"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4)
The mourning referenced here refers to mourning over sin...it's a godly type sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation without regrets.
2 Corinthians 7:10 - "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death".
Godly sorrow refers to sorrow that is according to the will of God and produced by the Holy Spirit. True repentance cannot happen apart from such a genuine sorrow over one's sin. In the verse, 2 Cor. 7:10, the apostle Paul mentions "leading" saying that repentance belongs to the realm or sphere of salvation. Repentance is at the deepest part of the heart and proves one's salvation: Unbelievers repent of their sin initially when they are saved, and then as believers repent of their sins continually to keep the joy and blessing of their relationship to God.
Isaiah 40:1-2 mentions the comfort is the comfort of forgiveness and salvation.
Sorrow of the world produces death meaning human sorrow is unsanctified remorse and has no redemptive capability. All this sorrow is simply wounded pride of getting caught in one's sin and having one's lusts go unfulfilled. This sorrow leads only to guilt, shame, despair, depression, self-pity and hopelessness. "People can die from such sorrow" Matthew 27:3.
Continually, we need to practice godly sorrow. As I look inward at my sin I realize the need to maintain that constant, unbroken connection with the Father. When I "repent" is it Godly sorrow or is it worldly sorrow? Am I only asking for forgiveness because I got caught or am I truly burdened and broken over my sin. Today, be broken over sin and allow the Spirit to move your heart and refine it. When He tugs on you to remove a sin then take action to remove it from your life. Doing this will result in each day us being like Christ.
2 comments:
I like your interpretation of the mourning being about sin in our lives. It leads me to conclude, I guess, that mourning our sin is but the first step towards receiving the promised comfort (the next step being repentance, and so on). It is definitely a more personal interpretation -- and more action-oriented.
This verse is so often quotd as a way to cope with grief... what do you think of the interpretation wherein the person mourning is grieving over a loved one, or the loss of a job, dissolving of a friendship, world hunger, rainforests getting chopped down, etc.? This is one of the great "promise verses" in scripture...
Looking forward to continued discussion...
Nate,
Good questions...
The Beatitudes being part of the Sermon on the Mount make them a part of what Jesus set out to accomplish in these messages.
The Sermon on the Mount includes 5 messages, or discourses if you will, in Matthew (I'm sure this is known already by most). This sermon is a very masterful drawing out of the law and a deep, hard assault on Pharisaic legalism. It closes with a call to true faith and salvation.
Christ expounded on the full meaning of the law, showing that its demands were humanly possible (cf. Matthew 5:48)...this is the proper use of the law with salvation at the core: It closes off every possible avenue of human merit and leaves sinners dependent on nothing but divine grace for salvation. Christ showed that the law went far beyond the demands at the surface meaning and set a standard that is higher than the most diligent of those students of the law had previously realized.
The Beatitudes then have salvation at the core of their message. No doubt Jesus will comfort those of us who experience pain and hurt (Psalm 55:22 "Cast all your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved) but also, these times, can be growing times and we are allowed to struggle and wrestle with, for growing purposes. Ultimately the goal is Christlikeness.
So, salvation being the core of the message here the initial stance is for us to mourn over our sin with the promise of verses like Psalm 55:22...we can know, have faith in, full assurance of Christ's sustaining of believers.
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