Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
By John Weaver
November 1, 2024
What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Matthew 5:3 has been used to persuade a person that they cannot know they are saved and still be poor in spirit. The German the Amish use says, “geistlich aum,” or spiritually poor. Tragically, it is interpreted as spiritually ignorant.
Poor in spirit can only happen to the person who sees himself as not only poor but bankrupt with nothing whatsoever to pay the great debt he owes. It is knowing that all the works he could ever do, or all the rules he could ever keep, will not save him.
We are poor in spirit when:
- We understand, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
- We are under conviction. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24).
- When we can say like the miserable man, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord…” (Romans 7:25).
- When we realize that the great debt we owed but had no possibility of paying was already paid!
- When we see that we can do nothing spiritually to earn salvation.
- That we are saved by grace, through faith and that is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).
Then, and only then, are we poor in spirit. We are poor, but He is rich.
The words “poor in spirit” refer to our efforts. In a spiritual sense, we are poor. To say that we are proud if we say we know our sins are forgiven could not be farther from the truth.
Lord, this morning I come to you, not proud, but eternally grateful. Thank you for opening my eyes, to the real state that I was in: poor, wretched, miserable and more. But when I realized that Jesus paid it all, I was and am overwhelmed. All I can say is, thank you, thank you Lord. Amen.
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The Poor in Spirit
July 9, 2015Lois Tverberg
by Lois Tverberg
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3
Who are those who are the poor in spirit, and how do they possess the kingdom of heaven? It helps a lot to know the idioms of Jesus’ time and his references to the scriptures. The phrase “poor in spirit” is an allusion to Isaiah 66:2:
This is the one I esteem: he who is humble (poor, ani) and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:2
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Pilgrim ReadingThe word “poor” is ani in Hebrew, and is also often translated “afflicted,” and often used to refer to groups of people like widows and orphans who were dependent on charity to survive. A person who is “poor in spirit” sees himself as needy and helpless without God, and yearns desperately for God’s presence in his life. Like a recovering addict, he can only survive each day by leaning on God. The opposite type of person is someone who is “great of spirit” who is bold and self-reliant, who has no need of anyone’s help, especially not God’s. He is one who feels that he is “the captain of his fate, the master of his soul.”
The overall picture of Isaiah 66:2 is that God looks with favor on those who know they are inadequate to run their own lives, but show reverence for God, and are sorry for their sins. When we bring this picture of a person who is “poor in spirit” into Jesus’ saying in the beatitudes, it fits with the Kingdom of Heaven as we understand it hebraically.
The “kingdom of Heaven” is the same thing as the “kingdom of God” — it is not being used to refer to heaven after we die. Rather, it describes God’s reign over the lives of people here on earth. Not all people are in God’s kingdom, but a person enters the kingdom by enthroning God as his king, committing himself to doing God’s will. (1)
So we see now that a person who is poor in spirit is one who sees his need for God’s reign over his life, and submits to his rules. God’s kingdom consists of exactly this kind of people — those who are humble and needy enough to yearn after him.