In the opening line of the book of Psalms, the psalmist declares, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” The psalmist teaches that those who trust in God and walk in his ways are blessed. But what does it mean to be blessed?
For many of us, when we hear the word blessing, our first inclination is to think of material success and personal well-being. If a person tells us they were blessed last year, our minds will interpret this to mean that they did well financially or that they didn’t have many challenges in their personal life. When we hear the word blessing, we usually equate it with a secular definition of prosperity.
It’s easy to see why we think this way. In the Old Covenant, God’s blessings often came in the form of material success and personal well-being. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Moses describes the covenant blessings God’s people would experience if they followed God’s commandments. These blessings were largely material blessings. For example, in 28:4 Moses declares, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock” (Deut. 28:4). God’s blessing can come in the form of material well-being.
However, as we come to the New Testament, we are confronted with a new reality. While God’s blessing may include material success and personal well-being, God’s blessing cannot be equated with these things. The New Testament does not allow us to understand blessing so narrowly.
In 1 Peter 3:14b, Peter writes, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed.” A person could understand this verse to mean that even if a person suffers for the sake of righteousness now, she will be blessed later. But that’s likely not what Peter is saying. Instead, he is teaching that if a person suffers for the sake of righteousness, she will be blessed, even as she suffers.
Jesus says something very similar in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:10, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus continues in the following verses:
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
If we define blessing only as material success and personal well-being, then Jesus’ words are complete nonsense. If blessing is only material blessing, then people who suffer for the sake of righteousness are not blessed. If blessing is only personal well-being, then those who are reviled and persecuted are cursed. And yet, Jesus insists that they are blessed.
Is there a definition of blessing that can make sense of Jesus’ words? There is. To be blessed means to belong to God as His beloved child.
When a person joins God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ, their life is stamped with the word blessed. This doesn’t mean they will necessarily enjoy prosperity by the standards of this world. But it means that no matter what happens to them, they are seen and loved by their heavenly Father.
In 1 Peter 2:20, Peter writes, “If when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God” (1 Peter 2:20b). When God looks at a person who endures patiently while suffering unjustly, God is well-pleased with that person. Peter calls them blessed because God looks upon them with love.
We probably won’t be able to change the way we use the word blessing in our everyday conversations. But we would do well to remind ourselves of what true blessing really means.
