The Poor in Spirit
Jesus tells us that those who are poor in spirit own the kingdom of heaven. This is in contract to those who would be haughty in spirit – having a high view of their worth. We have been conditioned by our own sinful state combined with years of information telling us that we are special and unique to view ourselves higher than we ought. In reality, our position is very, very lowly.
Many in looking at this would see that we bring nothing to the table. By being poor in spirit we understand that we have nothing to offer to God and he has everything and still chooses to adopt us as sons into his family and confer on us the full rights and privileges as co-heirs with Christ in the kingdom. However, I would argue that the thought that we bring nothing to the table is false. Instead, scripture clearly points out that we bring less than nothing; in fact, what we bring is repulsive. Isaiah 64:6 clearly states “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” The imagery here is of soiled garments (I’ve heard that “menstrual rags” could be applied here) which are unclean and which no one would want to touch. Paul states in Philippians 3:8 that he counts all his own righteousness as “rubbish” or “dung”; the word here in the Greek is a mild vulgarity.
All of this is to say that when we come to Christ, we are not coming empty-handed looking for a savior. Instead, we come loaded down with garbage and soiled clothing, a wretch who would make anyone else gag at the sight and smell of.
But wait, there’s more! Not only are we disgusting and repulsive, we’re also murderous traitors who have contributed to the death of Christ! My sins, which are of my own choosing, condemn me to eternal punishment. If God were to allow all of creation to go to hell and burn for eternity he would be fully just because it is what we all deserve.
But, God, in all his glory, condescends to us and breaths life into a rotting, decomposing, evil corpse. Then, he exalts us and adopts us and views us with the same perfect, never-ceasing love with which he has eternally loved himself. He gives us his kingdom as our inheritance and exchanges our filth for his glory!
This is what is meant by poor in spirit. We begin to understand the depraved state in which we live prior to our regeneration. We are not sickly beggars; we are zombies – mindless walking corpses who have betrayed the one source of good in the cosmos and we have no hope apart from the regenerative powers of Christ Jesus our Lord!
Blessed are those who realize this because apart from God no one will come to this understanding. We see ourselves in such a wonderful light when darkness is all that shines on us. But when God illuminates our inner man and we realize the state of our spirit – we are very close to the kingdom of heaven! Only those who understand their true state and the need for a savior will inherit the kingdom.
Created almost 3 years ago
