People who fear God, seek to know His ways and live by faith—not by sight—are citizens of the Kingdom of God or Heaven. Before Christ paid for salvation, God stated no one inquired of God, not one:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
Romans 3:10–11
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.”
Paul Reveals Humanity’s Corruption Under Sin in Romans 1
God has revealed Himself through creation. His eternal power and divine nature can be clearly seen, so humanity is without excuse. The problem is not that people have no knowledge of God. The problem is that they reject the knowledge He has given them. They refuse to glorify Him as God or give Him thanks.
When people reject God, their thinking becomes futile and their hearts become darkened. Although they profess to be wise, they become foolish. Sin corrupts understanding and lack of understanding impedes justice.
“Evil men do not understand justice,
Proverbs 28:5
But those who seek the Lord understand all.”
Because they refuse God’s rule, He gives them over to the desires they have chosen. Their rejection of God produces disorder in their thinking, desires, relationships, and conduct. Sin begins inwardly when people refuse to acknowledge God as God, and it eventually manifests outwardly in how they live.
Romans 1 also reveals that people can become so established in rebellion that they not only practice unrighteousness but also approve of others who practice it.
Sin has separated God from His people, even His chosen—Israel. Sin affected all creation and there was no option to be excluded from it. All suffered under sin because, apart from joining Israel, the Gentile nations had no covenant option to live differently until Christ came (Ephesians 2:12–19). Jesus restores original humanity and gives us a new and living way to be free of sin’s influence. As Jesus preached the gospel, He taught that His Kingdom “is not of this world” (John 18:36). There is a choice and a standard that Jesus introduces us to in the Beatitudes.
“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’”
Matthew 5:1–3
Luke’s version is slightly different: “Blessed are you poor” (Luke 6:20). Matthew and Luke use the same Greek word ptōchŏs (poor), but the blessing promise is the same, the kingdom. There were two kings in the Bible that were so pleased with someone that they were willing to give up to half their kingdom. The true Kingdom is not like earthly kingdoms. In the Father’s generosity, He is willing to give you all.
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Luke 12:32
Jesus is describing the inner workings of those who will dwell in the Kingdom. He has not yet explained His death, resurrection, or what it means to receive Him through New Covenant faith.
Therefore, poor in spirit comes first. The person recognizes their spiritual need and dependence upon God. That recognition produces humility; humility brings their strength under God’s rule as meekness; and meekness expresses itself through lowly service to others.
What Is the Kingdom?
The Kingdom of God is the everlasting rule of the Father, revealed and exercised through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Kingdom:
- was promised in Scripture;
- came near in Jesus;
- was demonstrated through healing and deliverance;
- is entered through repentance, faith, spiritual rebirth, and humble dependence;
- grows through the Word;
- produces obedience, righteousness, forgiveness, service, and fruit;
- is proclaimed to all nations;
- is present now in a hidden but powerful way;
- and will be openly manifested when the King returns.
The kingdom message is not simply that believers are going to enter in someday. It is that God’s Kingdom has come near in the King, must be received and obeyed now, and will one day be revealed in its complete power, righteousness, judgment, fellowship, and glory.
Who Are the Poor in Spirit?
People who recognize that God created living souls to live in the spirit by the leading of His Spirit. They come to realize that humanity was created to live in union with the Spirit of God, not apart from Him. True humanity is restored as we come to ourselves, humble ourselves, and return to God as prodigal sons (Luke 15:17–24).
The parable of the prodigal son illustrates what it means to become poor in spirit. The son “came to himself,” recognized the poverty of life apart from his father, humbled himself, and returned home. His father received him and restored the robe and ring that represented his identity and place as a son (Luke 15:17–24).
Receiving the Kingdom of heaven is not for those governed by the earthly realm but for those who live by the Spirit (Romans 8:5–14). We are 100% natural because we remain fully human, and we are 100% divine in participation because the Holy Spirit does not give us a fraction of Himself (1 Corinthians 12:13). Through union with Christ, we become partakers of the divine nature and receive everything necessary to fulfill our Kingdom assignment (1 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Peter 1:3–4). As the body is equipped and built up, we come “to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). This is the completion of our growth into the full expression of our humanity and our participation in the divine nature—the body becoming like Christ.