The Constitution of the Kingdom

And the very first aspect of Christ's constitution is that this kingdom belongs to those who are "poor in spirit" .

What do you think it means to be "poor in spirit" ?
Anyone ?
Anyone serious ?[/b]

“Poor in spirit.” This is the figure of speech “idiom,” and is an idiomatic way of saying “humble in their attitude.” To fully understand the idiom, we must examine both “poor” and “spirit.” The Greek word “poor” is ptochos (#4434 πτωχός, and it means poor in wealth, but can refer to being “poor” in other ways. For example, the people Christ addresses in Revelation 3:17 are technically wealthy in material goods, yet Jesus says: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” In this verse, “poor” refers to being poor in godliness and in the treasure that will be bestowed at the Judgment. Similarly, the word “poor” can refer to being poor or humble in one’s attitude. This is reflected in Isaiah 66:2, which mentions the person to whom God will pay attention: “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” This verse mentions a “poor and contrite spirit” but many versions correctly understand that the word “poor” refers to “humble,” and translate it that way (ESV; HCSB; NASB, NIV, NRSV). Kenneth Bailey (Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (IVP Academic, 2008, pp. 68, 69, 158, 159) does a good job in showing from the Old Testament, the Qumran texts, and even early Christian sources, that “poor” was used idiomatically for “humble.”
http://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Matthew/chapter5/3

Originally posted by checkbaiter
“Poor in spirit.” This is the figure of speech “idiom,” and is an idiomatic way of saying “humble in their attitude.” To fully understand the idiom, we must examine both “poor” and “spirit.” The Greek word “poor” is ptochos (#4434 πτωχός, and it means poor in wealth, but can refer to being “poor” in other ways. For example, the people Christ addresses in ...[text shortened]... r” was used idiomatically for “humble.”
http://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Matthew/chapter5/3

Poor in spirit equates to poor in godliness.

In short, the meek (aka atheists) will inherit the Earth.

Sorry to break it to you.

Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
Poor in spirit equates to poor in godliness.

In short, the meek (aka atheists) will inherit the Earth.

Sorry to break it to you.

No the Atheist is so full of self sufficiency that he feels no need for his Creator.
This person will not inherit the earth eternally.

An atheist regime may have possess some part of the earth for a season. But the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. By refusing to acknowledge God and God's creation they will not forever inherit the earth.

But I know you were just trying to be clever. This is the sober answer to your "fun".

Originally posted by sonship
No the Atheist is so full of self sufficiency that he feels no need for his Creator.
This person will not inherit the earth eternally.

An atheist regime may have possess some part of the earth for a season. But the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. By refusing to acknowledge God and God's creation they will not forever inherit the earth.

But I know you were just trying to be clever. This is the sober answer to your "fun".

'As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.'

(Ephesians 4:1-2)

A humble reminder for your soberness.

Originally posted by sonship
In this thread I am going to be sympathetic to what is constantly a concern you express. But it will take me some more time to arrive at those clear demands.

I'll get there. You may have to just be patient.
For now I want again to say that the kingdom people have no such self confidence that they can by their own power live unto God.

We will build ...[text shortened]... s the real embodiment of the kingdom. And apart from [b] having Him none of us can make it.[/b]

Your sympathy is not something I need from you. Thanks anyhow.

You are unable to refute the teachings of Christ and the Apostles that speak of Christians who will be destroyed and who will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Thats your failure.

Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
'As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.'

(Ephesians 4:1-2)

A humble reminder for your soberness.

Thankyou.

The first three sayings of the constitution of the kingdom together.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. (v.3)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (v.4)

Blessed are the meek, for they shall be comforted. "(v.5)

After this we have the fourth saying concerning the hungering and thirsting for righteousness.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (v.6)

You may hunger for fame. You will find it vain.
You may hunger for riches. You will find that money cannot buy you the things you really long for.

You may strongly desire many things in this world. But they will not fully satisfy you. But if your hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God there will be the solid eternal satisfaction. The world cannot give it and the world cannot take it away.

This is actually God Himself wrought into your being. This is Christ Himself as the Righteous One worked into your soul. This is why Jesus said to SEEK FIRST God's kingdom and all other things will be added. For the central need of man is the ruling government of God and God's eternal purpose.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (v.6)

It is not wrong to want to be right. Most everyone here wants to be right.

Righteousness here denotes being right in our behavior. No one is as right as Jesus. To live Jesus is the most right. Christ says here we will be satisfied for genuinely seeking
righteousness because we will obtain it. When you obtain what you seek for you are satisfied. Those who seek for and hunger and thirst for this righteousness will be satisfied with obtaining what they seek.

This sentence goes very well with John 14:1,2 where Jesus said if there were only ONE abode in the Father's living house He would have told us.

He would have said that only He can live in the realm of God and the rest of mankind cannot experience such a reality. As it stands He went to prepare a place for us to be the abodes in the Father's house also.

"Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father's house are MANY ... abodes. If it were not so I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you ...so that where I am you also may be."

This is the other side of Matthew 5:6. Those hungering and thirsting for the true righteousness will be satisfied to obtain it.

Not only will they obtain forgiveness. But they will obtain the highest level of ethical living in Christ. Nothing else will be so satisfying.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ..."

This is the righteousness based on Faith. This is the righteousness that Paul obtained by exercising faith that Christ could be EVERYTHING he needed.

" and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which of God [meaning of God living in him through Christ] and based on faith." (Phil. 3:9)

Up to that point everything else Paul was proud of and had previous boastings in, he now counts a dogfood, as dung. In comparison all that pedigree of his culture, of his religion, of his natural talents and ability he counts as dung in comparison to living Christ.

He was satisfied with Christ. In comparison he counted everything else as dung.

"But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ.

But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things AND COUNT THEM AS REFUSE that I may gain Christ." (Phil. 3:7,8)

Give me Jesus says Paul.
You can have the rest. Give me Jesus Christ to live in Him.
Give me Jesus Christ to live in me.
By comparison everything else of this world is refuse, dogfood, dung in comparison.

There is no comparison. Nothing can compete with Jesus Christ my Lord.
Paul says he only wants to be found in Christ.
He is satisfied with Christ as his living indwelling righteousness.

Man wants to be like Jesus.
Jesus is what God meant by man.

Man is only satisfied when he is like Jesus the Son of God.
Paul only wanted to gain Christ. He had Jesus. He wanted to GAIN more and more of Jesus Christ for deeper and deeper satisfaction.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
“Poor in spirit.” This is the figure of speech “idiom,” and is an idiomatic way of saying “humble in their attitude.” To fully understand the idiom, we must examine both “poor” and “spirit.” The Greek word “poor” is ptochos (#4434 πτωχός, and it means poor in wealth, but can refer to being “poor” in other ways. For example, the people Christ addresses in ...[text shortened]... r” was used idiomatically for “humble.”
http://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Matthew/chapter5/3

The Greek word “poor” is ptochos (#4434 πτωχός, and it means poor in wealth, but can refer to being “poor” in other ways. For example, the people Christ addresses in Revelation 3:17 are technically wealthy in material goods, yet Jesus says: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’

Do you really believe that Jesus was referring to material wealth in Revelation 3:17 ?

Do you think that there "lukewarm" also refers to their physical body temperature ?

Do you think the the " eye salve" He counsels them to buy is physical soap for the physical eyes ?

Reconsider. That commentary is not to good on "wealth" and its significance for the church in Laodicea.

However, in Luke's sister passage to the Matthew 5:3 the verse only records Jesus saying "Blessed are the poor". See Luke 6:20.

The next verse:

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (v.7)

How a Christian will fare before the judgment seat of Christ has much to do with the capacity they had for showing mercy to others during the church age. The principle of the kingdom of the heavens is that we be strict concerning ourselves but merciful towards others. This is opposite of the typical human nature.

Our natural tendency is to be lenient on ourselves while strict and exacting towards others. The constituents of the kingdom of the heavens have this reversed. Towards their own behavior they are exacting, careful and strict. Towards others they exercise mercy.

As a result when they are judged by Christ (not for eternal redemption but for reward in the millennium) Christ will remember and be merciful to them.

I don't believe a Christian ever existed that did not require some mercy from God AFTER they began to follow Christ.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (v.7)

Mercy involves receiving what you do not deserve. This axiom of the kingdom is repeated clearly elsewhere in the NT. Paul is most probably speaking of a Christian, Onesiphorus in Second Timothy 1:16,18.

" May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus. For he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain; (v.16)

But being in Rome, he sought me out diligently and found me. (v.17)

May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day. And in how many things he served me in Ephesus, you know best." (2 Tim. 1:16-18)

We should understand this as pertaining to the reward Onesiphorus will enjoy in the manifestation of the kingdom - the 1,000 year reign of Christ.

Onisiphorus may or may not have been a pristine example of a sanctified Christian. Perhaps he was rather average. We do not know. But Paul's desire is that because he was merciful to Paul, Paul hopes that Onisiphorus himself will likewise be shown mercy by the Lord Jesus.

James 2:12-13 contains the same concept:

" So speak and so do as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:12,13)

But if you are a Christian who is always merciful on yourself, making allowances, making excuses, rationalizing WHILE putting your big thumb down on others, exacting from them that they should act right, beware.

This is merciful towards the self while pointed and exacting towards everyone else. Remember, in terms of the reward or discipline of the millennial kingdom -

" ... judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment."

I've said a brief word about the first five "articles" of the Constitution of the Kingdom of the Heavens. Here they are together with the new sixth article.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens" (v.3)

The kingdom people must recognize all their spiritual and moral riches reside not in themselves but in God and Christ. In fact all their riches period come from God.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (v.4)

Those seeking to live for the kingdom of the heavens will mourn for the surrounding degradation of the world. But they will be comforted because God's kingdom will prevail.

"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth" (v.5)

The kingdom people will inherit the planet for they leave their ultimate vindication up to God.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (v.6)

What the kingdom people seek first and foremost is God's righteousness. Everything else is secondary. And the fullest human satisfaction will be theirs because they have their priorities straight.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (v.7)

Fallen human nature's tendency is to be merciful towards the self but stricter towards the other. The kingdom people are strict with themselves but merciful towards others. As a result at the manifestation of the millennial kingdom, they in turn will be shown mercy by the King - Christ.

Now the next "article" -

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (v.8)

See below latter.

Now the next "article" -

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (v.8)

To be pure in heart is to be single in purpose.
It is to be uncomplicated with many goals and many aims.
Pure in heart is singular in having a goal.

Jesus again here was speaking about His own life.
Toward His Father and His glory Jesus was single, simple, singular, pure in heart, uncomplicated, focused and absolutely calibrated to one goal.

" I have come down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me." (John 6:38)

But a pioneer in the Christian life, Paul also become singular, focused , pure in heart for God's will and glory. And he taught his audience to be so.

" Therefore whether you eat of drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." ( 1 Cor. 10:31)

If we are pure in heart in seeking God, we will see God. The heart uncomplicates itself to have one overall priority - to seek God. The reward will be to see God. This is a blessing for today and for the next age also.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (v.8)

Sometimes we have a problem "seeing" God because we have too many goals.
We are not pure in heart to seek one all-important matter - God Himself.

We can ask God to unite our heart as the Psalmist did -

KJV - Psa. 86:11 11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

The Recovery Version -

" ... Make my heart single in fearing Your name." (Psalm 86:11)

Do you know a complicated heart with many goals often has a veil as a covering over it. To unite our heart to a single goal of seeking God is to TURN the heart to God. And the Bibles says that when the heart turns to the Lord the veil is taken away. The covering over the inner eyes is removed.

Actually the removal of the covering veil is the turning of the heart to God.

We need to purify our hearts to one goal and turn our heart TO God so that the veil covering our inward sense, is removed, and we see God.

" But their thoughts were hardened; for until the present day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant ... the veil is being done away in Christ...

But whenever [their heart] turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." (See 2 Cor. 3;14-16)

When you see a poster refer to "God figure". This indicates that he resist turning his heart to God as a living Person. Of course he doesn't believe that God is a living One. The covering veil remains over the heart's inward eyes. One cannot see God.

But to turn the heart and have a single and simple goal to seek God, the pure and heart will be blessed to see God.

It is good to pray -

" Lord Jesus, Right now I just drop everything Lord. I drop it all just to turn to You Lord Jesus. Lord take away the covering veil which obscures the light from shining. Shine into my heart Lord Jesus. Lord purify my heart right now to seek You to hunger for You alone FOR You."


It is good to set aside a TIME each day to SINGLE our heart for a time just to seek Jesus Christ, just to seek God.