The subject of Christ’s statement in Matthew 5:6 is RIGHTEOUSNESS (aka holiness, godliness, purity, maturity, perfection).  Notice that He did not say that hungering and thirsting for righteousness automatically makes one righteous.  To the contrary, He said that hungering and thirsting would result in one being “FILLED WITH righteousness.”  Two key concepts are in play in this statement.  One, to be “filled” necessitates that one receive righteousness from a source other than oneself and two, one must actively participate in the filling process.  No matter how hard I try, I cannot create food within myself to fill my empty stomach.  If I could, I would never be hungry.  In the same way, righteousness is not a commodity that is innate within the human being.  God gave us the CAPACITY TO BECOME RIGHTEOUS and thereby be like Him in terms of character.  This is what is meant in Genesis 1:26 where it says that we are created in the image and likeness of (the) Gods (Elohim–plural).  We are born looking like God, as did Adam and Eve.  However, like them, we can become like Him morally only by emulating Him in terms of our words, thoughts and acts, over which we have total control through the power of the Holy Spirit living within.  God is a god because He is–“He is that He is.”  We have the POTENTIAL TO BECOME GODS.  Blasphemy?  No.  Jesus said so in John 10:24-36.

Here we find Him being questioned by a crowd of Jews who were demanding that He tell them if He is indeed the Christ (anointed one) of God–His Messiah.  He replied that He and the Father (God) were one (in character, not in number).  The Jews, who had been for generations waiting for a warrior Messiah to save them from their enemies, picked up stones to kill Him for He had, in their eyes, committed blasphemy by calling Himself the Son of God, thereby equating Himself with God the Father.  Note that God calls those who obey Him “sons of God.”  Think about it.

Then Jesus–a man like all other men while on earth–said something whose meaning has been rejected by religious people since the day He said it.  He said, “Is it not written in your Law, I said, ‘You (Israelites) are gods?’  He then explains in verse 38 that, as a man, He was a god God BECAUSE HE WAS “IN GOD” AND GOD WAS “IN HIM.”  Therefore, if the Israelites (in this case Jews) can be gods, then spiritual Israelites–God’s true church–can become gods by being “in God and Christ” and having God and Christ “in them.”  Read “Ye are Gods.”  Key word–Gods.  Warning: Do not dismiss this concept as the ramblings of a reprobate.  This is God speaking through me just as He did through Jesus who said that the words He spoke were not His words, but rather the words given to Him by His Father (Jn. 7:16; 12:49,50; 14:24).  Recall that the Father also spoke directly to and through the Apostle Peter as recorded in Matthew 16:16,17.  Recall also that the prophets would wait for days to hear from God before speaking about a specific subject.  God still speaks to those who will hear Him.  I have said things that I did not know I knew.  Wanting to give God His due credit, I always admit that those were not my own.

Now let us examine what Jesus said about human beings becoming gods.  How is this possible?  Gods are light; humans are darkness.  How does darkness become light?  Recall that Jesus said that as long as He was in the world, He was the LIGHT of the world (Jn. 8:12).  He then told the disciples that, following His departure, they would be the LIGHT of the world (Mat. 5:14).  The word “are,” as in “you ARE the light of the world,” though spoken in present tense, is future in context, just as Christ’s saying to the Jews, “you ARE gods” referred to the future and referred also to those who would come after them.  The LIGHT and GODS predictions depended on the future walk (lifestyle) of the disciples relative to becoming light and the Jews walk relative to becoming gods.  How could human men become the same light as was Jesus, the Son of God.  Likewise, how could unbelieving Jews become gods?  The key to answering those questions lies in the fact that one of the 12 disciples did not become God’s LIGHT while the other 11 did.  Also, upon Christ’s death, approximately 120 Jews recognized Him as their Savior.  The question is, how would some of men become light and how would some Jews become gods?  The answer lies in Christ’s statement found in John 10:27: “MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE AND I KNOW THEM AND THEY FOLLOW ME.”  Note the formula for being present day light and future gods:  one must “hear” His Words, be “known” by Him because they “follow” (obey) His Words.  To those who diligently follow His formula He will award eternal life (vs 28).

In the spiritual sense there is much more to the word “know” than to be acquainted with someone.  In Matthew 7:22-24 Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment He will say to some who are expecting to join Him in paradise: “I NEVER KNEW YOU ….”  Why will He not know many who have taken Him as their Savior, etc?  He answers by saying to them:  “…. depart from me you who work INIQUITY” (Grk–Lawlessness–failure to obey His Word/Law.  Which brings us back to the sugar versus meat situation brought out in the previous posting.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness realize that they must be fed righteousness in order to have it.  However, there is an age-old saying that rings true in the spiritual sense: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”  In the same way, you can tell and show a church person God’s pure “strong meat” Word, but you can’t make him obey it.  The Lord’s strong meat is what I call Biblical “fine print.”  His “headlines” are what I call church sugar.  Sugar is good as long is it is understood to be sugar.  But God’s sugar will only take us so far spiritually.  As the Apostle Paul told the Hebrew converts, at a time then they should have been teaching the Gentile converts God’s “strong meat,” they were themselves still studying the “first (elementary) principles of the oracles (Words) of God.”  This is what I call “sugar.” Paul called it “milk.”  The Hebrews were hooked on “sugar” and in dire need of “strong meat.”  Read Hebrews 5:11-6:6 where you find that because they were content with sugar, the Hebrews’ standing with the Lord was in jeopardy.  Their only hope was to leave God’s sugary “headlines” and begin to consume His strong meat “fine print.”  Sugar/milk is for babes; strong meat is for “them that are of full age, who have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).

The key to being fed strong meat and thereby being “filled with righteousness” is to study God’s Word, believe it and OBEY IT–Scripturally called doing “WORKS.”  It’s all about obedience.  As one obeys God’s Word/Law one is fed righteousness, also called holiness, for His Word/Law is “holy(ness), just and good(ness)” (Rom. 7:12).  By obeying that which is righteous we become righteous–if we “eat” it.  In the physical realm “We are what we eat.”  Something akin that that truth takes place on the spiritual level–we become righteous when we choose to ingest righteousness and obey it–the Word/Law of God.  Conversely, we become the pastry we choose to ingest and obey.  The church offers sugar; God offers strong meat.  Spiritual babies prefer sugar and resent those who prefer strong meat.

In order to be filled with righteousness one must find where God’s Words of righteousness are being preached and embrace that source, then believe and obey what is being proclaimed by that source.  Sadly, few do so.  The vast majority of salvation seekers settle for a sugar (milk) diet designed for spiritual babies (Mat. 7:13,14).  As a child who is fed only physical milk will die physically, one who consumes only spiritual milk will die spiritually.  Historically, billions of people have lived their lives consuming only sugar/milk which Satan has convinced them is God’s strong meat.  Admittedly, for all but the most dedicated, the transition from sugar/milk to strong meat is difficult.

A person who is accustomed to sugar (church doctrine–Heb. 6:1,2) immediately rejects God’s strong meat because it requires one to grow up and take responsibility for one’s spiritual condition.  This requires one to make some hard choices.  For example, one must be willing to be rejected (on the spiritual level) by his family, friends and former churchmates?  It is much easier to remain on the church breast and stay in good stead with other breast feeders.  The “food” salvation seekers choose is what separates sheep from goats.  Choosing the right “food” is step one.  Then we must ingest it.  Then we must believe it.  Then we must obey it.  Remember, Jacob’s staircase leading up to the Lord had many steps.  L.J.