our conscience is clear. The moment we break the law, however, our fellowship and right standing with the ruling authority is broken. We are no longer righteous.
As an example, imagine driving down the road in your car. As long as you observe the speed limit and make no moving violations, you have nothing to worry about. Penalty and punishment are the farthest things from your mind. Suppose, however, that you accidentally travel through a red light. Now what happens? Immediately you check your mirrors to see if the police are coming after you. You broke the law. You’re guilty and you know it and you hope no one saw you. But your guilt creates tension in your mind because you know you are now out of alignment with the ruling standard.
This analogy perfectly describes the dilemma faced by the human race. None of us are righteous. We are all out of alignment with the ruling standard, with God’s standard. Why? Because when Adam sinned, his sinfulness passed to every succeeding generation, corrupting the entire race of man. Sin is rebellion against God’s Kingly authority. If we want to enter the Kingdom of God, our right standing with God must be restored. This is why Jesus Christ came to earth, not only to announce the coming of the Kingdom but also so that through His sinless death we could be made righteous in Him. Jesus came and died so we could enter the Kingdom.
If you want to be righteous, you’ve got to submit, not to religion, but to Jesus Christ, the King who gave His blood for you. His blood cleanses the stain of rebellion and
removes your guilt. He puts you back in right standing with Himself. You start driving on His side of the street. You start eating what He eats and drinking what He drinks. You begin conforming your life to His in every way possible because you are under His Kingdom. You are righteous.
God has committed Himself to you because you now are in right relationship with Him. To be righteous means that you are legal, lawful, in sync with the government. Nothing stands between you and the law. Therefore, you need not fear authority. If you keep the laws of God, He will protect you. Stay in the law and everything you need will come to you. The Bible says that even the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous (see Prov. 13:22). And who are the righteous? Those who are within the law.
PRINCIPLES
1. Our first priority—the principal and most important activity of our life—is to seek the Kingdom of God. 2. If we desire to know the Kingdom and its ways, the
King will make sure our desire is satisfied. 3. Seeking the Kingdom is deliberate and proactive. 4. Kingdom rst does not mean rst among many, but
first and only.
5. When Jesus said we are to seek rst the Kingdom of God, He was telling us to seek rst the ownership of God over ourselves and everything we have in life. 6. We can tell which kingdom we are in by the way we
live.
7. Only righteous people will enter the Kingdom. 8. When we are justi ed in Christ, we receive a royal
pardon from the King.
9. The word righteous means “right positioning, to be in correct alignment with the ruling standard.” 10. None of us are righteous.
11. Jesus came and died so we could enter the Kingdom.
ENDNOTES
1. Myles Munroe, Rediscovering the Kingdom: Ancient Hope
for Our 21st Century World, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny
Image Publishers, Inc., in partnership with Diplomat Press, Nassau, Bahamas, 2004.)
2. Myles Munroe, Kingdom Principles: Preparing for
Kingdom Experience and Expansion, (Shippensburg, PA:
Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., in partnership with Diplomat Press, Nassau, Bahamas, 2006.)
“Correct alignment with truth principles guarantees success in life.”
O
CHAPTER FIVE