Seek, Mature, Faith

 Mat 6:33  But strive (seek) first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

ζητέω (zēteō) – to seek in order to find

1a) to seek a thing

1b) to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into

1c) to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after (Thayer)

Literally – ζητέω conveys active pursuit, whether physical (e.g., searching for a lost item) or abstract (e.g., seeking wisdom or truth).

πρῶτος (prōtos) – Contracted superlative of G4253; foremost (in time, place, order or importance): - before, beginning, best, chief (-est), first (of all), former. (Strongs)

Heb 5:12-6:3  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us go on towards perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith towards God, instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. And we will do this, if God permits. 

τέλειος (téleios) –  complete, perfect, mature, or fully developed  

• A fully grown adult (as opposed to a child) — mature.

• Spiritually mature

• A trained or cultivated faculty

Mature – those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

τελειότης  (teleiótēs) – perfection. Completeness, maturity

… let us go on towards perfection – maturity.

Note the things the author said should left behind – basic teaching Christ, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. 

Php 3:7-9  Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

ὑπερέχω (hyperéchō)  surpass

• ὑπέρ (hyper) – over, above, beyond 

• ἔχω (echō) – to have, to hold…the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord:

• Surpassing value implies that nothing else comes close. This is not just something better – it's far more valuable than anything else. 

• By calling him my Lord, Paul emphasizes his personal allegiance and devotion that define this knowledge. It’s relational not merely intellectual.

Paul’s righteousness of did not come from obedience to a law, but through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 

Just as Abraham 'believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness', so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. Gal 3:6, 7.

A literal meaning of Matt 6:33 is, “your number one priority is to keep seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”

We learn from Hebrews that spiritual maturity is going beyond quoting scripture, it is that the principles of scripture are inculcated to where right and wrong are obvious.  

Paul tells us that the relationship with Jesus is spiritual and through faith, that striving for righteousness through works is rubbish.

    You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that             testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. Joh 5:39, 40 

God spoke to the people at Sinai:

     Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession         out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom         and a holy nation. Exo 19:5, 6 

In time Israel rebelled against God demanding a king so they could be like the countries around them. Paul rebuked Jews who deserted Jesus by returning to law. In Christ according to Peter we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Let us not make the same mistakes as those who went before.

         God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.