Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
A guest post by Jeremy Thornton.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
“If you buy into this ministry, the Lord will bless you tenfold…”. There is an abundance of “evangelist” (so-called) on television that will make statements like this, claiming that if one is to send their ministry a check, then God will begin to bless them because of their sowing into that ministry.
There are people claiming to be “prophets” that have “received a message from God” stating God told them that “one hundred people will sow a one-thousand dollar seed into their ministry”.
Over the past couple of decades there has been an influx of prosperity preachers who claim faithful obedience will result in wealth, health, and prosperity and many have bought into this false teaching.
Does the Gospel teach such? If I am faithful will I be blessed with wealth and health? How do I explain a lack of wealth and health despite faithful obedience to the Gospel?
After being baptized by John the Immerser, and being tempted by Satan, Jesus began his public ministry. Having called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to “follow me”, the multitudes began following Jesus, bringing people to be healed by Him, and as the multitudes gathered to be near Him, Jesus took the opportunity to preach the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).
In this great sermon, Jesus began by making several statements of how one can be blessed. Nine times Jesus pronounces a state of blessing (Matt. 5:3-11), but how does this compare to the modern teaching of prosperity preachers?
State of Being.
Jesus pronounces a blessing upon the “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3). According to Luke 6:20 the blessing is stated differently as it says “blessed be ye poor.”
Many commentators have contemplated if this verse is applying to those who are destitute of their daily needs in comparison to the wealthy or if there is a deeper meaning to those that are “poor”.
When we examine Luke’s account, we do see the denouncement (“woe”) to those who are “rich” that have received their consolation/comfort and it could be understood how some may attempt to apply this statement to have obtained material wealth in this world.
There is a tendency for those who have acquired some amount of wealth to be less dependent upon God for their daily needs and we do have the warning of the “love of money” which is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim 6:10), and the warning of covetousness is seen throughout the New Testament, but is this the meaning of Jesus statement in this sermon?
We cannot ignore the added information we have recorded by Matthew, and the poor who are in question are those who are poor “in spirit.”
Those who are poor are those who do not have the necessities of life, those who are in need, and those who cannot provide for themselves. When we notice the “poor” of Matthew 5:3, are the “poor in spirit”, we can deduce that this is a reference to those that have a need spiritually speaking.
It is those who cannot provide for themselves spiritually, those who depend on help from another source other than themselves, and those who understand there is a need but that need cannot be helped by themselves, thus they are in need of the help of God for their deficiency.
Examination of the Gospel points out the fact that all are in sin, and no one will be saved based upon their actions, and if one is going to receive salvation it will be because Jesus has been faithful to the will of the Father in shedding His blood for the remission of sin.
When one truly believes they are unable to provide for their spiritual need, realizing they are “poor in spirit”, then they will look to the offering of salvation provided by God.
State of Blessing.
“… for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Many have defined the word “blessed” in different ways. Some define this word as meaning “happy”, while others define it as “approved of God.” While the one that inherits the kingdom of God will be “happy,” the better definition for the beatitudes might be those that are “approved of God.”
Those who realize their inability to provide for their soul’s needs will be approved by God if they obey the commands of God. Those who are “poor in spirit” will be inclined to follow the instruction of God, as He has provided that of which we are in need.
God would not have us to be lost, to be poor in spirit, and be eternally condemned to everlasting punishment, but because He has “so loved the world,” He gave us the availability to “all spiritual blessings” (Eph. 1:3).
Those who will remain rich, those who continue to try to provide for themselves, will soon find out their inability to do so.
Now is the time to examine ourselves and understand our soul’s great need, our poor condition, and our great need for that which God richly supplies.
Jeremy Thornton preaches for the Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion, Arkansas. I’ve known Jeremy for several years and appreciate his good work in the Lord’s kingdom!
Amen. What God calls one to the provision has already been prepared. One just has to seek the Lord and stay in the steps He has ordered, and they will meet the provision.
The “poor in spirit” are those that live in spiritual brokenness (repentance) and submission to God. Matthew 5:3 is a present tense statement, and the rest of the beatitudes are future tense, thus dependent on the first. In fact the whole sermon (Matthew 5-7) is subject to 5:3. You cannot achieve any of the instructions in Matthew 5-7 without first being “poor in spirit”.