One of the criticisms leveled against the Sermon on the Mount in our day is the idea that it has no Christian doctrine in it. This view holds the Sermon to be simply a collection of moral ethics. In reality, the Sermon begins in its very first sentence with an incredible doctrinal truth. This doctrinal truth has direct bearing on both salvation, as well as other aspects of the Christian life. It absolutely must be embraced in order to go to Heaven. You cannot enter Heaven without embracing poverty of spirit. Conversely, if you do, Heaven comes within your reach. Heaven is the blessing at stake. Let us give this opening verse our most diligent attention.
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What is it to be poor in spirit? It is a realization of our utter need. It is when we grasp our complete poverty in all things spiritual. There are two different original language words translated poor in the New Testament. One of them means “working poor†such as the garbage picker who barely keeps body and soul together by finding and selling scrap metal. The other means “beggar†such as someone who is so bereft of any other option that they simply sit there with a cup and feebly ask passersby for spare change. The Scripture uses the word for beggar here.
I live in Chicago, one of America's great cities. I do not live in the suburbs but in the heart of the city itself. On a daily basis I am accosted by beggars. What a series of unfortunate events it must take to produce in a normally proud man the realization that he must humble himself to such an extent! And make no mistake, it is humbling. One time in my life I have gone, hat in hand, wherever I could to find money. Early in our married life my wife and I were faced with the heartbreaking task of burying our first child, and I literally had no money with which to do so. I was turned away when I tried to borrow it through traditional means, and so I was forced to go to those I loved and simply ask. God, in His kindness, provided; but I will never forget how that situation rubbed salt into the weeping wounds of my heart.
Whom does God delight in? He delights in the meek, the lowly, and the humble. He is drawn to the beggar in spirit. Alternatively, whom does God reject? Those who think they are just fine. Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: (Luke 10.21) The self-emptying conviction that, before God, we are void of everything good lies at the foundation of all spiritual excellence. We cannot even begin the Christian life via the new birth without a poverty of spirit. We must be willing to admit that we are sinners headed to hell completely devoid of hope outside of Jesus Christ. We cannot live that Christian life well without constantly opening up the Word of God. It is humility which drives teachability.
John Gill, the seventeenth century English divine, well described being poor in spirit this way: “All mankind are spiritually poor; they have nothing to eat that is fit and proper; nor any clothes to wear, but rags; nor are they able to purchase either; they have no money to buy with; they are in debt, owe ten thousand talents, and have nothing to pay; and in such a condition, that they are not able to help themselves.â€
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In addition to being a beggar, the original language word poor is akin to other Greek words meaning to be terrified, to fall down, or to fail. We must realize that in all things spiritual we constantly fail. We must come in true spiritual humility and beg of God. It is only when we come to be truly terrified of our own condition that His blessing comes into our life.
This is so contrary to the spirit of our age. Bookstores, television shows, and seminars are replete with instructions to enable our self-confidence and our self-esteem. We are routinely told that we must believe in ourselves. But is God drawn to people like this? Does He pour out His blessings on those full of self-confidence and self-esteem, those who listen to their own heart, those who follow their own dreams, and believe in themselves? Most assuredly, He is not drawn to this. God is drawn to those who come to Him in utter and complete dependence. He is drawn to those who are convinced of their own inability and unworthiness.
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You can have your self-confidence and your self-esteem. You can believe in yourself all you want to. But you will never partake of the blessings of Heaven until you empty yourself of yourself and come to the throne of grace as a complete beggar in spirit. It is only in this way, deeply conscious of your own sin, that you will find the door of salvation into Heaven. And it is only in this way, deeply conscious of your own unworthiness, that you will find the door to a blessed, happy, fulfilling life lived well in the service of the King.
