Spiritual Paupers

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."


Over the next month, the following blogs will be over some of the beatitudes listed here in the Sermon on the Mount. The reason such a discussion over the beatitudes is necessary is because these are the ideal characteristics that are to be in the lives of His disciples. It is of utmost importance to realize that these characteristics were present in Jesus with all of their perfection. That being the case, it is only as He lives His life through us, that these attitudes can become a reality in us.


In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was mainly addressing his disciples (vs1-2). These ideals that he was instructing them in cut across the temper of the age, redefining the popular idea of blessedness. We will do well to listen to his instruction, for never do such words radiate with such relevancy in the humanistic, ego centric, pleasure seeking culture that we find ourselves in today.


Ask people in the world what they think makes them happy? Ask them what they think of when you say the words "Blessed" or "Blessings". They will probably say something along the lines of having immeasurable wealth, good health, the absence of suffering and pain, a good job, the opportunity to fulfill the gratification of their lustful appetites, or being a "good person." All of these replies are materialistic and carnally minded.


Thanks to prosperity preachers, this type of mentality has flowed into the church. Christians think that they are truly blessed and favored by God if they have good health, lots of money, a great job, no trials, etc. Now, obviously, these are blessings from the Lord, but they are not evidence of a blessed life. It was exactly this type of thinking that Jesus was rooting out of his disciples with the beatitudes.


A life that is truly blessed takes on characteristics that the world deems unsuitable. Let us now look at the first blessed attitude.


The word blessed could be translated, "oh the bliss". Here, it is the one who realizes their spiritual inadequacy that finds a state of bliss, or a blessed life. There are two words for "poor" in the Greek. One means someone who has nothing unnecessary; the other , one who has nothing at all. It speaks of one who is bankrupt, having no resources at all. It is this second meaning that Jesus is referring to here. He is stating that until a person recognizes that they are in a state of spiritual bankruptcy, having no resources in themselves for anything spiritual, they will never be in a state of bliss.

We have to realize that we bring nothing good to the table. We have nothing to offer Jesus. The Bible says that in our former, unregenerate state, that we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:2). Because of the fall, we are born in sin. This is what theologians call Original Sin. Because of Original Sin, our will is held in bondage by our sinful nature. We do not seek after God, nor do we desire Him at all. The book of Romans makes it clear that there is none who seek after God, and that there is none who do good (Rm 3:11-12). Every part of our being is corrupted by sin. We have no power to return to God or will anything good. Everything we do is corrupted by pride and self centeredness.

The thought of Jesus parallels with the thought of Paul. We are all spiritual bankrupt, devoid of any righteousness or ability to love God. It is only when we recognize this about ourselves that we can obtain the kingdom of heaven. The only way the we can come to this realization is by the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment (John 16:8). The tool that the Holy Spirit uses to show us our depravity is the Law of God (10 commandments). For Paul said that through the Law comes the knowledge of sin (Rm. 7:7). Once we have been humbled and broken, and have come to the realization of our depravity, the grace of God is then made clear to us.

The thing that we are in danger of as Christians is to somehow naively believe that there was some good thing in us that cause us to believe. We walk the path of the anointed cherub who fell from his state of beauty when we entertain the idea that we can offer God anything. As Christians, we should be growing daily in this attitude of being poor in spirit.

Upon our conversion, we were made to sit with Christ in heavenly places, and are now co-heirs with Him. This means that we have access to all the spiritual blessings that are in Christ Jesus. However, these blessings never become a reality as long as pride governs our life. The only way we transact business in the heavenly places is through being poor in spirit. When we are constantly growing in the recognition of our inability and the recognition of the magnificent grace of God, all the glories of Christ become a reality in our life.

When we do not access all that has been given to us through the atonement, we are like a man who has a bank account with millions of dollars in it, but because he does not know how to access his account, lives in abject poverty. We indeed are bankrupt in spirit, yet through the cross, God has opened up to us the inheritance of His Son. However, we will never experience the fullness of our union with Christ until we grasp the concept that it is not I but Christ.

This is why Jesus considers this a blessed attitude to have. For when we have the attitude of a spiritual pauper, one who is totally dependant upon the resources of Christ, the fullness of the kingdom and all that comes with it, will be ours abounding and overflowing. This is a blessed life: One that recognizes their own inadequacy in the spiritual realm and because of this revelation, comes to inherit the kingdom of God.

Jesus himself displayed this attitude of total dependency on the Father all throughout His life. It is He an He alone that can rise up within you and produce the humility in you that is necessary to walk in the fullness of your union with God. Let your prayer this week be, "Lord, by your grace, bring me to a deeper understanding of my spiritual bankruptcy, and come and produce your life of total dependency through me, so that you may be glorified and that I may experience all that you have given me through your death and resurrection.