Have you ever thought about the impact three words can have on a person? A handful of three-word phrases that come to mind are:

• I love you
• I needed that
• I am hungry
• I’m too busy
• Let’s go now

The latter is especially relevant when you’re running late for church on Sunday morning — not that I know anything about that! In the middle of Matthew 6:33 is a three-letter clause: and live righteously. At least, that’s how the NLT explains it. 

This version of the Bible aims for less of a literal translation and more of an authorial intent. The others that I typically refer to render this passage “and His righteousness.” 

What’s the difference?

Let’s answer that question by analyzing the first three-word phrase I mentioned a moment ago: I love you. When I look at my wife and say “I love you,” it means something entirely different than when I say it to my kids or even my dog.

Think of it this way: I love sushi. “Then why don’t you marry it?” This typical fifth grade response highlights the different meanings love can have in the English language. Sushi is one of my all-time favorite foods. 

This doesn’t mean I can join it in holy matrimony. 

That’s the difference when analyzing intent.

Which is right?

I’ll answer this question with another: which helps you understand God’s Word better? Go with that because, at the end of the day, understanding what He wants us to learn about His heart will triumph over a translation preference.

For the sake of clarity, I’m going to analyze both phrases.

And His righteousness

For the record, the KJV, NIV, ESV, and even the CEB focus on God’s righteousness. That’s a lot of evidence in the “this is the meaning” camp, and I would tend to agree.

Remember, the first part of the verse wants us to Seek God’s rule, His dominion over our lives. This phrase is an extension, joined by the glue-word “and” which means to do this as well as that. If you recall from Part One of this series, seek is a command. It means to actively hunt, yes, but also to want/desire something.

Not only are we to let God be in charge, we should want His dominion. 

At the same time, we’re to want His righteousness. I’m going to shorten the verse to make this more clear:

Seek God’s rule and His holiness

So, like in that first blog, I’m going to ask the question yet again. What does it mean to seek or want his Holiness? Think about that question for just a moment before you continue reading. I’ll ask it again to slow you down.

What does it mean to seek or want his Holiness?

Ready to move on?

And live righteously

I found this definition of “righteousness” in the Strong’s: the condition acceptable to God. 

This comes back to something I highlighted in another blog: I don’t feel like a wicked person. Then again, we have to stop measuring ourselves against other people and instead against His holiness.

Perhaps you could say this means we are to live righteously as it says in the NLT?

My point with this wasn’t to highlight the “correctness” of the NLT. In fact, I figured I would conclude this section by saying “Here’s another example where we need to read beyond our preferred translation to understand scriptures.”

Which…I still believe. And I think still applies here. See, without the NLT, you might not dive any deeper than “Seek God’s holiness.” Without the KJV/NIV/ESV/CEB, you might be inclined to see it as a command to be a good person.

It’s when we look at all of these together that we begin to see our standards could never hope to measure up to God’s. 

How it applies to us

That’s why it’s by His grace we’re saved. The application of these three words is that we should desire to be more like God’s character. That’s what it means to “seek His righteousness.” That’s what it means to “live righteously.”

Our actions should be an example of holy living to other people. When we seek to be more like Him, it changes how we interact with other people.