Salvation Summaries

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

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, is regarded as one of the best sermons ever preached. The sermon focuses on how a person should live, and addresses topics such as marriage, prayer, worry, etc. It also discusses salvation, with verses such as “enter by the narrow gate” and “not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven…”.

Most people have probably not read Jesus’ sermon, but a number have undoubtedly heard the first part of it, known as the beatitudes. The beatitudes start with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…, etc.

Theologians disagree on whether Jesus’ sermon was addressed to believers only or included unbelievers too. I believe the crowd extended beyond the 12 disciples to include many others. But more importantly, I am convinced that the beatitudes reveal a progression from how a person becomes a Christian to how one becomes spiritually mature (even if some prominent theologians disagree with this view). Thus, if you want to know how to become a Christian, or what a spiritually mature Christian looks like, read the beatitudes.

In this post, I will examine the first beatitude to see what it has to say about salvation.

Poor in Spirit

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He said the “poor in spirit” will be blessed, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.  Who is he referring to?  Is poor in spirit the same as poor in finances (financially poor)? If you are not poor in spirit, does that mean you won’t go to heaven?   

If you search the Bible for the word “poor,” you will find it used more than 100 times.  In most cases, it refers to a person who lacks money, wealth, property, food, protection or justice. Poor people were in trouble and needy, and maybe that is why God the Father and Jesus favored them. In fact, Jesus said it was to the poor that He was sent to preach the gospel (Luke 4:18). 

Also, Jesus could relate well to the poor. How? In His humility, He gave up everything He had as deity to become a man (incarnation) and be subject to man’s limitations. This sacrifice was far greater than not having money, wealth, or anything else we could imagine (2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:6-8). 

However, it’s important to note that in Matthew 5:3, Jesus does not say “Blessed are the poor,” but “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”   Are these people different from the poor in general? 

If you search for the phrase “poor in spirit,” you won’t find it anywhere else in the Bible, though there are a few verses in Isaiah with the words “poor” and “spirit,” and I believe Jesus may have been referencing one or more of these:

• Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?  2 For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:1-2 (Although this appears to be God the Father talking, if you read Luke 4:17-21, Jesus reads this passage and then says He fulfilled it). 

• But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”  ¹⁴ And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”  ¹⁵ For this is what the high and lofty One says– he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:13-15

In these verses, poor, contrite and lowly in spirit all appear to mean something similar. Also, some translations use “humble” rather than “poor” and “submissive or broken” rather than “contrite” in Isaiah 66:2.  As a result, if we want to know what “poor in spirit” means, we need to understand these terms. 

I prefer to use Webster’s 1828 dictionary for definitions, and it shows the following:    

• Humble – lowly, modest, meek, submissive.  It is opposed to proud, haughty, arrogant or assuming.  In an evangelical sense, it is having a low opinion of one’s self, and a deep sense of unworthiness in the sight of God.
• Contrite – broken-hearted for sin, deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God, humble, penitent. 
• Submissive – humble, acknowledging one’s inferiority.
• Lowly – having a low esteem of one’s own worth, humble, meek, free from pride.

Thus, a person who is poor in spirit: 1) realizes, through humility, that they are a sinner and unworthy compared to a sinless God, 2) feels broken-hearted over their sin and expresses sorrow to God for having offended Him, and 3) acknowledges that they can’t fix their sin problem on their own and must, out of desperation, turn to God for Him to fix it.

If you question this definition of “poor in spirit,” there is a New Testament verse that seems to support it.  It is Luke 5:31, where Jesus describes the “sick” as people who are aware of their sin problem (thus spiritually sick) and also of their need for someone else (a “doctor”) to heal them. These are people who do not view themselves as righteous, but rather unrighteous, and the only way for them to be healed is by repenting of their sins and allowing Jesus to do His work in them.  

Thus, the “bottom line” meaning of poor in spirit is this: it is someone who realizes that they are spiritually sick and in need a spiritual “doctor” – that being Jesus – to heal them.   

But before we turn to “kingdom of heaven,” let me make a comment on the difference between poor financially and poor in spirit.

The way in which they are the same is this: they are in trouble and need help. Also, people who are without sufficient money, food, protection, etc., are likely to be “open” to hearing the message of how to experience the kingdom of heaven by becoming aware of their sinfulness and unworthiness relative to God, for what do they have to “lose?” They need help, and if becoming saved will help them (even if in a different way), they will consider it. The poor in spirit, whether rich or poor financially, have already done this.

Although the message of salvation is open to any and all who would hear it, Jesus did not come for the rich in the sense that most see no need for a Savior. They are self-sufficient; they have all of their needs met and more. The Bible is clear that it is very difficult for a rich person to become saved (and unfortunately, many people in our country would likely be considered rich based upon our high standard of living) because of this attitude. (Mark 10:23-27).

Kingdom of heaven

Now that we know what “poor in spirit” means, let’s determine what “kingdom of heaven” refers to.  

According to Strong’s concordance, the kingdom of heaven means: the right or authority to rule over a kingdom, the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah, the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king, the reign of the Messiah. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines it as the universal dominion of God; the reign of the Messiah.

Thus, the kingdom of heaven is the reign of God, in the person of Jesus, on the earth as it is in heaven. A member of the kingdom submits to Jesus’ authority and seeks to do God’s will, not his own. This can be seen in the opening part of the Lord’s prayer, which says: Matthew 6:9-10 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

From my search, I also learned that “poor in spirit” is not the only requirement for entrance or membership into this kingdom.

• Repentance is required for a person to enter or experience the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 3:1-2; 4:17).
• The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are righteous (and we know that faith is required for a person to become righteous). (Mt 5:10)
• Doing the will of God the Father is needed to enter this kingdom. (Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’…)
• Entering the kingdom requires that it be more important to you than worldly possessions. (Mt 13:44)
• One must become humble (meek?) and dependent upon God to enter this kingdom. (Mt 18:34, 19:14).
• A person must have faith to inherit the kingdom. (James 2:5) 

Thus, these verses show that becoming “poor in spirit” alone is not sufficient for a person to experience the kingdom of heaven. Repentance and faith, along with depending upon God, making Him more important than anything else and doing His will, are also required to become a member of the kingdom and thus be saved. However, the blessing of becoming saved all begins with that first step – realizing your inability to save yourself, and your dependency upon God to do so.

Summary

In Jesus’ first beatitude in Matthew 5:3, He says that the “poor in spirit” will be blessed because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. The poor in spirit is not the same as being poor financially, though they both share one thing in common – they are in trouble and realize their need for help.

A person who is poor in spirit: 1) realizes, through humility, that they are a sinner and unworthy relative to a sinless God, 2) feels brokenhearted over their sin, and expresses sorrow to God for having offended Him, and 3) acknowledges they can’t fix their sin problem on their own and must turn to God for Him to fix it. Such person is spiritually sick and in need of a spiritual doctor (Jesus) to be healed.

Becoming poor in spirit is the first step a person must take to become saved and experience the kingdom of God, which is the power and reign of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, on earth. Those who do so, and proceed to become saved (see the next beatitude on mourn), will be blessed. However, this is the hardest step to take to become saved. Far too many never become poor in spirit, for they view themselves as good overall or they have all of their needs met and more from wealth, and thus see no need for a savior. We need to do all we can to convince them otherwise.

Poor in Spirit Prayer

Dear God,

Although I have long considered myself to be a good person, and try to follow the Golden Rule, I must admit that I am a sinner. I have done bad things, said bad things, and thought bad things more often than I can count. I realize that that makes me unworthy relative to You, God, for You are holy and perfect.

I’m sorry, God, for having offended You so many times, and I truly repent of my sinful ways.

I thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to come for people like me. The Bible says that Jesus came for those who know they’ve done wrong, and can’t save themselves; they are unrighteous (not right with God) sinners – like me. He came for people that, out of desperation, turn to Him for salvation, for the Bible says that we can’t save ourselves, and Jesus has the authority and power to forgive.

Jesus, I not only believe in You, but I now put my complete trust in You to save me from my sins, for only You can. I want to be part of Your kingdom here on earth. I will submit to You as ruler of this kingdom, and seek to do Your will not mine. And whenever “my time is up,” I will not fear, for I have trusted in You to save me, and have full confidence that You will.

Thank You for forgiving me of my sins, for saving me now, and allowing me to experience Your kingdom here on earth and one day in heaven.

Amen.

In my next post, I’ll address Jesus’ second beatitude in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” for this is another step in the process to become saved.