The Beatitudes

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
They are the poor in spirit, whom He declares to be blessed. Whom Christ pardons, He
first makes penitent, and it is the office of the Holy Spirit to convince of sin. Those
whose hearts have been moved by the convicting Spirit of God see that there is nothing
good in themselves. The poor of this world" who are "rich in faith". So the poor in spirit
are enriched with the fulness of Christ, which is the kingdom in substance.
2. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
The mourners shall be "comforted." Even now they get beauty for ashes, the oil of joy
for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Sowing in tears, they
reap even here in joy. Still, all present comfort, even the best, is partial, interrupted,
short-lived. But the days of our mourning shall soon be ended, and then God shall wipe
away all tears from our eyes. Then, in the fullest sense, shall the mourners be
"comforted."
3. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
The meek "shall inherit the earth." It was through the desire for self-exaltation that sin
entered into the world, and our first parents lost the dominion over this fair earth, their
kingdom. It is through self-abnegation that Christ redeems what was lost. And He says
we are to overcome as He did. Revelation 3:21. Through humility and self-surrender we
may become heirs with Him when "the meek shall inherit the earth." Psalm 37:11. {MB
17.2}
4. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Righteousness is holiness, likeness to God, and "God is love." 1 John 4:16.
Righteousness is love, and love is the light and the life of God. The righteousness of God
is embodied in Christ. We receive righteousness by receiving Him. {MB 18.1} As we
need food to sustain our physical strength, so do we need Christ, the Bread from
heaven, to sustain spiritual life and impart strength to work the works of God. As the
body is continually receiving the nourishment that sustains life and vigor, so the soul
must be constantly communing with Christ, submitting to Him and depending wholly
upon Him. {MB 19.1}
5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
 The heart of man is by nature cold and dark and unloving; whenever one manifests a
spirit of mercy and forgiveness, he does it not of himself, but through the influence of
the divine Spirit moving upon his heart. "We love, because He first loved us." 1 John
4:19, R.V. {MB 21.3} The merciful are "partakers of the divine nature," and in them the
compassionate love of God finds expression. All whose hearts are in sympathy with the
heart of Infinite Love will seek to reclaim and not to condemn. Christ dwelling in the soul
is a spring that never runs dry. Where He abides, there will be an overflowing of
beneficence. {MB 22.2}
6. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God
"Blessed are the pure in heart," have a deeper meaning--not merely pure in the sense in which
the world understands purity, free from that which is sensual, pure from lust, but true in the
hidden purposes and motives of the soul, free from pride and self-seeking, humble, unselfish,
childlike. {MB 25.1} The pure in heart live as in the visible presence of God during the time He
apportions them in this world. And they will also see Him face to face in the future, immortal
state, as did Adam when he walked and talked with God in Eden. "Now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face." 1 Corinthians 13:12. {MB 27.1}
7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1.
Whoever consents to renounce sin and open his heart to the love of Christ, becomes a partaker
of this heavenly peace. {MB 27.2} There is no other ground of peace than this. The grace of
Christ received into the heart, subdues enmity; it allays strife and fills the soul with love.
Christ's followers are sent to the world with the message of peace. Whoever, by the quiet,
unconscious influence of a holy life, shall reveal the love of Christ; whoever, by word or deed,
shall lead another to renounce sin and yield his heart to God, is a peacemaker. {MB 28.1}
8.Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Through trials and persecution, the glory--character--of God is revealed in His chosen ones. The
church of God, hated and persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school
of Christ. They walk in narrow paths on earth; they are purified in the furnace of affliction. They
follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial and experience bitter
disappointments; but their painful experience teaches them the guilt and woe of sin, and they
look upon it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ's sufferings, they are destined to be
partakers of His glory.