Blog

7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

  | 

The last post provided some thoughts on the topic of spiritual gifts. As I was researching that subject, I came across some references to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit within the Christian tradition. While often associated and connected with Catholicism, examining the basis and background of these gifts allows us to see the work of the Holy Spirit in ways we might not have considered before. 

Biblical Background
As I noted, this list of qualities of the Spirit appears in reference to the Messiah, the Servant of the Lord who would come from the line of David and would come to rescue God’s people. On what basis could we then say that these gifts also are given to Christians? We need to remember that Messiah means “anointed one” – one who is anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was at work in the ministry of Jesus, and this same Holy Spirit comes upon those who believe in Jesus (see this post on the gift of Spirit to all believers). Therefore, we can say that the same qualities that mark the ministry of the Messiah thus should mark believers as well. Through the years, theologians have made connections between these seven gifts and Christians virtues. For example, Thomas Aquinas connected the gift of wisdom to the virtue of charity, the gifts of understanding and knowledge to the virtue of faith, counsel (right judgment) to the virtue of prudence, fortitude to courage, fear of the Lord to the virtue of hope, and reverence corresponds to the virtue of justice.

Another Potential Thrust
As I studied this passage and the idea of these seven gifts, one thing that came to mind was whether the passage refers to seven distinct items; this is not just because of the question in terms of whether the seventh item would be “of the Lord” or “of godliness.” I say that because there seems to be overlap between some of the ideas – such as wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. In addition, there seems to be three sets of two – wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, and knowledge and fear of the Lord. While some theologians have discussed and developed each of the seven, others have noted that each pair may be making a particular point. For example, Raymond Ortlund notes that wisdom and understanding point to the ability to lead, counsel and might to make war, and knowledge and fear lead to holiness. J. Alec Motyer differs a bit and notes his ruling abilities, practical abilities, and spiritual abilities. Therefore, the focus of this passage may not be to discuss seven particular gifts of the Spirit given to believers, but rather to focus on different aspects of Jesus’s ministry (potentially in three as opposed to six categories).

Application to Our Lives
While I am not convinced Isaiah 11 is meant to show us the seven gifts given by the Holy Spirit, I do think this tradition can be insightful for us today and reminders of the work of the Holy Spirit. First of all, it is a reminder that believers have been anointed with the Holy Spirit; the same Spirit that was in Jesus is in us and upon us, and this should affect our lives. In addition, these qualities of what the Spirit does offer a different perspective on his work in our lives. At times, people can pit knowledge and the ministry of the Spirit against each other, but here we see a number of things involving having wisdom, insight, and knowledge. The Spirit helps us know how to live by pointing us to God’s work – and the Spirit gives us the strength to do so even in difficult moments. Above all, the work of the Spirit is meant to lead us to fear God more and more – with knowledge and fear of the Lord connecting (the more we know about God, the more we should stand in awe of Him). Finally, while the idea of the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit might not be the intent of this particular passage, these are qualities of the Spirit’s work that would seem to be available for each and every Christian. Therefore, may we ask God through the Spirit to give us wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord so that we can live as His anointed ones in this world, spreading the message of Jesus to all places of the earth.

Questions about the Bible or theology? Email them to Pastor Brian at Theology@WeAreFaith.org. You can also request to receive weekly emails with our blog posts by filling out the information on the right side.

Current Series


Easter

Weekend Resources