"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:3

Well, I meant to type up these notes weeks ago, but that didn't work out too well.  So, finally, here's the first installment in my notes on the Beatitudes.

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"Blessed are the poor in spirit..."  Who are the poor in spirit?  A lot of times when I read this verse, I automatically think of people in poverty.  I don't know why.  Maybe it's just because of the word "poor."  But that's not right.  The verse says "poor in spirit," not just "poor."  The poor aren't the ones who will inherit the kingdom of heaven, although often the poor are also poor in spirit; so indirectly, poverty leads a person to inherit the kingdom of heaven.  But what does "poor in spirit" mean?

As we studied this verse in our Bible study group several weeks ago, a thought came to mind.  I had read something just a few days earlier about a certain passage that makes a clear distinction between the words spirit and Spirit.  The spirit of a person, is just that: the person's spirit, his soul, which he strives to keep pure as he goes through life.  The Spirit, on the other hand, is God's Holy Spirit, the Spirit that resides inside us and works in us to purify us, to make our spirit more like His Spirit.  It's important to notice, then, that Jesus refers to the human spirit in this verse, not the Holy Spirit.  "Blessed are the poor in spirit," not the poor in Spirit.

So with this new understanding of the word spirit, we can look deeper into this verse.  There are two main points that I've found in the phrase "poor in spirit."  The first is this: that the poor in spirit realize the brokenness of mankind, our utter depravity and our need for a Savior.  The poor in spirit realize that they have turned away from God, and that apart from Him they can do nothing; apart from Him, there is no good thing in a man.  They realize how lowly they are, so they turn to God and beg His forgiveness, seeking the sanctification and righteousness that come from His Spirit alone.  They acknowledge the truth that it is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we can be saved; nothing we do ourselves can earn us entrance into heaven.  So the poor in spirit seek the riches of the Holy Spirit.

And the second comes from that last statement: the poor in spirit are rich in the Spirit.  While a man's will remains, there is no room for God's will to take hold in his life.  God must have the man's entire life, or else He will not have it at all.  So the poor in spirit empties himself of his own human spirit so that he can be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Like Chris Sligh's sings, the poor in spirit say, "Empty me of me so I can be filled with You."  The man dies to himself so that he can live for Christ (Galatians 2:20)—rather, so that Christ can live through him.

So who are the ones who inherit the kingdom of heaven?  Who are the poor in spirit?  Those who acknowledge their depravity and confess their sins, those who abandon themselves and their pride in favor of the Spirit of the Lord, and those who live not for themselves, but for Christ and through Christ.