Introduction to the Beatitudes
John Stott says that “the beatitudes are Christ’s specification of what every Christian ought to be.” The beatitudes are a description of a Christian’s character. As mentioned previously, the whole Sermon on the Mount applies only to Christians, i.e. those who have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. All eight of the beatitudes apply to all Christians. None of the characteristics come naturally to anyone, i.e. they are not natural tendencies – all of them need to be developed by the Christian with the help of the Holy Spirit. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that “All Christians are meant to display all of these characteristics.” John Stott says that “There is no escape from our responsibility to covet them all.”
Both commentators highlight that these characteristics are essentially what makes a Christian different from a non-Christian. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says, “These descriptions indicate clearly the essential, utter difference between the Christian and the non-Christian.”
As regards the blessings promised, John Stott describes these as “the gloriously comprehensive blessing of God’s rule [the kingdom], tasted now and consummated later, including the inheritance of both earth and heaven, comfort, satisfaction, mercy, the vision and the sonship of God.”
The beatitudes are found in Matthew chapter 5, verses 3-12, at the start of the Sermon on the Mount. Martyn Lloyd-Jones groups them as follows:-
| Our inward needs | Satisfaction of the need | Result of being filled | Outcome of all earlier characteristics |
| 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. | 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. | 7. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. | 10. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. |
In this episode, we are going to consider the first three, relating to our inward needs.
Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
(Matt 5:3-5)
These three beatitudes regarding the Christian character can be considered together because they relate to the inward needs of mankind. Jesus is starting at the beginning by stating these inward, spiritual attributes of a Christian.
Firstly, as we come into the presence of God for the first time, we become “POOR IN SPIRIT” (v.3), recognising our nothingness when in the presence of Almighty God. John Stott says that “to be poor in spirit is to acknowledge our spiritual poverty, indeed our spiritual bankruptcy, before God.” This should happen to every Christian at least once – at the point of conversion when they acknowledge their humble dependence on God for their salvation. It is part of the process of the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sins. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states “There is no-one in the kingdom of God who is NOT poor in spirit….conviction must always precede conversion.” We can only get to this state by grace. However, this should not be a one-off event in the life of a Christian. We need to be constantly aware of our spiritual condition.
To be poor in spirit can be described in positive and negative terms:-
Positively speaking, paraphrasing Martyn Lloyd-Jones, being poor in spirit means
- being humble and contrite “it is to feel that we are nothing, and that we have nothing, and that we look to God in utter submission to Him and utter dependence upon Him and His grace and mercy.”
- a complete absence of pride, self -assurance and of self-reliance.
- a consciousness that we are nothing in the presence of God. It is nothing, then, that we can produce; it is nothing that we can do in ourselves.
- a tremendous awareness of our utter nothingness as we come face to face with God.
Negatively speaking, being poor in spirit means
- not relying upon our natural birth, nor the fact that we belong to certain families, nor boasting that we belong to certain nations or nationalities.
- not relying upon money or any wealth that we may have, nor the education that we have received, nor the particular school or college to which we may have attended.
- not relying upon any gifts like that of natural `personality’, nor temperament, nor intelligence nor general or special ability.
- not relying upon our natural position in life, or any powers that may have been given to us.
- not relying upon our own morality and conduct and good behaviour, nor the life that we have lived or are trying to live.
In realising our utter dependence on God, we then receive the blessing as being part of the kingdom of heaven. This blessing transforms us from poverty into riches -in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul speaks of “incomparable riches” (2:7) and “unsearchable riches” (3:8), and in Colossians 1:27 the “glorious riches”.
Secondly, when we realise our condition before our Holy God, we become all too aware of our sinfulness and our poor spirit MOURNS (v.4) for our sins, and the sins of the world. This is a heavy burden that we realise we are carrying. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states that as a Christian examines himself and realises his “utter helplessness and hopelessness” (poverty of spirit), he should immediately mourn for being in that condition and for his sins that put him there.
Stott echoes Martyn Lloyd-Jones and says “I fear that we evangelical Christians, by making much of grace, sometimes thereby make light of sin. There is not enough sorrow for sin among us.”
It is right that we should mourn for sins because they are the reason that Jesus had to die.
It is a function of the Holy Spirit to bring us to a realisation of our sinful and hopeless state. The Holy Spirit then shows us Christ as the perfect provision that God has made, and we are immediately forgiven and thus comforted. Not only does this happen at conversion but it is ongoing – our sin casts us down and makes us mourn, then we turn back to Christ for forgiveness, which gives us peace and happiness, i.e. comfort.
Thirdly, having realised our spiritual poverty and mourned for our sinful condition, we recognise our true view of ourselves. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says, “The man who is truly MEEK (v.5) is the one who is amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do, and treat him as well as they do.” Note that meekness does NOT mean to be weak and trampled on by society. Indeed it means to be strong enough to have an honest opinion of oneself before God and men. Humility is vital but we are not to be abused.
Stott says that the blessing of inheriting the earth can be seen in two different time periods. In the present, Christians “can enjoy and even ‘possess’ the earth, which belongs to Christ. Then on the day of regeneration there will be ‘new heavens and new earth’ for them to inherit.”
Counter Cultural
These beatitudes are obviously counter cultural to the world today. The world emphasises the importance on “self-reliance, self-belief, self-confidence, and self-expression …. believe in yourself” to get on in life. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says this might be fine for men facing men, but these verses are about facing God. “If one feels anything in the presence of God save an utter poverty of spirit, it ultimately means that you have never faced Him.”
Examples of these beatitudes
As descriptions of the Christian’s character, all these beatitudes are exemplified by Christ. As Christians, we strive to develop these characteristics and to be Christ-like.
Jesus, the all-powerful Son of God, said “By myself I can do nothing” John 5:30. Martyn Lloyd-Jones also asks us to consider Jesus’s prayer life – “It is as you watch Him praying, and realise the hours that He spent in prayer, that you see His poverty of spirit and His reliance upon God.”
As regards mourning for sin, Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that “the Christian should be a serious man, but not sullen; a grave man but not cold. Our joy and happiness should not be superficial but comes from a deeper serious happiness at the prospect of a glorious future”. Our examples should be Jesus (no record of laughter, He wept for Lazarus and Jerusalem) and Paul (“O wretched man that I am” (Rom 7:24); groaning inwardly (Rom 8:23) as we wait for heaven).
As regards meekness, Jesus described Himself as being “gentle and humble in heart” (Matt 11:29). Paul also referred to His “meekness and gentleness” (2 Cor 10:1).
SUMMARY
These first three beatitudes relate to our inward view of ourselves as Christians. They are difficult. Martyn Lloyd-Jones challenges his reader to self-examination – Do I really think of myself as nothing in God’s presence? Then he tells us how to become poor in spirit – look at God – “Read the Bible about Him, read His law, look at what He expects from us, contemplate standing before Him.”
Our prayer life is also important. When we come to look at the Lord’s Prayer, we will realise that “Give us our daily bread” includes all sorts of physical needs (food, water, even the air that we breathe and time itself – all are in God’s control). “Forgive us our sins” also relates to confessing our sinful state and recognising our spiritual condition before a holy God.
Again, regarding mourning, Martyn Lloyd-Jones urges us to “read the Scriptures, to study and meditate upon them, to pray to God for His Spirit to reveal sin in ourselves, and then to reveal to us the Lord Jesus Christ in all His fulness.”
Finally, as always, the Holy Spirit is essential – Martyn Lloyd-Jones says “Nothing but the Holy Spirit can humble us, nothing but the Holy Spirit can make us poor in spirit and make us mourn because of our sinfulness, and produce in us this true, right view of self, and give us this very mind of Christ Himself.” “It is the direct fruit of the Spirit.”
Acknowledgements
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones
The message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott
Christian Discipleship 