The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12)

“A New Heredity”

Almost every week, articles appear in our newspapers or news magazines covering the topics of DNA, genetics, cloning, or stem cell research. The scientific community is continuously exploring how to replicate, alter, or restore the physical structure of our human condition.

On the ethical and religious level, however, moralists and many Christians have for centuries been attempting to replicate, alter, or restore the spiritual dimensions of our basic human nature through sets of rules, regulations, and rituals that all good people appear to live by.

But the true mark of a Christian is not that one does good things out of one’s basic human nature, but that one has an inner disposition implanted in him by the supernatural grace of God. The source of right doing is right being. Godly conduct arises from a godly character imparted by God Himself. (“You must be born again.”)

When we turn to the godly character discussed in The Beatitudes of Matthew 5, we find a way of life that is not possible to practice by the power of our human will, intellect, or emotion. This way is only realized and then exercised out of the source of a new heredity that God the Father puts within us by the Holy Spirit.

Miraculous! Marvelous! God has put his own disposition (nature) into us, as follows:

John 3:6

⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

John 14:23

²³Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

John 10:22

²²And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

Romans 8:11

¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

2 Corinthians 5:17

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

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God has altered our heredity. He has not altered human nature. Rather, he has altered its source, imparting to us a divine DNA. In a real sense, we have only become Christians to the extent that we are learning to live out of our God-given heredity, instead of our natural human nature!

In the Beatitudes, Jesus shares with us some of how this new nature conducts itself.

Watch and enjoy this Beatitudes PowerPoint presentation for additional inspiration.

Pastor Dick

Click then read the Beatitudes before class, found in Matthew 5:3–12.

³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.
⁵Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.
⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.
⁷Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.
⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.
⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:3–12

Class 1	5:3 "As having nothing except what God has given . . ."
Class 2	5:4 "As grieving over sin as God grieves over sin . . ."
Class 3	5:5 "As submitting all one’s energy to the direction of God . . ."
Class 4	5:6 "As desiring God’s ways as a thirsting person desires water . . ."
Class 5	5:7 "As being as merciful toward others as God is . . ."
Class 6	5:8 "As longing for purity of life as God is pure . . ."
Class 7	5:9 "As being peaceable and working for peace . . ."
Class 8	5:10–12 "As one who lives joyfully under persecution . . ." and "On being Thankful"