Stephen was first among the seven disciples appointed to oversee the distribution of resources so that no one in the church—especially the neglected Hellenistic widows—would be overlooked. Yet his ministry quickly extended beyond this practical service. Luke describes him as a man “full of grace and power” who performed “great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:5, 8).[1] The source of Stephen’s remarkable ministry was not natural ability but the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, who made him a courageous and formidable witness for Jesus Christ.
Now there were Hellenistic Jews from the synagogues of the Freedmen, Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia who rejected Christ rose up in opposition to Stephen. Yet they were unable to “withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10). Stephen spoke with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, fulfilling Jesus’ promise that the Spirit would give His followers the words to say when they testified before synagogues and governing authorities (Luke 12:11–12).
Unable to refute Stephen’s testimony, Christ’s opponents resorted to trickery. They secretly persuaded men to falsely accuse him, saying, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God” (Acts 6:11). “Blasphemy” in this instance is being used in the later technical sense of pronouncing the divine name of God; rather, more generally as the purported disrespect for God.[2] They then incited the people, along with the elders and scribes, to seize Stephen and bring him before the Sanhedrin (Acts 6:12).
Christ’s opponents brought before the Council false witnesses who alleged that Stephen continually spoke “words against this holy place and the law,” claiming that “Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us” (Acts 6:13–14). The “place” referenced was the Second Temple, and the “law” the Old Testament Scriptures. Similar false accusations had been brought against Jesus during His own trial before the Jewish council (Matt. 26:60–61; Mark 14:57–58).
But the false witnesses distorted Jesus’ teaching. He had foretold the coming destruction of the spiritually desolate Second Temple (Matt. 24:1–2; Mark 13:1–2; Luke 21:5–6), while also declaring that if the temple of His body were destroyed, He would raise it up again in three days — a prophecy fulfilled in His resurrection (John 2:19–22). Nor had Jesus come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). In His life, death, resurrection, and exaltation, He brought to completion all that the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms foretold concerning the Messiah and His redemptive mission (Luke 24:25–27, 44–47).
As the members of the Sanhedrin fixed their gaze upon Stephen, they saw that his face was “like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). His countenance took on a supernatural radiance. This remarkable transformation, unique in the New Testament, underscores God’s presence in Stephen’s witness and signifies that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke thus presents Stephen’s defense not merely as the testimony of an accused man, but as one “as that of an authoritative witness of God inspired by the Spirit.”[3]
Opposition to Christ continues to this day. Jesus warned that if the world hated Him, it would also hate His disciples, for “a servant is not greater than his master.” Indeed, hatred directed toward the Son ultimately extends to the Father who sent Him (John 15:18–25). One of the adversary’s chief tactics is to distort God’s Word in an effort to discredit Christ. This strategy reaches back to the Garden of Eden, where the serpent twisted God’s command to deceive Eve (Gen. 3:1–5), and it reappeared when Satan misused Scripture in an attempt to tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1–12). Today, critics similarly charge that the Bible is riddled with contradictions, morally deficient, and scientifically inaccurate. Yet such criticisms often arise from a fundamentally flawed approach to Scripture — one that imposes a rigid wooden literalism disconnected from sophisticated way the biblical authors penned their works through a rich variety of literary genres, figures of speech, and theological conventions.[4]
The widespread historical, biblical, and theological illiteracy of our day has left many Christians vulnerable to the devil’s schemes and “every wind of doctrine.” The remedy is to know the Scriptures well, for they equip believers to contend for “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (2 Tim. 2:14–17; Jude 3). Stephen’s remarkable defense before the Sanhedrin, as we shall see, demonstrates the depth of his knowledge of God’s Word and the theological discernment it provided in answering false accusations. More importantly, he spoke under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, who enabled him to bear faithful witness to Christ in the face of fierce opposition.
— WGN
Notes:
[1] All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025) unless noted.
[2] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 6:11.
[3] Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, expanded digital edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 351.
[4] Resources that I found helpful in addressing apparent Bible contradictions include Hank Hanegraaff, The Complete Bible Answer Book: Collector’s Edition Revised & Expanded (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2024), Paul Copan, Is God A Vindictive Bully? Reconciling Portrayals of God in the Old and New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022), Paul Copan, When God Goes to Starbucks: A Guide to Everyday Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008), Gleason Archer, New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982), and Walt C. Kaiser, Peter H. Davids, F.F. Bruce and Manfred T. Brauch, Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).
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