THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY

Jesus Christ offers us the solution to this craving for abundant spiritual live. Jesus told His disciples, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He used this word “blessed” nine times in verses 3-11. I think He is trying to tell us something if He repeats it that many times in so few sentences.

Jesus offers us the solution

What does the word “blessed,” mean? The word in the original is makarios. It is essentially a state of mind and is identified with pure character that is founded in God’s righteousness. Sometimes you will see this word variously translated “to be envied,” “spiritually prosperous,” “filled with life–joy,” or “satisfied.” The spiritually prosperous person is not bound by the chances in life. To be “blessed” is to be conscious of perfect joy, perfect peace, and perfect rest. It is the inner condition of being a believer in Jesus Christ. It describes a person who is in a right relationship with God.

Happiness is not a good translation because its root is “chance.” I am happy if everything is going my way. It is purely a subjective evaluation of current events, feelings and emotions. Jesus is not teaching pop psychology or how to feel good.

Jesus is describing the inner state of a believer who is trusting in Him. Here is a life–joy that is completely untouchable and unassailable by the events in life. It is a word that describes the spiritually prosperous person who lives above the chances, changes and circumstances in life. It describes a joy that is completely independent of all life situations. There are no chances in life if we trust our lives to Jesus Christ. Life is not full of chances. It is moving toward an eternal goal––the consummation of and the unveiling of Jesus Christ as Lord and Master in our lives. If we take Romans 8:26-30 at face value they describe a life free from daily cares and worries because God is in control of our lives. This is the person whom Jesus describes as “blessed.”

M. R. Vincent described the word “blessed” as “a sense of God’s approval founded in righteousness which rests ultimately on the love of God.” He added it is “the express symbol of happiness identified with pure character.”

This is the spiritually prosperous person. He has an intimate, personal right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He enjoys the blessings of being in that relationship with Him. He has been graced by the grace of God. He is the recipient of God’s favor because of the right relationship.

This spiritually prosperous person experiences a blessedness and life–joy because God has been gracious to Him in providing salvation. It has nothing to do with our outward condition or status in life. Makarios is the life-joy that is evident from God’s blessings on a person’s life.

The only person who can be described in such a way is the believer in a right relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the state or condition of the believer who has experienced God’s saving grace. He is the recipient of the new birth, salvation, and responding to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in his life. When we cooperate with Him He produces this kind of live in us. He is enabled to minister these blessings to the believer when he is yielded to the Holy Spirit and cooperates with Him. This is the state or condition of a man to whom Christ’s righteousness is imputed by faith.

The “blessed” person or spiritually prosperous is the state of a person to whom Christ’s righteousness is imputed by faith. Such a person is promised the kingdom of heaven, comfort, mercy, shall inherit the earth, see God, is called a son of God, etc. It is a blessing that comes from God to those who trust in His Son for salvation and life. When we believed on Jesus Christ as our personal Savior we came to share in the very life of God. He gave us eternal life. It is Christ living His life in and through us by the presence of the Holy Spirit. In Him we have everything we need to life the spiritually prosperous life.

Here is a life–joy that takes us through our pain, sorrow, loss, grief, tears and fears. Change in fortune, collapse in health, failure of our plans, disappointments of our ambitions or dreams in life do not affect it.

The Beatitudes are not wishful glimpses of some future eternal sunset. They give us life and hope today. The spiritually blessed person is secure in Christ, significant in God’s Kingdom and sufficient in God’s provision. He is the recipient of divine favor and blessing. He is prosperous because of God’s saving and sustaining grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 8:1; Colossians 1:28).

This spiritual prosperity comes through faith in Jesus Christ. The world does not have anything to match this kind of life. Humanism can’t touch it.