Sermon II - Matthew 5:2
Sermon II.
Ver. 2
The sixth point is to demonstrate the purpose of this sermon, which primarily consists of three things.
First, to reveal the true essence of blessedness and who truly qualifies as blessed.
Secondly, to elucidate the spirituality of the Law, or the spiritual enlightenment that comes through the Gospel's illumination. Christ aims to demonstrate how the duties of the Law are elevated to a higher level by the Gospel. The Gospel does not annul these duties but reveals a more spiritually elevated way of life than what was generally understood under the law. Our Saviour intends to redirect people from finding satisfaction in external acts of righteousness, prayers, or any other means, or from refraining solely from external sins.
And thirdly, to provide a forewarning about false teachers. These are the three main topics of the sermon. Many other things are interwoven within, but regarding the first topic, it is to reveal the essence of true blessedness. Christ begins with "blessedness" on His lips, repeating "blessed" again and again.
From this, we can draw these brief observations:
Firstly, it is Jesus Christ who teaches us where true blessedness lies.
If we desire to know how to be happy and blessed, we must turn to Christ. Human wisdom alone cannot attain it. Among the philosophers, there were a hundred and eighty opinions regarding human happiness, and some count even more. They were merely
beating around the bush, but it is the Christian who catches the bird.
It is only through Christ that we can understand how to be happy.
Christ has come from the Father's bosom to reveal the eternal counsels of the Father regarding humanity's ultimate purpose. Since the fall, mankind would never have come to know their true purpose and the good that God intends for them if Christ had not come from the Father's bosom to declare it. Oh, the poor and insignificant things in which people place their happiness when they do not know
Jesus Christ and remain ignorant of Him. When Christ is revealed, people's thoughts and hearts are elevated and expanded. They seek happiness in a different manner than they did before. Let us give thanks to God for Jesus Christ, through whom we come to understand where our ultimate purpose lies, that supreme good for which God has made human nature capable.
Secondly, it is the aim and purpose of the ministry to show people how they can attain blessedness. This sermon was preached primarily to the apostles when they received their commission, as I explained previously. When Christ speaks so much about blessedness to them, it is to prepare them to go out and preach it to the world. Oh, it is through the ministry of the Word that people learn how to find happiness. The harm it does is merely to show them how they can be eternally blessed. How poor and miserable are those who live without the ministry of the Word? In what pitiful things do they place their happiness? When you come to attend the ministry of the Gospel, you should regard it as a message from God that shows you the path to eternal happiness. It is called the Gospel that is preached, good tidings. It brings tidings from heaven about how your souls and bodies can become eternally happy. Approach the ministry of the Word with such a disposition. Those who forsake the ministry of the Word forsake their own mercy, the means by which they may find happiness. How debased are people's hearts to
value it so little that they cannot even endure a little cold in the morning to attend the ministry appointed by God to reveal happiness to those whom God intends eternal good.
Oh, the transformations that many have experienced through the ministry of the Gospel! Sometimes, in just thirty minutes, the Word has completely turned their hearts around. Their hearts had been pursuing vain and worthless things for happiness, seeking solace only in those things they believed would bring them happiness. Yet, through the ministry of the Gospel, truths have pierced their hearts and brought about a radical change. They would not trade what they have found in the ministry of the Word for ten thousand worlds.
They have come to hear the Word with carnal, materialistic, vain, and sensual hearts, focusing solely on earthly matters and base and trivial things. However, in attending the Word, flashes of light have shone upon them, revealing the true good of a rational being, the purpose for which God created man, and the infinite good that the human soul is capable of. As a result, they have scorned and dismissed all those sensual delights and vanities in which they previously placed their happiness. Therefore, learn to understand the purpose of the ministry of the Gospel, and that is the second general observation.
The third observation from Christ's overall purpose is this: By examining what Christ declares as constituting blessedness, we can learn that there is a significant difference between God's perspective on true happiness and the world's perspective. If we consider the eight Beatitudes presented here, we will see that they are entirely contrary to the world's judgment.
Firstly, if the world were asked who is blessed, they would never have said that the poor are blessed. They would consider the poor to be
miserable. However, Christ holds a different opinion: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The world would say, "Blessed are the rich; they are truly happy." In Malachi 3, we call the proud happy, but here it says, "Blessed are the poor."
—— Then secondly, if you were to ask the world who the blessed ones are, they would never tell you that those who mourn are blessed.
Certainly, if there are any blessed individuals in this world, they must be those who live joyous and merry lives. But no, says Christ, it is quite the opposite. Blessed are those who mourn. Christ's judgment contradicts the world's judgment.
—— Then thirdly, if you were to inquire about the happy ones, the world would say it is those who refuse to be wronged and have the power to seek justice. If anyone wrongs them, they will know it. The world would consider them happy. But no, says Christ, blessed are the meek. Those who are willing to endure wrongs and respond meekly to those who abuse them. The world thinks that person is a fool for tolerating wrongs, but in Christ's judgment, they are blessed.
—— And then fourthly, if you were to ask the world who the blessed ones are, surely they would say it is those who indulge in all kinds of delicacies, those who can satisfy themselves. But no, says Christ, blessed are those who hunger and thirst. Hungry and thirsty souls are the blessed souls.
—— And then fifthly, if you were to ask the world who the blessed individuals are, they would say it is those who hoard their wealth, thinking it wise to keep what they have and not let it go. But no, says
Christ, blessed are the merciful. If a person has great wealth and resources and uses them for good purposes, they are blessed.
—— Furthermore, if you were to ask the world who the blessed ones are, they would never choose the pure in heart. The world believes that the blessed are those who follow their lusts and satisfy them to the fullest. But no, says Christ, blessed are the pure in heart, the Puritans.
—— And then, blessed are the peacemakers. The world believes it is happiness for those who stand their ground and defend their rights.
But no, blessed are the peacemakers who would rather relinquish their rights than disrupt the peace.
—— Above all, the world would never have thought that the persecuted were blessed. But no, says Christ. Now, I appeal to your consciences, whether you would have ever believed that blessedness consisted in these things if we had not received it from Christ. Thus, we have seen that there is a significant difference between Christ's judgment and the world's judgment regarding true happiness.
It is of great importance for ministers and young disciples of Christ to divert their hearts from earthly blessedness and consider where true heavenly blessedness lies. This sermon (as I mentioned before) is what Christ preaches to ministers when He sends them to preach to others. It is also for other disciples who have recently converted.
Christ had been engaged in His public ministry for two years before this sermon, and many had embraced the profession of Christ.
However, despite their commitment to Christ, they encountered nothing but troubles and afflictions in this world. Recognizing their potential vulnerability, Christ takes care to fully instruct and inform them that even though they may remain in a lowly and persecuted state in the eyes of the world, there is a blessedness that surpasses all these hardships. Indeed, in the midst of suffering, they can experience the greatest happiness. This is what Christ wants
ministers and young disciples to understand, as it will redirect their focus away from external matters. They are likely to encounter afflictions and troubles, and therefore, Christ wants them to be spiritual. If their hearts are entangled with the world and sensual pleasures of the flesh, they are unlikely to have a significant impact in their preaching. But those who see a happiness beyond these things are likely to do the greatest good in their ministry.
And as for you who are young, if you are not fully informed of this when you first commit yourselves to Christ, that no matter the afflictions and miseries you endure in the world, there is a happiness in which you can be blessed, you will not remain steadfast in the profession of the Christian faith. In a short period, you will be offended and cast it all aside.
Christ does not say, "You ought to be poor in spirit, you should hunger and thirst, and be meek." No, He does not approach it that way. Instead, He commends what should be in them, rather than exhorting or threatening the opposite. From this, we can learn a valuable lesson: It is a useful and profitable approach for ministers of the Gospel to cultivate love for what is one's duty by demonstrating its excellence, glory, and the happiness that accompanies it. That should be the focus, rather than solely burdening them with the duty or exhorting and threatening them for failing to fulfill it. Although these aspects have their place and time, ministers of the Gospel should primarily aim to convince people that there is blessedness in fulfilling their duty. If we can not only persuade people to do what
God requires but also make them love what God requires, showing them its excellence and the blessedness that comes with it, then we will win their hearts to the duty and to Christ forever.
And there is another note regarding the scope of Christ's message of blessedness: Christ does not begin His sermon by saying, "Blessed are those who believe in Me and are godly and righteous." Why does
Christ not speak generally about blessedness in relation to righteous people, believers, and saints? Instead, He focuses on the poor, those who mourn. This is because Christ tailors His message to His present audience, those to whom He is preaching. This doctrine is more suitable for His disciples because they were likely to be most troubled by poverty and the afflicted conditions they were likely to face. Therefore, Christ strives to assist them in the area where their chief temptation is likely to lie. He emphasizes the blessedness of the poor and those who mourn rather than simply stating that believers and the righteous are blessed. It is a great skill for a minister of the Gospel not only to preach the truth but also to adapt to the specific needs of the audience, speaking words that are timely and suited to their conditions. A minister should not strive to preach solely based on what might showcase their depth and excellence but rather what is most appropriate for the people they are addressing. These are the notes we can derive from the general scope of Christ's sermon: Christ begins with this kind of blessedness—blessed are the poor. It is wise to follow Christ's judgment rather than our own when it comes to blessedness. We should listen to what the blessed God says about what constitutes blessedness rather than the opinions of wretched and miserable individuals.
"The poor"—they are the blessed ones. In other words, blessedness, in this context, refers to being participants in the chief good for which humans were created and being filled with all the good that their natures are capable of. That is where blessedness lies.
Now, "the poor in spirit" may lack certain worldly possessions, but they are partakers of what truly matters—the highest good of
humanity—and will undoubtedly be filled with all the good that their souls and bodies are capable of. These are the blessed ones.
"The poor"—blessed are the poor. The Greeks had two words to denote a poor man. First, πτωχός, which refers to someone lacking necessities without which they cannot survive. The other word, πένης, signifies someone who only possesses the bare necessities to sustain life and soul, as we say, to keep them together.
The word used here in the text does not describe a person who just has enough to sustain themselves but rather someone deprived of what is necessary. They lack something essential, and they perceive this lack as a threat to their well-being. That is the characteristic of the word—blessed are the poor.
"The poor," but not all poor. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Some poor individuals are cursed and miserably poor in every sense. They bring poverty upon themselves through idleness, wickedness, prodigality, and the squandering of resources when they are young and have the opportunity to save for future needs. Such individuals spend everything immediately, leaving themselves and their families on the brink of perishing due to poverty. Christ does not pronounce them blessed; they are cursed poor. In Luke 6:20, Christ says,
"Blessed are the poor" when looking upon His disciples. A person may be poor in this world yet be cursed and miserable in relation to God. They are more miserable in God's eyes than in the eyes of other people. Oh, how many poor people do we find living without God in the world, profane and ungodly, swearing and unclean? They are among the most ungodly people on Earth, and it is dreadful to witness. They are likely to be miserable in this life and for all eternity. Such poor individuals should not assume that because they are miserable here, they have experienced their hell and will not be
miserable hereafter. No, that is not the case. If you can read, you may find in the Epistle of Jude that some were consumed by fire from heaven and yet were condemned to eternal fire afterward. Similarly, there are those whom the Lord has forsaken in this world and who are likely to be forsaken for all eternity in the world to come.
But you may say, "This offers little comfort to the poor." Little comfort? Are there any here seeking comfort? Do you expect comfort from the word? If any poor person desires comfort from the word, I would be reluctant to let this pass without adding something.
Therefore, so that you may not be discouraged in your poverty, take comfort in the following:
Firstly, you, the poor, have souls as precious as the greatest monarchs on Earth. Your souls are equally valuable and capable of experiencing the same glory as the emperors, kings, and queens of the world. That is something significant.
Secondly, you, the poor, have equal access to God, and heaven is open to you just as it is to the most powerful rulers on Earth. If you have the heart to seek it, there is as great a possibility for you to attain a crown of glory in the highest heavens as there is for the mightiest monarch living on this Earth. That should give you hope.
Thirdly, let me tell you that, in some respects, you, the poor, are even closer to eternal blessedness. If you are not wicked and ungodly and have the desire to pursue true blessedness, you are more likely to attain it than the great ones of the world. Your temptations are not as overwhelming as theirs. Poverty tempts you to despair and to resort to desperate measures, but there is greater danger in the temptations that riches bring—the temptation to satisfy our lusts and to be proud, haughty, and scornful.
Fourthly, you, the poor, have a lesser account to give compared to the rich people of the world.
Fifthly, the Scriptures reveal that God has chosen the poor of the world. While He has chosen some who are rich, His thoughts throughout eternity have been fixed upon the poor. In 1 Corinthians
1:26, the apostle writes, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are." The poor have the Gospel preached to them.
Sixthly, as God has chosen the poor, He has appointed the preaching of the Gospel especially for them. In Luke 14:21, Christ sends His servants to call in the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind.
Christ invites them. And in Matthew 11:5, the Gospel is preached to the poor. Therefore, if the Gospel is intended to be preached to the poor, it is undoubtedly intended to be preached to this congregation.
Oh, that God would grant even you, the extremely poor and those lacking proper clothing or other necessities, the desire to come and listen to the preaching of the Gospel, without making excuses. Come and partake of the bread of life. You may not be invited to the tables of the rich, but God has invited you to His Table, to the supper of the Lamb.
Seventhly, we find in Scripture that there are very few who receive an inward call, and yet the poor are among them. "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:26-27). Therefore, the poor have a unique opportunity to experience God's calling.
Eighthly, in addition, if you come in response to the call of the Gospel, the Lord will not overlook you in the slightest because you are poor. On the contrary, the Lord will hold you in high regard and cherish you as much as His soul clings to you. You will experience communion with Him, just like even the greatest godly emperors do.
I know what you may say—great emperors and kings, even the wicked ones. Yes, that's true. But I meant even when they are godly.
Consider a godly king and a humble, godly alms-person. This humble alms-person can have as much communion with God, and God can accept their service just as much as that of a prince, even if he is godly. You see, God doesn't place as much importance on the magnitude of the work being done as He does on the faithfulness and sincerity of our hearts in carrying out our work. Oh, I wish that God would sanctify your poverty to you so that you would consider the following: "Well, I am a poor and miserable creature in this world, and there is little hope that I will achieve great things here. Let me pursue spiritual riches instead. Although I am likely to be outwardly miserable, why can't my soul, and even my body, be blessed in the end? Why can't I be blessed with God and His Christ forever? If I were able to preach to this congregation and all the poor in it, and if it were proclaimed that there would be a sermon on a specific day to reveal how all the poor in this parish could become wealthy individuals and live in abundance all their lives, I have no doubt there would be a sufficient audience of poor people. And let me assure you, in the name of God, that if you were to come and listen, or if you could persuade those you know to come and listen, we can show you ways in which it is possible for you to be blessed for all
eternity, to possess greater riches than if God were to make you kings and queens. So much so that it could be said, not only in a general sense, "Blessed are the poor," but "Blessed is this poor man who resides in this street or in such a humble, smoky dwelling." Even the angels of God may regard you as a blessed individual if you have the heart to attend to the Gospel, which reveals the path to blessedness.
Blessed are the poor.
But indeed, blessed are the poor in spirit. However, not every poor person, and not every poverty of spirit, is blessed. There is a poverty of spirit that is evil and accursed. A person can possess a poor and cursed spirit because they genuinely have a poor spirit. By that, I mean someone who has a low, base, and sordid spirit, whose focus has sunk down to low, earthly, sensual things as their highest and greatest good. They have no aspirations beyond eating, drinking, and satisfying their fleshly desires. Here lies a person with a poor spirit— a truly low spirit. But this poor, low spirit is sordid, base, and accursed. Often, you see poor people who fixate on the menial things they are engaged in as their sole objective. For example, you may observe a poor woman scraping in a dust heap or dung hill for an entire hour. It's not the poverty itself that makes her miserable, but rather when that becomes her sole objective. If she can earn sixpence or a shilling a day, she considers herself blessed and focuses on nothing higher. You might say, "This is indeed a poor spirit." Well, to be honest, such poor spirits are found among the people of this world, including the princes and great ones. Many of them solely pursue the satisfaction of their flesh—eating, drinking, and indulging in impurity—as that is most suited to their spirits. These are men of poor, low, and base spirits. The Lord desires His saints to possess low spirits in a godly sense, meaning to be humble. However, the Lord also desires His servants, in another sense, to possess high and lofty spirits, in which nothing in the world can satisfy their spirits
except God Himself. Now, that is a person with a high spirit. Such an individual acknowledges their unworthiness even for the tiniest morsel of bread, yet declares that even if God were to grant them the entire world, it would not satisfy them as their portion. They must have God Himself, they must have heaven, eternity, and glory. This person possesses a truly elevated spirit, and in comparison, all other individuals in the world have poor, base, and low spirits. Therefore, not everyone who is poor in spirit is blessed in this way.
But who then? What kind of poverty of spirit brings blessings?
To understand that, you must know this: When it is said, "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit," it means that when a man or woman (as some interpret it) willingly embraces a low and poor condition if it pleases God. They are willing to give up everything, even if they possess great wealth, if God calls for it. They are ready to live humbly. Now, when God grants a person a comfortable lifestyle with abundance and prosperity, they have all their needs met. But this soul says, "It's true, I have received these blessings from God, but God, who searches all hearts and converses with our spirits, knows that in my spirit, if the Lord were to call for all these blessings as a testament to His truth, I am here ready to part with all these outward comforts. I am prepared to live on bread and water all my days, to live in the same destitution as the poorest beggar, as long as the Lord is glorified through me. I bear witness to being truly poor in spirit. It may be that I am not poor in terms of my wealth. I acknowledge that the Papists place great emphasis on this concept of being poor in spirit, suggesting that one should vow poverty.
However, God does not require that. Instead, whenever He calls for your wealth or any of your comforts, you should be willing to surrender them at His feet. That is what God expects from every person. So, as I continue, I ask you, who possess wealth and enjoy its
benefits, do you find such a disposition in your hearts that if it came down to it, you would willingly give up your entire estate rather than deny even the smallest truth of God? Would you let go of all your wealth rather than commit even the slightest sin against your conscience? Would you value bearing witness to the truth more than living in worldly abundance? If you can truly embrace this mindset, then you are truly poor in spirit, even in the midst of your abundance. True grace does not lie in voluntarily casting away our wealth and riches; rather, it lies in wisely managing our possessions while we have them and being willing to part with them when God calls for it.
Secondly, blessed are the poor in spirit. This refers to a spirit that is willing to submit to God in a low condition when one is placed in such a state. First, it includes those who are willing to be poor if God so desires. Secondly, it includes those who are already poor in terms of their outward circumstances. They have a poverty of spirit that corresponds to their outward poverty. Their spirits submit to God's sovereignty and they are willing to glorify Him in the manner He has set for them. They do not envy those in higher positions, nor do they complain or resent God for the diverse distribution of His gifts— some having much and others having little. No, they recognize that God, through His providence, has brought them to their current condition, and they submit to His hand. They are content to glorify
Him in their humble state and faithfully fulfill the duties required of them in their lowly circumstances. Many poor people think, "If only I were as rich as others, then I could truly glorify God." But in their current situation, they are agitated and anxious, seeking various means to provide for themselves. They cannot bring themselves to glorify God in their lowly state. However, if you can find it in your heart to submit to God in your present humble condition, blessed are you, for you are truly poor in spirit. This disposition of your spirit,
the willingness to glorify God, is of greater excellence than if God were to make you the chief of a parish or the ruler of a kingdom.
Thirdly, blessed are those who are poor in spirit, not merely in words, expressions, or outward appearances. Many will complain about themselves, declaring their weakness, poverty, and worthlessness, but God knows that their hearts are full of pride. If others were to think of them or speak of them in the same way they speak of themselves, they would not tolerate it. Thus, though they may be poor in words, they are not poor in spirit. Some may live modestly and present themselves as poor, but inwardly their spirits are not humble. They may outwardly adopt a humble lifestyle, believing that pride only lies in clothing and material possessions.
However, the true source of pride is found in the spirits of men.
Therefore, blessed are those who are poor in spirit, those whose wills, affections, and understanding are humbled before God. Blessed are those who possess a genuine poverty of spirit.
In the fourth place, and more importantly and primarily, blessed are those who are poor in spirit. This refers to those who truly understand and recognize their spiritual poverty. Now, this is a crucial point, the very point that Christ promises blessedness to.
Regarding this, there are three things I will address:
Firstly, I will explain what spiritual poverty is that those who are poor in spirit perceive and are aware of.
Secondly, I will discuss how a heart that is poor in spirit behaves or the various workings of such a heart.
Thirdly, I will explain why such a heart is esteemed as blessed by Jesus Christ.
As for where this blessedness lies, it will become evident in the promise: "For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."
I will briefly explain the first point to you: What is the spiritual poverty that such a soul sees and is aware of?
Concerning its spiritual condition, such a soul perceives itself as truly destitute.
First, it recognizes that it lacks all true spiritual goodness that would benefit it in relation to God and its own happiness. It sees this clearly. Just as a poor person sees themselves as poor, that is, lacking all the outward comforts others possess and being devoid of necessary things that others have, similarly, one who is poor in spirit perceives their condition in this manner. They say, "O Lord, although when You created man, You made him rich, placing him in paradise and fashioning him according to Your own Image, by which he was the ruler and great heir of all the world, now I am deprived of all good things, especially spiritual good. I am deprived of Your Image; I have nothing of Your spiritual Image within me. I lack any spiritual life that would enable me to have union and communion with You, which would lead to eternal life. I am completely devoid of every good thing that could make me in any way acceptable to God. Now, here is a poor individual who, when they can see it and be convinced of it, understands that they lack every good thing that could make them acceptable to God. They do not possess a single trace of it. They may have an estate and outward comforts in their family, but what do they have in relation to God? How do things stand for them in connection with the infinite and glorious first being of all things?
Well, naturally, they are deprived of all. There has never been a person so poor that they did not have a single rag to cover themselves. That is how poor they are in terms of their spiritual
condition. Oh, for a person who possesses the riches of the world to recognize themselves as a miserable, poor, and undone individual!
This is not an ordinary occurrence, which is why you will find that in Luke 6, Christ opposes the poor to the rich of the world because so few of the wealthy can be convinced of their spiritual poverty.
A poor person, as you know, faces many difficulties that others do not. They endure many miseries. Therefore, a second aspect of this spiritual poverty is for the soul to perceive and be aware of the spiritual evils upon it. It is not only a matter of lacking the Image of God and spiritual life, but it also involves recognizing the misery within the mind, the opposition of the will and heart to God, and the multitude of corruptions in the soul. Oh, the anguish that rests upon me, the darkness of my mind! There is no shortage of vermin that continually surrounds me. Every misery that poor people endure is seen by those who are spiritually poor, just as they are seen within themselves.
Furthermore, the third aspect that renders someone poor is this:
Even if they have many miseries, they cannot be extremely poor if they are capable of working for their livelihood. True poverty arises when a person has numerous miseries and is unable to work to sustain themselves. Similarly, although we have lost the Image of God, if we were able to do something to aid ourselves, we would not be so destitute. However, when a person recognizes themselves as utterly miserable and incapable of doing anything to enrich their soul, they are genuinely poor. It is comparable to an individual who has lost everything and subsequently becomes lame, rendering them unable to work or do anything to support themselves. Such a person is genuinely poor—when their labor is lost, along with their possessions. Thus, even if I am unable to labor, if I have friends who can assist me, I am not in utter destitution. In terms of our spiritual
condition, who is your friend to offer relief or assistance? Is it God or Christ who should help you? Well, God is a stranger, and you have no connection to Christ in yourself. You must not consider God in terms of who He is in Himself because you are an enemy of God. Scripture declares that we are enemies of God and strangers to the covenant of grace. As such, you are genuinely a poor creature with no one to turn to for help. Even all the angels in heaven cannot aid you, and all the people in the world cannot help you in your wretched condition.
Fifthly, let's consider a scenario where a person has no friend to assist them, and they are unable to work. However, if they possess some form of excellence within them, there is hope that others will recognize their worth. Perhaps they have exceptional abilities, even if they can currently accomplish little due to weakness. This represents our spiritual poverty. We are in a wretched state—devoid of friends, incapable of doing anything—and we lack any worth that would garner God's or the angels' regard. We are inherently worthless creatures, thus further emphasizing our poverty.
Sixthly, even if a person were so impoverished that they cannot do anything presently, there may still be hope if they could potentially do something in the future. However, in our spiritual poverty, we are burdened by debt. As soon as we acquire anything, our creditors may seize it all. Suppose God were to grant us abilities that enable us to perform good deeds. Yet, everything we can do would not suffice to atone for the past. Even if we could perfectly obey God's law now, what would happen to the accumulated debts? God's justice demands satisfaction, and He has decreed that no soul shall be accepted unless His infinite justice is appeased. Now, the soul truly sees its extreme poverty, acknowledging that the debt must be paid in full. If a person has experienced bankruptcy and lost their estate, they may still hope to reach an agreement with their creditors and
rebuild their life. Thus, they are not utterly destitute. However, if they realize that the debt must be fully repaid with no possibility of compromise, they would conclude that their life will indeed be impoverished. Those who are spiritually poor recognize this within themselves. They are indebted, and all their efforts can never suffice to satisfy the accumulated debts.
Seventhly, let's imagine a person who receives something to sustain them temporarily, but they must rely on continuous charity. This represents poverty. Similarly, a spiritually poor soul understands that it must live in perpetual dependence. Even if God grants them some ability to act, they require a constant influx of His grace to utilize what they have. They recognize themselves as truly destitute, possessing nothing within themselves. Even if something is bestowed upon them, they do not know how to make use of it without the assistance of another. Thus, the soul perceives its state as dependent on continual grace, needed in every moment. When we consider these seven aspects together, we realize the true extent of our poverty
—being deprived of all spiritual good, burdened by spiritual miseries, unable to work, lacking friends, devoid of worth, burdened by debt, and relying on constant grace. Oh, what a destitute creature I am!
When a person comprehends and becomes aware of this, they are truly poor in spirit. However, this is not the entirety of the matter.
Next, it is crucial for a person to exhibit behavior that aligns with this state of being poor in spirit. We will discuss this further later.