Think with me for a moment about bird spotting. Birds are known by their distinguishing marks. You know an American goldfinch by its distinctive yellow color, and you know a spotted sandpiper by its long beak and distinctive spots.
But how would you know a true Christian? What are the distinguishing marks of a person who lives under the blessing of God—someone who derives their joy from the gospel? The starting point for making progress in the Christian life is to know for sure that you’re in fact a Christian. But how would you know a true Christian if you saw one?
Are the distinguishing marks of a life under God’s blessing evident in you?
The Beatitudes tell you what a true Christian looks like. They don’t describe the process by which a person becomes a Christian. The goldfinch is known by its distinctive yellow color, but the yellow color didn’t make the bird a goldfinch. The bird is yellow because it’s a goldfinch. Its nature gave rise to its color, and its color reflects its nature. Painting yellow dye on a blackbird wouldn’t make it a goldfinch.
This distinction is really important when it comes to rightly understanding the teaching of Jesus in the Beatitudes. A Christian is known by the distinguishing marks set out by Jesus in Matthew 5:1-12. But these marks are the evidence of new life in Christ, not its cause. Salvation through faith in Christ is what gives us new life. You cannot work your way toward God’s love. He already loves you so much that He died for you! Matthew 5:1-12 says:
When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the humble,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
“You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
There’s a definite order in the Beatitudes, and each one flows from the others that went before. Two metaphors illustrate this process. The first illustrates the stages of growth of a plant.
There’s an order to the Beatitudes, and each one propels you toward the next.
You’ll find that the first three Beatitudes deal with our need. We’re poor in spirit (see v. 3) because we don’t have what it takes to live as God commands. We mourn (see v. 4) because our sins are many. We become meek rather than self-willed and defiant (see v. 5) because we don’t have the ability to direct our own lives wisely. These are the roots of a blessed and godly life.
Out of these roots come the shoots of the Fourth Beatitude, a hunger and thirst for righteousness (see v. 6). God uses the root of recognizing your spiritual need to produce the shoot of a deep longing to grow in righteousness. Then, when the roots of the first three Beatitudes are nourished, a great desire for righteousness springs up in your life.
Continuing the metaphor, the roots produce shoots, and the shoots bear fruit. The fruit of this blessed and godly life is, first, mercy or forgiveness (see v. 7), then purity (see v. 8), and finally peace (see v. 9).
Our Lord also gave us an Eighth Beatitude: “Blessed are those who are persecuted” (v. 10). This one is different from the rest because the others all reflect character that God’s people are to actively pursue. Persecution is different. We aren’t to pursue it, but we’re to understand that when we seek the blessed, godly life that Jesus lays out for us in the Beatitudes, persecution will pursue us. Those who are blessed by God will be persecuted in this world. (You’ll find an expanded version of this roots, shoots, and fruit metaphor on p. 136.)
The order of the Beatitudes shows us how to make progress in the Christian life. We can view our progress by looking at our second metaphor—gymnastics rings in a gymnasium.
When you climb the platform, the first ring is within your reach. If you pull it back and swing on it, your momentum will bring you within reach of the second ring, and swinging on the second will bring you within reach of the third. Purity of heart is the sixth ring, and there’s only one way to get there. You have to climb the platform and swing through the first five. The cumulative momentum builds as you swing from one ring to another. That’s the big idea of this session:
There’s an order to the Beatitudes, and each one propels you toward the next.
Try to grasp this simple analogy in your mind. The only way to get to the fifth ring of forgiveness, the sixth ring of purity, or the seventh ring of peace is by means of the rings that come before. You can’t start from the fifth, sixth, or seventh ring. Each has to be reached, and the Beatitudes show you how. Together they’re a road map for progress in your Christian life.
This is adapted from Momentum, a Bible study on the Beatitudes.
