From Rags to Riches

The word poor is defined as follows:  

  1.  Reduced to beggary, begging, asking for alms. 

  2.  Destitute of wealth, influence, position, honor.  (A) Lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches.  (B) Helpless, powerless to accomplish an end.  (C) Poor needy.  

  3.  “Lacking in anything…”  The same word is found in Matthew 11.5.  “…the poor have the gospel preached to them.”  Matthew 19:21 “…sell what you have and give to the poor…”  Matthew 26:11 “For you have the poor with you always…” (Luke 16:20, 22) translated beggar.  

In Matthew 5:3 the reference is not to physical poverty, rather it has reference to those who are spiritually destitute or spiritual beggars.  The person who is poor in spirit is the person who is spiritually in rags.  In reading such passages Romans 3:10, 23; Galatians 5:22, etc.  One should come to realize that everyone that is accountable before God is at some point in spiritual rags.  Does one have to remain in that state?  The answer is clearly “No”.  

Jesus Christ is the solution to spiritual poverty.  He emptied himself (divested himself) and assumed the role of a man to qualify himself to provide for us that necessary to enable us to be rich (Philippians 2:5-8).  Paul in writing to the Corinthians reminded them “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).  

Jesus as deity took on human form as a servant for the purpose of making a way by which humanity (if willing) can receive the spiritual richness that he alone could provide.  To provide such riches carries with it great expense.  It cost Jesus His life and blood (Hebrews 2:9; Matthew 26:28).  

How can one gain these riches?  They are appropriated the same way they were in the first century.  Jesus tells us in Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…”, or as Peter told the multitude on Pentecost, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name (by the authority) of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” Acts 2:38.  When a person sincerely obeys the gospel and becomes a child of God, he goes from rags to riches spiritually.  His riches involve “forgiveness, peace, reconciliation, citizenship in the kingdom of God, access to God through prayer, hope, etc.  To sustain or keep these riches one must be a faithful steward (1 Corinthians 4:2), remaining faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10).  The death of a faithful child of God brings the greatest riches of all “eternal life” (James 1:12, John 3:36; 5:24; John 14:1-3).  Paul referred to this richness in 2 Timothy 4:6-8.  The reason for making known the Gospel to the world is to make available to them the spiritual riches that is the result of a loving God, who gave His Son so mankind could go from rags to riches.  

Bill Cantrell