Christ, our Lord, said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
(Matthew 5:3). Being poor in spirit is not quite the same as being poor in things. Then what is it like to be poor in spirit? In a nutshell, it is the spiritual humility in us that acknowledge our spiritual poverty.
(Matthew 5:3). Being poor in spirit is not quite the same as being poor in things. Then what is it like to be poor in spirit? In a nutshell, it is the spiritual humility in us that acknowledge our spiritual poverty.
Firstly, to be poor in spirit means to acknowledge one’s spiritual bankruptcy, being totally lost in sin. In other words, we admit that we do not have any resources of our own to save ourselves from sin. Every Christian admits that all his personal goodness is not good enough to measure up
to God’s standards, even if he can prove that he is many times better than the best person alive today. True Christians would quickly admit, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). If anyone were to be saved, it can only be by God’s grace. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
to God’s standards, even if he can prove that he is many times better than the best person alive today. True Christians would quickly admit, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). If anyone were to be saved, it can only be by God’s grace. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Secondly, to be poor in spirit means the mortification of all spiritual pride. Through the story of the tax collector and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14), Jesus taught the necessity of getting rid of spiritual pride that God may bless us. According to Jesus’ story, both men came to the temple to pray. Like so many respectable religious people, the Pharise stood before God, thanking Him that he was not a nasty sinner like the publican who stood at a distance from him in the same temple.The tax collector, on the other hand, hung his head because of his awareness of sins in his life. He simply cried out, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” He was poor in spirit; he recognised who he was before God and so, according to Jesus, he was the one who went away, justified. He came not to claim his deserved blessings, for there was none, but to beg for God’s mercy and His gracious blessings.
The Pharisee received no forgiveness. In fact, he did not even ask for any. His problem was pride. He was righteous in his own eyes because he stood, comparing himself with other sinners. He counted himself deserving of God’s blessings because he claimed that his performance was better than those around him. He made himself appear rich, and did not request for mercy from God. So he went away, unforgiven and accursed. To be poor in spirit, however, means the death of all such pride.
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