Whereas New Covenantalism views the Law as simply just one large cohesive law, since the Jews did not delineate between the three categories.

Covenant Theology sees the law in three distinct categories: civil, ceremonial, and moral. The primary difference between New Covenantalism (aka Progressive Covenantalism) and Covenantalism is how each of them views the Mosaic Law. This view holds a great deal of continuity whereas dispensationalism has a great deal of discontinuity. All of the various smaller covenants (Davidic, Mosaic, Abrahamic, etc) are outworkings of this Covenant of Grace. This is an unconditional covenant God has with man where He promises to redeem and save the elect. The Covenant of Grace came about after the Fall. The covenant was broken when Adam and Eve sinned, and then God reissued the covenant at Sinai, where God promised long life and blessings to Israel if they obeyed the Mosaic Covenant. God promised life if man would obey, and He promised judgement if man disobeyed. The Covenant of Works was set between God and man in the Garden of Eden. A Covenant of Works and a Covenant of Grace. While they both will say that Scripture is progressive, this viewpoint is centered around God’s TWO covenants. The extreme opposite of this view is Covenant theology. Dispensationalists also hold to a very strict distinction between Israel and the Church. With each new dispensation the old one is done away with. As time progresses, so does the dispensation that is in effect. For example, God’s covenant with Adam was different than God’s covenant with Abraham, and they are still different than God’s covenant with the Church. In the middle would be progressive covenantalism.ĭispensationalists believe that Scripture is revealing a general unfolding of seven “dispensations,” or means through which God governs His interactions with His creation. There are three major theological views: on one side you have dispensationalism and on the other side you have covenant theology. Even the apostles seemed to wrestle with the implications of Christ’s covenant work (see Acts 10-11). Understanding the difference between the various epochs or dispensations across history has been a subject of great debate for quite some time. The Bible doesn’t tell us specifically who/what the seven spirits are, but the first interpretation, that they are the Holy Spirit, seems the most likely.Progressive covenantalism vs new covenant theology vs dispensationalism This would fit with the numerous others angelic beings that are described in the book of Revelation (Revelation 4:6-9 5:6-14 19:4-5).Ī third possibility is based on Isaiah 11:2, which says, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” This could possibly explain the seven spirits of God: (1) Spirit of the LORD, (2) Spirit of wisdom, (3) Spirit of understanding, (4) Spirit of counsel, (5) Spirit of power, (6) Spirit of knowledge, (7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord. The second view is that the seven spirits of God refer to seven angelic beings, possibly the seraphim or the cherubim.

If that is the meaning of the “seven” in the « seven spirits, » then it is not referring to seven different spirits of God, but rather the perfect and complete Holy Spirit. The Bible, and especially the book of Revelation, uses the number 7 to refer to perfection and completion. The first is that the seven spirits of God are symbolic of the Holy Spirit. There are at least three possible interpretations of the seven spirits of God.

Revelation 5:6 identifies the seven spirits with the « seven eyes » of the Lamb and states that they are « sent out into all the earth. » Revelation 4:5 links the seven spirits of God with seven burning lamps that are before God’s throne. Revelation 3:1 indicates that Jesus Christ « holds » the seven spirits of God. Revelation 1:4 mentions that the seven spirits are before God’s throne. The seven spirits of God are not specifically identified, so it’s impossible to be dogmatic. The « seven spirits of God » are mentioned in Revelation 1:4 3:1 4:5 and 5:6.

Seven spirits of god in bible