MATTHEW 6:33 UNVEILED: THE CORE OF THE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE

Jun P. Espina         9 min read

Written on December 11, 2023

Matthew 6:33 is the totality of the Christian religion, after Christ’s Beatitudes and series of dos and don’ts in Chapter 5. In a word, our Lord taught His followers complete dependence on Him. You may ask, “How has Matthew 6 turned into a sermon of absolute reliance on our Lord Jesus? Where’s the Scripture?”

Our answer stands on the word “But” as used in Matthew 6:33. Note that seven verses before verse 33, Our Lord said, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life… [v. 25] For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things [what to eat, drink, and wear]; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [v. 32] But…”

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33)

It is the core of the Christian religion: constant seeking of Christ in the heart as born-again Christians. It would spark off the righteousness of Christ in your soul.

How is “kingdom-seeking” connected to “Christ-seeking” in this context—the Jehovah’s Witnesses could not process this?

• Our Lord’s Messianic Kingdom in Matthew 6:33

Yes, we are trying to expound on a Scripture based on the Scriptures, not on denominational and man-made dogmas. Christ said, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matt. 16:28) We cannot isolate Christ from “the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Bible scholars agree that the “kingdom of God” here is referred to as our Lord’s messianic kingdom.

Read Also: Acts 13:48 and the Controversy of Eternal Predestination

Why is It Necessary For Born-Again Christians To Constantly Seek Christ in Their Hearts?

To answer the above question, let me tell you a scenario in a church ecosystem. Not all people seek Christ in their hearts inside the church. Don’t mistake me. Born-again Christians “breathe” Christ everywhere. Inside the church, they are waiting for Christ to be glorified in the singing and preaching. But most Christian churches have devolved into a club-like organism. And sad that most Christians today are just nominal Christians—in name only! When they are fed with false doctrine, for example, they are just like sheep as to obedience. Their chorus of robotic and habitual “Amens” reverberates in the church’s hall, like a thunder of applause for something mysterious. Are they gasping for Christ and His truth? You have the answer when you notice the sheep enjoying the church’s entertainments more and the fondness for what is ear-tickling.

I wrote the following in my book, “BORN AGAIN CHRIST’S VERSION”:

“THE FAKE CHRISTIAN does not have the second birth experience. Hence, when he says ‘Amen’ or ‘Praise the Lord,’ he utters it from practice and out of habit, and not out of love for Christ and His Word. The unsaved person can do all things done in the Christian Church like submission to water baptism, worship-service attendance, preaching, etc. except that he does not have the living hope of eternal life in his soul. In the Charismatic services, he would jump and dance and give touching testimonies, complete with adjectives and drama—but they are just a play of words outside of a firm conviction that when death comes, Christ would be there to lift him.” ^{[BORN AGAIN… p.48]}

The “Kingdom of God” in Our Text is About Christ’s Messianic Kingdom

Matthew 6:33 is not about seeking a church or religion but seeking Christ Himself, who is the King of kings in His everlasting kingdom on earth. (See 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16; 1:6; 11:15) We have reached this thumbnail point for our text since our Lord’s sermons from Matthew 5 to 6 revolve around the believer’s to-do list. “When you pray, do this; when you give, do this,” etc. Seeing we cannot do anything glorifying to God without our Savior, Jesus (John 15:5), it is permissible to say that seeking the kingdom of God in this life is in practice seeking Christ in our hearts at every turn as believers. Observe this word of God: “And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21, KJV)

Read Also: Our Source of Strength in this Life

• We Can Do Nothing Without Christ

When Christ said, “and all these things will be added to you,” if you seek and find Him, He meant He is Everything. In John 15, our Lord said, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” (v.5)

For the unbelievers, their priority is everything they love in this world. The Gentiles (and unbelievers) seek money, fame, and everything related to man’s love for himself—and they reject Christ ardently, too.

“But we are different,” Christ said.

The Messianic Kingdom is All About Jesus

Prophet Isaiah said, “For a Child [Jesus] will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders… There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore.” (Is. 9:6-7) Daniel 7:27 also speaks about “His kingdom [that] will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the empires will serve and obey Him.” As we can see, seeking God’s kingdom right now (before His Second Coming) is no more than seeking Christ and involving Him in our hearts as believers. Concerning it, Christ said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Now that you are born again, “the kingdom of God [who is Christ Himself] is within you” (Luke 17:21, KJV)—and you cannot ignore our Lord by living a life without a constant connection and communication with Him through the medium of prayer and steadfast trust.

The First Business of a Christian is Christ and His Truth

The first business of life for born-again Christians is God’s business. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Your first thought as you wake up in the morning is the joy of a new lease on life. Some had a cerebral stroke during the night or had been buried alive by a typhoon or tsunami. They died in their sleep, and the birds could not sing for them anymore at sunrise. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22–23)

Our worldly desires and struggles in life fall because, to use Christ’s words, “You of little faith.” (Matt. 6:30)

If we are not convinced that life outside our faith in Christ is aimless, observe the rise and fall of the famous and those in power who are deniers of our Lord. Or, what about those “faithful” suicide bombers who are empty and senseless—as if their god has blinded them to kill innocent lives?

• Complete Dependence on Him in Everything

Our Lord taught His disciples complete dependence on Him in everything. When He said “seek first His kingdom,” He did not stop there but also said, “and His righteousness.” This is possible only with those Spirit-indwelt (cf. Rom. 8:9b) or born-again Christians since our Lord hints at the act of seeking God as regards His divine provisions for our needs. There is constancy in the seeking process because our needs for food, clothing, etc. don’t stop while we are still alive. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33) He also said in verse 11, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Seeking the face of our Lord during church services or in times of life-threatening emergencies only is not the point here. The seeking here is as constant as breathing. As Paul claimed, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal. 2:20) The act of seeking emphasized here by our Lord is synonymous with living a life in faith at full steam.

God’s Truth and Righteousness

The prophet Isaiah taught us to always fasten truth to righteousness. Concerning the house of Jacob, Isaiah said, “Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.” (Is. 48:1) It is the point when Christ said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…” There is neither truth nor righteousness, from the Christian standpoint, for example, if you preach a reward of 72 virgins in heaven. What about urging people to give “tithes” during Christian gatherings? The answer is that there’s a hint of righteousness in it—because it is scripturally righteous to support Christ’s work—but without a scriptural truth since there’s no tithing requirement in the New Testament. (See 2 Cor 9:7: 1 Cor. 16:2. Note: Giving to the poor is beyond the range of so-called “tithes and offerings” collected weekly.)

Some Are Seekers of God, But Not God’s Righteousness

The apostle Paul wrote about his missionary journeys, where he met a ton of challenges, but he persisted “in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness.” (2 Cor. 6:7) The apostle wrote that the “word of truth” is one with the “power of God” and “weapons of righteousness.” Given this, we can dare say our Lord brings into focus the doctrine of seeking both the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

• Christ is Our Righteousness

As explained above, the kingdom of God is beyond doubt the “kingdom of God within us,” which is the Spirit of our Lord in us. The divine righteousness we are commanded to seek is also represented by our Lord Jesus. Here’s what the apostle Paul penned as regards this point: “He made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [Christ].” (2 Cor. 5:21) Somewhere, Paul also said that Christ is our righteousness. (cf. 1 Cor 1:30)

• Truth-seeking with a Secret Plan for Financial Gain

I knew someone who was a religious enthusiast. The Bible was like coffee to him when it came to a warm liking. But when an American missionary offered him cash, he shifted doctrines and knowingly embraced those undermining his beliefs. For this, Paul warned about those [leaders] who are “destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” (1 Tim. 6:5, NKJV) This is an instance of truth-seeking with a secret plan for financial gain. This way, truth becomes the enemy of righteousness. And this is not seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness as the highest priority in religion.

All These Things Shall Be Added unto You

Constant God-seeking always precedes God’s blessings. In verse 31 of Matthew 6, our Lord says, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” (Matt. 6:31, KJV) The most important phrase in this verse is “take no thought” [“Do not worry then”, NASB], because “your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (v. 32)

• The Lord’s Spirit Intercedes

We always have difficulties in this world. But our Father in heaven knows them all. Our Lord Jesus, our loving Savior, sees everything. The Lord’s Spirit in us (cf. Rom. 8:9) is familiar with them all. Hence, the apostle Paul said, “Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26)

• How Great is the Darkness

I want to share a story about a man who was a seeker of the truth outside of Christ’s righteousness. His Bible had been worn out by his regular study of it. But he couldn’t understand it, despite the help of his fellow cult members. When I shared the gospel with him, he was sarcastic, believing he had already studied the Bible from cover to cover. Christ’s death on the cross for our sins—Christ’s righteous deed to save us despite our pagan and sinful disposition—and His resurrection, which proves His teachings, could not shake his conscience. In that instance, what was added to his truth-seeking efforts away from Christ’s righteousness was more spiritual blindness. For this, our Lord said, “So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matt. 6:23b) Truth outside of Christ’s righteousness is like an empty cheque payment. The promise of provision for all things won’t stand up.

Truth outside of Christ’s righteousness is like an empty cheque payment. The promise of provision for all things won’t stand up.