Righteousness is far more than merely keeping the commandments, though that is a fundamental aspect. It is established that keeping the law is righteousness, a truth that remains valid and essential. However, there is a deeper dimension beyond this basic adherence. Righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, who meticulously followed the law but lacked the proper attitude and motive. Their righteousness was not sufficient for God, as it focused solely on strict conformity to rules without the broader principles of love and concern for others. The essence of true righteousness lies in conforming to God's standards, meeting obligations to both man and God with the right heart. In the Old Testament, righteousness meant generally living in harmony with God's revealed will under the covenant, not implying sinlessness but uprightness. In the New Testament, the concept remains similar, emphasizing meeting obligations and living up to God's standards. Jesus Christ taught that righteousness must go beyond mere acts to include attitudes, motives, thoughts, and desires, aiming to be as perfect as the Father. Jesus Christ exemplified this by fulfilling the law, achieving its aims through love, good deeds, pure motives, and outgoing concern. He showed that living beyond the law—under the principles of God's character—makes sin nearly impossible, as time once spent in sin is filled with goodness. True righteousness, therefore, is not rigid or selfish like that of the Pharisees, who acted for personal gain or recognition. Instead, it involves selfless acts of kindness, driven by love for God and others, reflecting His character. Repentance and righteousness are inseparable, with repentance being the beginning of righteousness and righteousness the fruit of repentance. A constant repentant attitude is crucial for living righteously, ensuring that one's heart and mind are aligned with God's will. By committing wholeheartedly to God's way, just as one might have once committed to sin, a person pursues a righteousness that exceeds mere conformity, living under the broader, stricter principles of God's love and character. With God's help, this pursuit leads to everlasting life.

In Matthew 5:20, Jesus declares that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was flawed, not due to their zeal for the law, but because of their focus on finding loopholes to serve their own ends, pushing boundaries rather than embracing the vast freedom within God's commandments. Their approach was driven by self-interest, motivated by external rewards and punishments rather than an internal desire to do what is right. True righteousness, as Jesus teaches, must move from an external adherence to the law to an internal motivation, prompted by God's Holy Spirit. This transformation involves proactively obeying the law, loving it as expressed in Psalm 119:97, and hiding God's word in our hearts to avoid sin. It means applying the law wisely in various situations, understanding its principles deeply to use the flexibility it allows for doing good and expressing love to others. Jesus calls us to rise above self-interest, developing an internally motivated, outgoing righteous character. This change is neither easy nor swift, but God spends years perfecting His loving character within us. When we know and keep God's law proactively, embracing it fully, we find inner peace, as Psalm 119:165 promises great peace to those who love His law. Through this, the fruit of righteousness, far exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees, can grow to maturity.

Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is a profound desire that emerges from the depths of one's innermost being, a driving need to satisfy a spiritual longing as vital as daily nourishment. This yearning follows the confession of sins that God reveals, becoming a crucial step toward salvation. Righteousness, meaning rectitude or right doing, is both specific and broad in its biblical use, often synonymous with salvation itself. Jesus commands to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, emphasizing its priority over all aspects of life, aligning perfectly with the hunger-and-thirst metaphor. God's righteousness stands as the top priority, a gift of grace that we must actively seek. Three kinds of righteousness are essential to Christian life and development, all to be sought in relationships with God and fellow man. The first is the righteousness of faith, granted when God justifies a sinner by grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, imputing His obedience to provide legal righteousness before God. Despite human perceptions of goodness, God declares none righteous, revealing our spiritual bankruptcy and leading us to repentance through His mercy. This realization sparks a hunger and thirst for God's offer of justification, though it requires total surrender of our lives to His rule. The hunger and thirst persist even after justification, as the justified person recognizes that God has only begun a good work in us. When God awakens us to His truths and the vital importance of righteousness, a first love ignites, and we yearn to apply these truths in our lives. We must strive to keep our relationship with Him vibrant through constant communication and obedience, filling our minds with His character and purpose to maintain a sharp edge on our hunger for righteousness. The third kind of righteousness, social righteousness, extends beyond a personal affair with God to include hungering and thirsting for righteousness in the community. It encompasses civil rights, justice in courts, integrity in business, and honor in home and family. Though our citizenship is in heaven and we are as sojourners in this world, we are called to let our light shine before men through good works that glorify our Father in heaven. Like Jesus, who moved to change society internally through preaching the gospel and doing good, we have the authority to perform good works within our role in His body. This God-created hunger begins when He calls us into His Family, with the purpose of filling it. He fills us with what He is and what we need to navigate our pilgrimage to His Kingdom, providing understanding, wisdom, peace, thanksgiving, faith, hope, and love, so that we might be like Him and be done with sin forever. Ultimately, the promise is that we shall neither hunger nor thirst anymore, for the Lamb will shepherd us to living fountains of waters.