We Are Beggars. That is true.
Posted on : 15-07-2009 | By : Dan | In : General Teachings, Living Your Faith
Tags: grace, Martin Luther, piety, reception, spirituality
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Martin Luther penned these words shortly before he passed away, demonstrating his profound grasp of Christian spirituality. In Matthew 5:3, Jesus very simply says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The word used for “poor” in this verse is the term for a beggar. Those who are poor in spirit have no spiritual assets or credentials. They receive the Holy Spirit as beggars. Consider the following statement by John Kleinig in his book, Grace Upon Grace:
The Father’s kingdom is theirs as a gift, something that is always received and yet never possessed. Unless they receive God’s kingdom, they can never enter it and reign in it as kings together with Christ (Mark 10:15; Luke 12:32; 22:28-30).
In essence, spiritual maturity is thus the exact opposite of worldly maturity. Worldly maturity is measured by our increasing independence, our ability to be self-sufficient and accomplished. Conversely, spiritual maturity is measured by our increasing dependence upon Christ and His gifts. But it seems that American Christianity has transplanted this cultural model of maturity into the faith and now spirituality has become all about actualizing our spiritual potential or identifying our hidden talents. The proper understanding is that our spirituality has nothing to do with our performance, rather it has everything to do with receiving from God.
This is why in Matthew 5:6 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Jesus pairs righteousness with dietary nourishment, something we receive. He does not compare righteousness to any action that we should perform, but rather to needs that must be satisfied by God Himself, hunger and thirst. It is God who makes us righteous, it is not something we can accomplish by our right attitude or conduct. Hence we pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” We rely not on our own skill to receive bread, but upon God’s grace. The same is true of our spiritual walk. As I posted on Twitter and Facebook earlier, “Our justification does not depend on our piety and our spiritual performance but on Christ and His performance.”
We are beggars. That is true. How can we contend against the grain of culture on the issue of spiritual maturity? How do we effect change in churches who focus on worldly growth rather than teaching utter dependence on Christ? How do we confront leaders who are building their own kingdoms, rather than continually receiving Christ’s? And most importantly, how do we change our personal devotional life to reflect the life of reception, seeking God’s gifts as beggars rather than His applause as performers?
UPDATE: Jay Winters posted about Begging For Attention from God and he has some great followup thoughts on this post.
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Well said and written Dan, I’m sorry it’s been far too long since I’ve stopped in and commented, I do read all your posts though on my reader. Hope you and your family are well?
Doing well, Steve. I also read yours on my reader, but haven’t stopped in for awhile – I know how it goes, lol. Tiffany and I are doing good, just celebrated three great years of marriage!
This may sound asinine, but I don’t really mean it to be. When I read “seeking God’s gifts as beggars rather than His applause as performers” I thought to myself – “Is it ok to beg for God’s applause? [knowing we don't deserve it]“.
What do you think?
in Christ,
jW
I guess that depends on an individual’s motivation. Luckily, God considers our hearts over our outward actions (1 Samuel 16:7). I can’t really think of a time when I would beg God to applaud my performance versus simply longing for His acceptance, which I receive by grace. If the motivation behind seeking applause is “Notice me! Notice me,” then it is probably wrong. But if the motivation is “I hope you are pleased with what I have done for you and for your name’s sake,” that’s another issue altogether.
Even still, in Luke 17:7-10 Jesus seems to suggest that it may be wrong to seek God’s applause at all: “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Of course God has granted us sonship, but we mustn’t forget that we are also His servants. If God chooses to applaud us (and He very well may), that is wonderful. But that is also only by His grace. It’s probably not something we should seek after.