OUR LORD'S BEATITUDES

by Stephen D. Giese

 

 

Introduction

 

Along with each New Year comes a plethora of New Years' resolutions. Perhaps the most repeated resolution involves losing those dreaded pounds that conceal the Greek god or goddess figure that, supposedly, exists below. Others have resolved to get their finances in order, to read more, to memorize important passages of Scripture, to go on a vacation, to exercise more regularly, and so on. If these sound like your New Year's resolutions, or for that matter, regardless your New Year's resolution, I sincerely wish you the greatest success. At the same time, I would like you to also consider making this a year that will genuinely yield abundant happiness. Furthermore, I submit that if we are going to truly experience happiness in the fullest metaphysical sense, we must look for it in the way outlined by our Lord and Savior.

 

According to Christ, happiness is found in a poverty of spirit, in a character that is marked by mourning and meekness, in a hungering and a thirsting for righteousness, in mercy, in purity, in a desire to make peace, and a willingness to suffer persecution for righteousness. At first glance, one might think that I am drawing from a dry well, but if you will grant me the time, I think I can explain how the above contains the answer that will quench the thirst and desires for happiness that we all inherently possess. The following is a review of our Lord's plan for immeasurable happiness, the Beatitudes.

 

Before we begin our discussion of the Beatitudes, it is worthy to note that the Beatitudes have been variously interpreted. Some have viewed the Beatitudes as the setting forth of a "golden rule" for people to live by. Others have limited the Beatitudes to the realm of Christian ethics. Still others have emphasized the dispensational[1] aspects of the Beatitudes, insisting that they do not apply to believers of this age. In other words, many dispensationalists argue that the Beatitudes, which were presented to a predominately Jewish audience, apply to Jewish believers who will one day populate the Davidic kingdom. In reality, however, there is no single dispensational approach to the Beatitudes. To be certain, the Beatitudes have the nation of Israel as their primary referent, but it is also evident that the Beatitudes have both primary and secondary applications.

 

One strong evidence for the applicability of the Beatitudes for today has to do with the discourses that seem to be one of the main reasons Matthew wrote this letter. As this letter draws to a close the resurrected Jesus appears, speaking to the disciples and telling them what to do. In Matthew 28:20 the disciples are instructed to teach new converts to observe all that He had commanded them. Thus, given Matthew's theological disposition, the only teachings Jesus could have been referring to are the discourse sections that are prominent throughout the letter. For this reason, among others, I believe the contemporary believer has much to learn from the Beatitudes.

 

 

The main theme of our Lord's Beatitudes is that which constitutes true righteousness. True righteousness brings about true happiness. Whereas the Pharisees had externalized righteousness in their interpretations of the Law, Christ described a true righteousness and happiness that begins internally and blossoms externally. The Beatitudes delineate this transformation in an orderly development which demonstrates God's grace as it is experientially actualized in the lives of the elect.   

 

 

The Beatitudes

 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3).

 

Though some have mistakenly taken the first Beatitude to refer to monetary and/or material poverty,[2] the actual significance of this Beatitude is far more penetrating. Interestingly, if this passage did indeed refer to material poverty, it would be wrong for a Christian and/or any other person to attempt to alleviate the burdens and the plight of the poor. James Montgomery Boice insightfully writes,

 

               It would not be right to try and provide for the refuges left homeless by natural calamities. There could be no orphanages, no hospitals or inner city missions. None of these things would be Christian if this verse taught that spiritual blessedness was to be derived from material poverty.[3]

 

Furthermore, God does not sanction poverty in any other passage of Scripture. There is no virtue in financial poverty, nor does poverty, as some seem to believe, produce humility of heart, for anyone who has had any real acquaintance with the poor knows that there is often just as much pride in the indigent as there is in the affluent.

 

While financial and/or material poverty refers to outward circumstances, spiritual poverty refers to that which is within man himself. In other words, to be poor in spirit is to recognize one's spiritual poverty before God. To be poor in spirit is to recognize our utter spiritual depravity and worthlessness before God. It is to recognize the supreme holiness of God and our complete inability to please Him. Only when we come to understand our spiritual poverty and spiritual need will we become ready vessels for the riches of God's spiritual blessings.

 

 

By the grace of God, many of us come to recognize our impoverished spiritual status and subsequently desire to seek the One who can resolve our problem. Interestingly, if it were not for the grace of God, no-one would ever come to this critical point in their life. Why? Because the human heart is far too corrupt and deceitful. Without exception, people always think too highly of themselves. Fortunately, God enables the elect to see and understand the depths of their depravity as they begin to see the heights of His glory. Our darkened spirit is made manifest through the brilliance of God's holiness, and, as a result, we recognize our spiritual need for a holy Savior.   

 

The blessing that follows from a recognition of one's spiritual poverty is the kingdom of heaven. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of our utter fallenness and inability to please God, we gain a new disposition that is antithetical to our old nature. Our new nature is demonstrably opposite of that arrogant, self-assertive, and self-sufficient disposition that the world admonishes and honors. This vicissitude is surely the first evidence that  God's divine work of grace is at work and we can rest assured that this work will culminate in a happiness unbelievers will never experience. It is a happiness which begins in this life and is fully consummated in eternity future.

 

 

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matt. 5:4).

 

With God's assistance, the poor in spirit recognize that they are utterly unrighteous. When this truth is revealed by the Spirit of God, the most natural reaction is to mourn. The mourning that is blessed is the result of God's holiness that stands in contradistinction to our depravity. It is also important to note that mourning in Scripture is often associated with confession of sin as in the case of David in Psalm 51 or of Daniel in Daniel 9:3-5. Furthermore, along with our confession of sin is a heart felt sorrow for the sins we have committed against our Creator. Thus, in the context of the Beatitudes, the one who mourns recognizes his or her lack of righteousness before God and confesses their sin to the One whom they have sinned against. Though this event is often accompanied by an intense sorrow and regret for things done which are dishonoring and repugnant to God, Christ promises that those who mourn will be comforted.

 

The first step to happiness is recognizing that we are born in spiritual poverty. In other words, we are born in need of a Savior. Once we come to this realization, a heartfelt mourning naturally flows forth. It was for the sins of the world that our holy and blameless Savior was crucified on Calvary's tree. Because of the sins that you and I have and will commit, Christ submitted Himself to a most disgraceful death. Sin is the fundamental human problem and no one, except the God-head, is without sin. The apostle Paul writes, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Once we recognize our sin and mourn because of its heinous nature, our Lord has promised to comfort us.                  

 

The first and most profound comfort comes from our deliverance from the penalty of sin, namely, eternal condemnation and separation from God (Rom. 6:23). In other words, though we will grieve with respect to our sins and see them as a great offense to God, we will also experience the comfort that God has provided through Christ's death and resurrection. God's demonstration of His love for us was gloriously manifested in perhaps the most profound event in human history, namely, "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

 

A further comfort which comes from our deliverance by Christ is our deliverance from the present power of sin. Once you accept Christ as your Savior you become indwelt by the power of the Holy Spirit, and, with the power of the Holy Spirit, a victorious and triumphant life is possible. This is not to say that we have no more sin for such a claim is antithetical to the teachings of Scripture. In fact, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Nonetheless, as Christians, we no longer need to be defeated by it. In Galatians 5:15 the apostle Paul writes, "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." Paul goes on to tell us some of the sins we can avoid if we obediently walk in the Spirit, namely, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, drunkenness, revelings, and the like. When we walk by the Spirit and have victory over these and other evils that are so prevalent in this world, we will begin to experience true happiness. Obedience and submission to the will of God always yields an unsurpassing joy and happiness that is otherwise unachievable.

 

The ultimate eschatological aspect of God's comfort lies in the fact that one day Christ will remove sin and all of its decadent effects from the believer forever. Every single manifestation of sin will be eliminated. Hence, eschatologically, God will bring about total comfort and inexpressible happiness in His yet future and eternal kingdom.

 

 

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matt. 5:5).

 

Though meekness is somewhat difficult to define, it typically suggests gentleness and the self-control it entails. Meekness is not weakness and frailty, for both Moses and Jesus were meek men (Num. 12:3; Matt. 11:29). In actuality, the word translated "meek" was used by the Greeks to describe a horse that had been broken. Thus, it refers to great power that is under control.

 

Before we are saved by the grace of God, we have a will which is in bondage to that which is evil. David confessed that he, as well as all other people, was born in sin. "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Ps. 51:5). "Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies" (Ps. 58:3). Yes, we are born with hell as our destination, but, by the grace of God, the elect are unconditionally chosen (cf. John 15:16; Romans 9:11-13, 16; 2 Tim. 1:9) to be conformed to the image of His Son. In order for this to occur, God provides the elect with a purified will that can and will choose Christ as Lord and Savior. Thus, the unbridled hell bent will of man is tamed and brought into godly submission, all of which is brought about by God's grace, a precious fruit of the Spirit's working.    

 

Biblical meekness refers to mans renewed will that recognizes and submits to the authority of God. Thus, in this Beatitude, Christ is promising that those who submit to God's supreme and absolute authority will be accepted into His kingdom. James writes that meekness is to characterize our initial response to God's truth: "Wherefore, put away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).

 

In the chain of events thus far described, we find that God bestows on the elect a poverty of spirit: a sense of our insufficiency and nothingness, a realization of our absolute unworthiness. Then there is a mourning over our lost condition, a sorrowing for the awfulness of our sins against God. And then meekness is manifested as a by-product of our self-emptying and submission of our wills to God. In other words, our self-serving will is broken and we gain a receptive heart before God. It is no longer our self-seeking wills that govern our every thought. Instead, we are now creatures seeking to know and do the will of our Father in heaven.

 

The blessings which flow from biblical meekness are the riches that will accompany the coming of our Lord's eternal kingdom. Those who surrender their will to God and thus set aside their self-serving will, are destined to inherit the earth. It is by no coincidence that Matthew writes the following in the next chapter of his letter, "So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matt. 6:31-33) (emphasis mine).  

 

 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matt. 5:6).

 

The physical hunger which we all experience is only a pale reflection of a far more serious hunger that affects all people. Spiritual hunger can only be satisfied by God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In this fourth Beatitude, Christ states the only way such a hunger and thirst can be satisfied, namely, by thirsting and hungering for His righteousness.

 

If we have genuinely experienced a God given poverty of spirit which was followed by sorrow and confession of sins, and if we have truly submitted our will to God, we will hunger and thirst for righteousness, and most importantly, Christ promises we will be filled. Such a hunger and thirst is characterized by an intense desire to know God to the extent in which He has revealed Himself to us in His Word. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God (Ps. 42:2), because the deepest spiritual famine is hunger for the Word of God (Amos 8:11-14).

 

It is important to note the intensity of the hunger and thirst that should characterize the believer. It is not a subtle desire for righteousness, but rather a hunger that is characterized by prior famine. It is the hunger that is so common in new converts, but unfortunately too often tapers off after the initial excitement of becoming a believer wears off. In other words, once the excitement of conversion wears off, too many of us return to our old ways, seeking to serve self instead of seeking after His kingdom and His righteousness. If this scenario sounds too familiar, consider praying that God will renew the hunger and thirst you once experienced. God is the one that gave it to you in the first place and He will be more than pleased to give it to you again.

 

The present passive verbs in the Greek clearly indicate that the seeking, hungering, and thirsting for His righteousness are life long endeavors. Remember, God's righteousness is perfected holiness. Though we will never experience perfection this side of glory, it should be a pursuit in which we never grow weary. Indeed, as we earnestly seek after His righteousness, God will impart that righteousness into us according to His schedule and good will. This is in no way to imply that we earn and/or merit God's righteousness, but rather it describes how our eternal God actualizes His eternal and sovereign plan. He is the great conductor who has both written and is orchestrating His masterpiece of human history. 

 

               (Thus far we have observed in our study of the first four Beatitudes that there is an intentional development. The first three Beatitudes demonstrate how a person must stand in their relation as a sinner to God, namely, spiritually bankrupt, sorry and repentant with respect to sin, and meekly humble before God. With these provisions in place, the believer is filled with righteousness as he or she hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of God. The descriptions which follow the fourth Beatitude describe the transformed character of the one who has been remade in the image of Christ Jesus. The fifth, sixth, and seventh Beatitudes describe the Christian, particularly as he or she is related to other people).

 

 

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matt. 5:7).

 

Mercy encompasses both forgiveness for the guilty and compassion for the suffering and needy. It is not an act which flows forth naturally, but is a by-product of the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. In fact, merciful actions are a manifestation of the reality that God is at work in us. Arthur W. Pink appropriately writes, "Mercy is an indispensable trait in that holy character which God has inseparably connected with the enjoyment of that happiness--both here and after--which is the product of His own sovereign kindness."[4]

 

The mercy which is spoken of in this Beatitude grows naturally out of a personal experience of God's mercy. With this in mind, mercy can be understood to be a Christian virtue. Interestingly, the Romans spoke of four cardinal virtues, namely, wisdom, justice, temperance, and courage, the Christian virtue of mercy was thus absent.

 

It is also important to note that Scripture exhorts believers to not only show mercy to those who are brothers and sisters in Christ, but also to those who are outside the fellowship of believers. Interestingly, if this Beatitude were practiced more regularly and with greater zeal and consistency the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ would be far more affective. What a blessing to mankind this would be!

 

The happiness that comes from having a merciful heart is that we will in turn be shown mercy. In a sense, we experience a circular blessing. God first shows us His mercy. Then we show others the same type of mercy which God has shown us. Then God rewards our merciful actions by the bequeathing of further mercy upon us. Thus, the mercy of God can and should be self-evident in the lives of all believers.

 

Lastly, it is important to emphasize that God does not require us to be merciful in order to obtain His mercy for this would contradict the Bible's message of God's saving grace. Christians should exhibit mercy because they have been made the recipients of God's wondrous and merciful grace. In other words, merciful actions should not be done with the intent to gain merit, but rather out of a heart-felt appreciation to God and His amazing grace.

 

 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matt. 5:8).

         

In the Bible the heart is the center of the personality. It involves the mind, the emotions, and the will. Though believers are to make a conscious effort to purify their minds, emotions and wills, only God can cleanse us from the impurities which reside within. David knew this and prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10).

 

It is obvious that purity of heart does not mean sinlessness of life. This reality has been and can be demonstrated from the inspired record of the history of God's chosen people. Noah got drunk, Moses disobeyed God, Job cursed the day of his birth, Elijah fled in terror from Jezebel, and Peter denied Christ. Thus, purity of heart in no sense means perfection of any form. Instead, purity of heart denotes a mental and heart felt attitude that seeks after obedience and righteous living. It is an attitude of repugnance toward things that are impure such as drunkenness, idolatry, materialism, adultery, fornication, gluttony, and so on. Though all of us have a certain predisposition toward all of these things, those who are pure in heart are particularly saddened and remorseful when we find ourselves pursuing these and other fleshly desires rather than the will of the Father.

 

Purity of heart includes purity of speech and actions, but it also involves a purity of desires, motives and intents. Unfortunately, the desires of many Christians too often resemble the desires of pagan unbelievers. Too often Christians desire and seek after money, power, fame, and the material things of this earth. Such attitudes and actions demonstrate our fallenness, not our reestablished relationship with our Father in heaven. The believer with a pure heart seeks after the only pure "object" available in the cosmos, namely, our Father in heaven. When we begin to seek with a pure heart our Father in heaven, we begin to hate what He hates and to love what He loves. Pink writes, "A Pure heart is one which makes conscious of foul thoughts, vile imaginations, and evil desires. It is one that mourns over pride and discontent, unbelief and coldness of affection, and weeps in secret over unholiness."[5]

 

The blessing and happiness which flows from a pure heart is that we will see God. This, like the other Beatitudes, has both a present and future fulfillment. The pure in heart will see God in this life through the eyes of faith. Eschatologically, the pure in heart will see God in the dazzling brilliance of the beatific vision in whose light no deceit can exist (cf. Heb. 12:14; 1 John 3:1-3; Rev. 21:22-27).   

 

 

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" (Matt. 5:9).

 

True peace-makers are those whose leader is the God of peace (1 Cor. 14:33), who seek after peace with all men (Rom. 12:18), who proclaim the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15), and pattern their lives after the Prince of Peace (Luke 19:10; John 13:12-15). Peacemakers are themselves at peace with God. Furthermore, they bring the message of peace, namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ, with the hope that others might experience the peace that comes from a reconciled relationship with God. 

 

In this day, when radical toleration is considered to be a virtue, it is of paramount importance to understand that the peace in which believers are to seek after is not a peace that comes at any price. In other words, peace is not to be brought about by a compromise of the truth, under the pretense of "love". On the contrary, it is a peace that is dear to the hearts of those who speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Furthermore, peace is not to be sought through non-action. In other words, believers must not avoid confrontation with heretical teachings in an attempt to maintain peace. False teachings and erroneous thinking should never be allowed to be promulgated without biblical correction and rebuking. A Christian with a pure heart will be angered and/or infuriated when people distort the truth as it is revealed in the Word of God. Believers must stand up for the truth even when it means that peace is disrupted. To do anything less is unacceptable for the Christian.

 

Those who are peacemakers, who by their mind, emotions, and will, promote peace will be called sons of God, a designation of the highest human honor.

 

 

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10).

 

The Bible teaches, in many different passages, that Christians will be persecuted. When we think about persecution, many of us tend to think of overt physical persecution, but it must be understood that there are many other forms of persecution. In this country, persecution tends to be manifested in a number of different ways. For example, many Christians are mocked and are made the punch-line of many jokes. Saturday Night Live often characterizes Christians as complete imbeciles. In the movies Christians are almost always portrayed as freakish fanatics with deep mental disorders. These are just a couple of ways in which Christians are persecuted in this country on a daily basis.

 

As we grow in our spiritual walk with God and begin to outwardly manifest Christian virtues in a fallen society, persecution will follow. When Jesus came into this world His righteousness exposed the evil of the world and mankind hated Him for it. In fact, men hated the exposure of their inner hearts and outward actions to the extent that they crucified Christ on a cross. Though few of us will ever face persecution to this degree, believers can count on persecution of one form or another. Christ stated, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20).

 

It is important to note that the persecution which Jesus is referring to is not the persecution which springs merely from social, racial, economic, and/or political causes, but rather it is persecution that is rooted in the Christian religion. More specifically, it is a persecution for righteousness' sake. Unbelievers often become frustrated and irritated when believers live lives that inherently condemn corrupt actions, words, and thoughts. Righteous living is like a spotlight on the evil ways of unbelievers who typically perform their evil actions in the dark of the night. For this reason the "world" hates the children of God (cf. Matt. 10:22; 24:9; John 15:19).

 

Though it is always easier to go with the flow of our old sin nature, we are exhorted to live righteously before God and when we do, God promises us eternal blessings. The reward for those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake is the same as it is for those who are poor in spirit, namely, they are promised the kingdom of heaven!

 

 

Conclusion

 

As suggested at the opening of this article, the Beatitudes are our Lord's outline for genuine happiness. While unbelievers can and do experience varying episodes of happiness, it is a matter of fact that these periods of happiness are always transitory. The only way to know the happiness which God provides is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. One of the first steps in accepting Christ as Savior is to recognize our spiritual impoverishment. This step, which is facilitated by the work of the Holy Spirit, is followed by a mourning over our sins which are nothing less than rebellion against God. As God continues to work in us, our wills are renewed and we begin to see God in all of His splendor and grace. As God's glory and holiness are seen as never before, we finally embrace Him as our sovereign Lord and Savior.

 

Once this occurs the natural life long response that should characterize all believers is a genuine hungering and thirsting after the righteousness of God. As we hunger and thirst after righteousness, God promises to fill us. And as we are filled with the righteousness of God, we begin to be conformed to the image of His Son, demonstrating mercy and purity of heart. We also become peacemakers, though we are often persecuted because of righteousness. Though perverse teachings, false doctrines, evil actions, thoughts, and desires infuriate us, we seek to rebuke, correct and train in righteousness with the same type of love and patience which God so passionately demonstrated toward us. Once we begin this God ordained pattern and/or lifestyle we will begin to experience immeasurable happiness that will come to complete consummation when we are united with God in His eternal kingdom, so that in everything He might have the supremacy!