In the fifth chapter of Matthew we find the “blessed R’s” as they are known. Here Jesus explains who and why certain people will be blessed with an eternal residence in the Kingdom of God/Heaven. In verse three He says that the “poor in spirit” will inherit that blessing. He is referring to the true Christian’s humility, his sense of dependence on His Maker in all areas of life. The opposite of this attitude is pride, which comes before destruction and a haughty spirit which precedes the fall (Prov. 16:18). Spiritual poverty refers to our human spirit–“the spirit that is in man’–that each of us possesses. Being poor in spirit does not mean to lack God’s Holy Spirit, but rather to be led by His Spirit, which is His power. “They that are led by the Spirit of God, (only) they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). One can be led by the Holy Spirit only if one has been given the Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit will lead in accordance with God’s Word. The Lord Himself stated that any spiritual Truth must be confirmed by two or three witnesses (Mat. 18:16). God’s Spirit and His Word are two of those witnesses. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN IS LED BY GOD’S SPIRIT AND HIS WORD. Anyone lacking His Spirit (and deviates from His Word) is “none of his” (Rom. 8:9).

In Matthew 5:5 Jesus noted that those same people (the meek/humble) will inherit the earth (not heaven) for 1000 years. Later, as the Scriptures prove, they will inherit the universe. See God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe. Meekness does not mean weakness. Jesus of Nazareth, like Moses before Him, was meek, meaning that He did not depend on His own power, but relied solely on God’s power as received through His Holy Spirit. Jesus declared: “I can do nothing of Myself.” He acted, thought and spoke as led by the Spirit. So does the true Christian, who “walk(s) as He walked” while on earth (1 Jn. 2:6). Jesus was 100% man while on this earth. For this reason He can command that we follow His example in this life. Those who do so are God’s Very Elect who (only) will spend eternity with the Godhead in paradise. The true Christian will not feel resentment for rejection and ill treatment, will not retaliate when persecuted, will not justify his wrong actions, words, etc., will admit being in the wrong and will not feel superior to others. They overcome Satan’s command to do the opposite.

In Matthew 5:6 Jesus notes that those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be filled with righteousness. Being filled with righteousness means that there is no room within for anything other than righteousness. We are told by false prophets that righteousness is impossible due to Adam’s sin transfusion into our spiritual dna. Those who hunger and thirst will be “filled” by the Lord, not by their own works. The works they must perform take place when they humbly allow Him to lead, guide and direct us through his Spirit and OBEY THAT SPIRIT. For this to take place we must wait on the Spirit to tell us what to do, then DO IT. This is why we are commanded not to be quick of word or actions. Our “works” involve overcoming Satan’s temptations. This is where we decide whether to obey our natural impulses generated by self and Satan, or to obey God, which can be done only by “wait(ing) on the Spirit” and then reacting accordingly. This is not easy for us to do. Nor was it easy for Jesus of Nazareth. It was for this reason that Jesus called out to His Father with “strong crying and tears” (Heb. 5:7).  He was a man, and as a man He had to overcome natural impulses just as we do. He knew He did not have the power to resist the temptations of the devil. He knew it was only by the power of God through the Holy Spirit that He could finish His work in a state of total righteousness. He also knew that if He sinned one time He would be disqualified to be man’s Savior. The human mind cannot comprehend the pressure under which Jesus lived. We must remember that what people did to Him they will also do to those who follow in His footsteps. “All who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). It is for this reason that Jesus said to “count the cost” of following Him before making that decision. He also said that only those who maintained their righteousness in the face of the world’s hatred “… until the end will be saved” (Mat. 10:20).

Those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness know that the only source of righteousness is the Word of God which they will study in order to gain God’s approval (2 Tim. 2:15). Righteousness seekers will also prove all spiritual things by that same Word and only that Word. Any “truth” that deviates from the Holy Scriptures is of Satan–the purveyor of false “truths.” See the Introduction to this website for a list of such “truths” which the Institutional Church claims to be God’s Truths. L.J.