Over the next few days, I will be going over the Beatitudes taught by Jesus Christ. These Beatitudes were taught by Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount. They are guidelines for us to live by and show us the values that Christ cares about. These values can not only bring us peace and happiness, but also bring us into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Beatitudes of Jesus are found in Matthew 5:3-12.
The First Beatitude
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What is Jesus saying here? Was He saying the economically poor are blessed? No. So what does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means that the poor are those who realize that they can never achieve salvation on their own and instead put their complete faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The poor in spirit are those who are not self-reliant, self-confident, self-centered, or self-sufficient. The poor in spirit are those who are conscious of their sins and know in their hearts that they are completely unworthy of the grace that God has given them. The poor in spirit are humble and know that they are nothing without God.
Only the poor in spirit will enter into the kingdom of God. Why? Because they come to God having full knowledge of their own sinfulness. They readily confess that they are full of sin and are totally unqualified to enter into the kingdom of God. The poor in spirit are the ones who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
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