Articles
Stephen - Acts 7
Stephen - Acts 7
Accusation and martyrdom show what can happen with religious people. First, there was a strong disagreement about religion. They disputed with Stephen about his teaching that Jesus is the Christ. They tried but were unable to refute his teaching. What to do? Honest hearts would have believed and become disciples of Jesus. These religious people were NOT of honest hearts.
Being unable to refute the teaching, persecute / kill the teacher. Such are the carnal weapons that often get used in religious discussions. They “secretly instigated” people who made false accusations concerning Stephen (cp. 6:11, 13).
Stephen, in a long speech, calls them on it! Although they were the promised offspring of Abraham, they had consistently rejected God’s message and messengers! They rejected Joseph, they rejected Moses, and they even rejected God throughout their wanderings in the desert. NOW this generation was rejecting the Son of God.
Stephen draws his conclusion: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it” (Acts 7:51–53).
It wasn’t religion that brought this dreadful end to their discussion; it was the lack of true religious character on the part of Stephen’s detractors. Being religious is not always the same has being godly. People can grow through discussion of their religious differences, but only if they have good and honest hearts. There is no room for carnal weapons in a religious discussion. In teaching truth we must maintain our composure and character. We may find, as did Stephen, that being faithful to God will make enemies out of religious people. We may also find that such faithfulness unto God brings persecution from our enemies.
No matter, let us be faithful unto death and we shall receive the promised crown. Stephen did.
Hugh DeLong
