The Blessings And Promises Of The Beatitudes
Its important to note a few things about the Beatitudes.
First, each one begins with, Blessed are. The word blessed means happy, fortunate, blissful, which means each Beatitude translates roughly as happy are those who are. Each Beatitude begins with a blessing and ends with a reason for that blessing.
Its also interesting to note Jesus presents the Beatitudes all in the future tense except for the first and last ones. For they shall be implies something yet to come while the first and last Beatitudes are in the present tense. The kingdom is here, but it is yet to be found by those who havent experienced salvation.
In Part One, lets look at the first four Beatitudes in order.
How Do The Beatitudes Make Your Life Happy And Better
The beatitudes fundamentally tell us how to live our relationship with God. In Matthews version of the beatitudes, Jesus presents the foundation of Gods kingdom. Jesus offers us blessedness, the qualities of Gods reign that give us peace. This is different from happiness, which is merely a temporary feeling.
What Is The Main Message Of The Beatitudes
From a Christian perspective, the Beatitudes teach that people are blessed even in hard times because they will receive eternity in heaven. Also, we are blessed for having honorable qualities such as being meek, righteous, merciful, pure, and peacemakers.
Also Check: Do Not Dwell On The Past Bible Verse
Blessed Are They That Mourn: For They Shall Be Comforted
The blessing is not upon all that mourn but upon those who mourn in reference to sin. They shall be comforted by the discovery and appropriation of God’s pardon. But all mourning is traced directly or indirectly to sin. We may take it, therefore, that in its widest sense the beatitude covers all those who are led by mourning to a discerning of sin, and who so deplore its effects and consequences in the world as to yearn for and seek the deliverance which is in Christ.
What Are The 10 Beatitudes
44. The ten beatitudes :Beatitude.01.Blessed are the hungry.Beatitude 02. Blessed are the poor in spirit.Beatitude 03 Blessed are the truly poor. The very poor Beatitude 04. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice. Beatitude 05. Beatitude 06. Beatitude 07. Beatitude 08.More items
You May Like: How To Read The Bible In Chronological Order
Blessed Are The Pure In Heart For They Shall See God
To be pure of heart is to be free of all selfish intentions that are filled with the things of God. What a beautiful goal to have. Jesus says those of pure hearts shall see God. This makes perfect sense because having a pure heart means a heart void of sin. A pure heart has a passion for pleasing God, which opens up the heart to many incredible things. A pure heart loves his or her neighbor, is loving-kindness, forgiving, and many more.
The Structure Of The Beatitudes
The name beatitude comes from the Latin beatitudo/beatus, because the first word of each statement in the Latin Vulgate is beati, which translates Matthews Greek word makarios . Some recent versions translate makarios as happy or fortunate, which can be good renderings, but the modern usage of those terms tends to trivialize the meaning by simply suggesting a temporary emotional or circumstantial state. The somewhat ambiguous English blessed perhaps is still the best term to describe Jesus statements.
Eight primary statements of blessing make up the Beatitudes, with the ninth statement of blessing being an extension and personalization of the eighth beatitude for Jesus disciples who experience persecution:
Recommended Reading: What Is Sanctification Mean
What Does Beatitudes In The Bible Mean
BeatitudemeaningBibleBeatitudes
. Likewise, people ask, what do the Beatitudes mean?
The Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are a series of blessings that are found in the fifth chapter of Matthew in the Christian Bible. The word ‘beatitudes‘ is derived from beatitudo, a Latin word meaning ‘blessedness ‘ hence, the name is used to refer to this biblical passage where each verse begins with the word ‘blessed.
Similarly, what are the 10 Beatitudes? 44.The ten beatitudes :
- Beatitude.01.Blessed are the hungry.
- Beatitude 02. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
- Beatitude 03 Blessed are the truly poor. The very poor –
- Beatitude 04. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice.
- Beatitude 05.
They Who Are Persecuted
Jesus concludes with a bold declaration in Matthew 5:10.
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Christians are all called to hold strong in their beliefs, even though they may be persecuted or their opinions will not be popular. If a Christian is unfairly treated due to their faith, they will ultimately be blessed in the next life and inherit the kingdom of heaven. Christians should hold fast to their beliefs even when they are told to do something that contradicts their beliefs or that they know to be wrong.
This passage continues in Matthew 5:11-12: Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. Persecution persists throughout the world in many forms. Christians are called to love and help those who are persecuted and help raise them up. In verse 11 when it refers to those who, utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account, it is referring to those who use the name of God in vain to persecute others and declare themselves Christians while acting in direct opposition to the teachings of Christ.
Recommended Reading: Bible Say About Cremation
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit For Theirs Is The Kingdom Of Heaven
The phrase “poor in spirit” speaks of a spiritual condition of poverty. It describes the person who recognizes his or her need for God. “The kingdom of heaven” refers to people who acknowledge God as King. One who is poor in spirit knows he or she is spiritually bankrupt apart from Jesus Christ.
Paraphrase:“Blessed are those who humbly recognize their need for God, for they will enter into his kingdom.”
Meekness Is Not Weakness
In todays culture, meekness often is interpreted as a weakness. But since its true meaning has more to do with both the body and mind, we understand that it is more correctly a source of power.
Jesus is a perfect example. He was meek, but He wasnt weak. As He hung on the cross, He had all the power of heaven at His disposal, but He never used it. So, we cannot interpret meekness as lacking assertiveness or self-interest simply because the original meaning has nothing to do with the self at all.
If being meek then means total acceptance of Gods decisions believing everything He does is for our good, and if it is a source of power in producing good fruit in our hearts, then we can better understand Jesus promise in this verse we will inherit the earth.
To understand inherit the earth better, we go back to Psalm 37 from which Jesus was quoting this Beatitude.
For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more. Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psalm 37:911
To inherit the earth then means to delight in the abundance of peace that will only come from God and the establishment of His eternal kingdom one day both in heaven and on the earth.
Recommended Reading: Define Love According To The Bible
What Do The Beatitudes Teach Us
The Beatitudes are attributes and characteristics for every Christian to live by today. But we are not left alone to accomplish this task. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us live them out daily.
The Beatitudes are in total opposition to our world. The more we are like Christ, the more we stand out.
Satan tries his best to make sure we dont put the Beatitudes into practice. We overcome temptations by letting the Holy Spirit strengthen and equip us. We have His power inside us to overcome and rise to the challenge to live them out.
We live in this world with joy and peace because we know what lies ahead in eternity. He also promises His peace for us now. My heart is at peace, neither troubled or afraid, when I claim His blessings.
While reading these Beatitudes, I hear the overwhelming statement this world is not my home ringing in my ears. Someday He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and we will feast at His banquet table. We will wear white robes of righteousness and share in His glory.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. Matthew 5:12NIV.
Which Beatitude do you feel convicted to work on?
What new truth about the Beatitudes did you learn?
What does blessed mean to you?
Blessings!
Where In The Bible Does It Talk About Having A Relationship With God
ETERNAL LIFE IS EXPRESSED THROUGH LOVING RELATIONSHIPS
The first and great Commandment is: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, love your neighbor as yourself . A persons love for God must show itself in love for people.
You May Like: What The Bible Says About Tattoos
A Close Analysis Of The Beatitudes
Probably the best way to study these beatitudes would be to work through the basic process for each one–the definitions, the backgrounds, the connections and the applications. If you were teaching the beatitudes to a class you would do better by applying each one as you discuss it, rather than to wait til the end to try to apply them one by one.
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Old Testament Background. Part of the understanding of the beatitudes is to see the Old Testament background concerning these descriptions of the Messianic kingdom and the people who enter it. I mentioned Isaiah 61:1-3 before, and so this for one passage could be read. In it the Messiah would be anointed to preach good tidings to the poor . That passage helps us a little with our understanding of the poor. We tend to think of the poor primarily in terms of finances or possessions. That is part of it, but there is a spiritual side to it too. The word Isaiah uses describes the people who had been taken into exile. They were of course poor, having their land and possessions ripped away but they were also afflicted and oppressed, they were powerless and without hope, and they were desperate. The physical poverty was intensified by the poverty in their spirit.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
5. Blessed are the Merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Observations On The Text
So here we have a series of proclamations without a narrative. The narrative introduction simply sets up the sermon and the sermon begins with these proclamations. Each of the beatitudes is formally a declarative sentence but each is implicitly hortatory, calling for a response.
The method of studying these will be a little different. We still must think in terms of the contexts, not only the historical context of the first century Jewish culture and beliefs, but also the context of the beatitudes in the sermon on the mount, the proclamation of the nature of the kingdom. The study of this section will have to deal primarily with the meanings of the words within those contexts, especially the context of the culture that knew these ideas from their Hebrew and Aramaic languages. Here is where it would be good to have a good word study book, or a book on biblical theological themes or ideas, and possibly a good Bible dictionary if it deals with words like meek or poor or the like.4_ftn4
Most summaries of the beatitudes say that there are eight of them–but you may observe nine blesseds. The difference is that the last saying in the list is different: it does not say blessed are they but blessed are you. Moreover, it seems to be a further clarification of the eighth one with specific application being made to the disciples.
Read Also: What Does God Say About Isolation
Blessed Are They Who Are Persecuted For The Sake Of Righteousness For There Is The Kingdom Of Heaven
While on earth, Jesus warned his followers that they would be persecuted. We indeed live in dangerous times, where many children and prophets of God suffer because of their faith. Saul, for example, was persecuted, Stephen Paul, and nearly all the apostles all suffered persecution. Some have had to pay the ultimate price, and the Kingdom of heaven awaits them.
Living Out The Beatitudes
There are a number of ways in which the Beatitudes come into play in daily life. Indeed, there are certainly many other ways in which these tenets can be lived out as well. There are numerous Christian resources that describe how Christians should live out the Beatitudes and Christs other teachings. Whether you are a believer or simply curious, the Bible is a fascinating book with a rich history, and the Beatitudes describe universal virtues such as humility, compassion and helping others that can resonate with anyone.
You May Like: How Many Times Bible Says Fear Not
What Does Blessed Are The Meek For They Will Inherit The Earth Mean
Interpretation. The phrase inherit the earth is also similar to theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 5:3. A refined meaning of this phrase has been seen to say that those that are quiet or nullified will one day inherit the world. Meek in the Greek literature of the period most often meant gentle or soft.
What Are The Gift Of The Holy Spirit
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are an enumeration of seven spiritual gifts originating from patristic authors, later elaborated by five intellectual virtues and four other groups of ethical characteristics. They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
Recommended Reading: Verses About Helping The Poor
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn For They Will Be Comforted
“Those who mourn” speaks of those who express deep sorrow over sin and repent from their sins. The freedom found in forgiveness of sin and the joy of eternal salvation is the comfort of those who repent.
Paraphrase:“Blessed are those who mourn for their sins, for they shall receive forgiveness and life eternal.”
How Do The Beatitudes Relate To Modern Day Society
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. A modern day example of this beatitude can be a group of people who give clothes to a shelter. You can give your clothes to the Mary Mother of Hope House which is a homeless shelter in Delaware. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Read Also: We Are Born Sinners
What Does It Mean To Be In Friendship With God
Those individuals who are truly wise in the Old Testament sense, that is, those who perfectly observe Gods law, are said to be the friends of God: For to men she is an unfailing treasure those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God, to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them (Wis
Besides, How does God provide us with the direction and the strength to live a life of beatitude?
God provides us with the direction and the strength to live a life of beatitude through the graces given in Baptism, the Eucharist, and the other Sacraments. Justification is Gods action of bringing a sinful human being into right relationship with him.
Keeping this in mind, What does Bible say about friendship with God? For it is an unfailing treasure for mortals those who get it obtain friendship with God, commended for the gifts that come from instruction.
Related Contents
What Are The Beatitudes And Their Promises
The beatitudes were blessings declared by Jesus during his sermon on the mount near Galilees Sea. These blessings were unlike the Ten Commandments given to Moses. That was because these were a blessing in a positive spirit and not commandments. The Beatitudes listed the values in life, which ultimately leads to prosperity and salvation.
The beatitudes are words of encouragement that, when followed, bring blessings to Christians. There is no mistake that the beatitudes came in the first book of the Holy Eucharist. Matthewss gospel was directed to transform followers of Jesus who were previously immersed in the Old Testament and bring them into a new light. The book of Mathew drew our attention to the fact that Jesus was the way, the truth, and life. That establishes him in a similar light to Moses, and therefore the beatitudes are blessings Christian faithful hold, dear.
Don’t Miss: What Is An Omer In The Bible