Poor in Spirit

“And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’”

Matthew 5:2-3

First, the Sermon on the Mount is about God’s Kingdom. God’s Kingdom is his rule and reign. As his children, we are citizens of his Kingdom. This is important to recognize because some falsely read it as a prescription of how to be saved. Many institutional churches teach that salvation is a matter of working our way to heaven by good works. If we mess up too much, then we won’t go to heaven but if we are generally good God will let us in. But entrance into God’s kingdom is not by works but by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus on the cross alone. We know that Christ has begun to reign in the hearts of those who have truly put their trust in him, and one day his kingdom will be made complete, and he will rule in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
           
Second, he begins the sermon on the mount with a series of “blessings.” The word for blessed is used nine times in nine verses! Some versions of the Bible translate this word as “happy.” This isn’t totally inaccurate, but we have to be careful to define it correctly. Happiness can be circumstantial, momentary, and fleeting. Happiness is an emotion often tied to temporary things so as soon as that thing or experience is gone, the happiness is gone with it. But if we could talk about a settled happiness in God, I think we are getting closer to the truth. This is why most versions avoid the word happy and use the word blessed.
           
Finally, we come to the tricky part of these verses, Jesus say that it is the “poor in spirit” who receive the kingdom of heaven. What does he mean by “poor in spirit,” and how do they inherit the kingdom? Jesus is referring to spiritual poverty, not physical poverty although there is at times a connection. Sometimes physical poverty can bring someone to the place where he realizes his helplessness and lead to a recognition of his spiritual poverty. In this passage, Jesus is thinking about spiritual poverty, which is the reality that there is nothing we can give God to earn his love and forgiveness. We are poor, blind, beggars unable to help ourselves or change our situation. We cannot erase our sin and undo the past. It would take an eternity of punishment if we wanted to try to pay the penalty ourselves.
           
When one is truly poor in spirit, he realizes that he is hopeless and helpless. He realizes he can’t dig his way out of his problem. He is spiritually bankrupt. But in his spiritual poverty, he cries out to the One who owns it all. He turns to the Lord of heaven and earth who died to pay the full penalty for his sins. His debt was paid in full. He is blessed, not because of what he has but because in his realizing he has nothing he turns to God and receives the richness of a relationship with the God of the universe!
 
Augustus M. Toplady 1740-1778 wrote:
 
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the Fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.