Significantly, this stands behind much of what Jesus says in John’s Gospel (see 14:26 15:26 16:13–14). While Lordship and might (גְּבוּרָה) are mentioned, the primary emphasis is cognitive.
This sevenfold description locates the work of the Spirit in the realm of wisdom and knowledge. Verse 2 is where the seven descriptors of the Spirit are found, in that the Spirit is Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Greg Beale affirms the plausibility of Isaiah 11 (and Zechariah) being in the “background of the ‘seven spirits.’” In that passage, which “shows that God’s sevenfold Spirit is what equips the Messiah to establish his end-time reign,” the prophet writes, Wonderfully, the same Holy Spirit who dwells in God’s heavenly temple (1:4) has been sent to dwell in local churches (5:6).Īt the same time, the sevenfold spirit of God may also refer to Isaiah 11, where the Spirit of the LORD is said to “rest upon” the shoot of Jesse (i.e., the forthcoming king from David’s tribe). Rather, as with so many images in Revelation, the numeral seven represents the fullness of the Spirit abiding in God’s throne room and dwelling with the churches. In no way does the number represent something contradictory to the triune nature of God (three-in-one), nor does it crassly suggest there are seven spirits who represent God. While enigmatic, the symbolic use of the number seven in Revelation gives credible explanation: The seven spirits are God is a reference to the Holy Spirit, who is the perfect and complete Spirit of God. However this should only challenge us even more to cultivate our character.In the book of Revelation John speaks of the “seven spirits of God” (1:4 3:1 4:5 5:6). It can be a struggle to remain steadfast and live a Christian way of life especially with all the mixed messages and negative influences that we receive from our culture. Chastity also means indulging our physical desires within the right context such as being sexually pure before marriage and by remaining faithful to one’s spouse.Īs a member of the Catholic Faith we are expected to manifest these twelve fruits in our day to day actions. All vocations are called to have chaste in their way of living. ChastityĬhastity means giving ourselves to Christ completely whether as a priest, religious or layman. It does not mean denying ourselves from what we need or want, it is the ability to exercise moderation in everything we do. ContinenceĬontinence means having temperance and self-control. It also means being content with what we have and not harbor any selfish ambitions. It is believing that any of our successes, blessings and talents are gifts from God.
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