Stephen became the first Christian martyr. He is an example of what it means to live well and die well. Yet, we would miss the overarching point if we saw Stephen as a model merely during trial and tribulation, when one’s life is at stake. Stephen reminds us that those who have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, having been filled with every spiritual blessing in Christ, will be shown faithful because of our faithful God even when we are not under trial. Our faithfulness is not only expressed at moments of trial or in opportunities to defend the gospel but is displayed each Lord’s Day when we demonstrate our understanding of faithfulness by coming into the presence of Almighty God in worship.
It is not uncommon to find Christians who are confused and discouraged by the times. When things are difficult, it is easy to ask why they are so hard. There may or may not be specific answers to this question, yet the Scriptures remind us that the people of God have in every season faced opposition—yet not without purpose. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his commentary on Acts 6, said:
The Church has had to fight for her life from the very beginning. We have seen how the apostles were arrested and thrown into prison, how they were threatened, how they were commanded to stop preaching. From the moment it was born, the church has faced a world that has done everything it could to exterminate Christianity.
Although this perhaps tempts us to be more anxious than anchored, it reminds us that what we face is, in fact, not entirely unprecedented. It also causes us to look to the early church to see how they faced difficult circumstances and remained faithful. The life of Stephen, in particular, can help us understand how we are to live.
Stephen was chosen to serve the church and at his choosing, the needs were growing alongside the opposition. It is important we remember how glorious the truth is that our God is sovereign. The world does not rule, the world will not win, and the church can be confident that with every assault thrown at her, she will ultimately not fail—not because she is strong but because the One who stands behind her and dwells within her is strong. We get a glimpse of this reality in the life of Stephen. Although very little is said about him in the Scriptures, what is said has ripple effects ringing throughout eternity. Stephen lives a life full of faith that enables him to die in faith. How does this happen? Luke tells us that Stephen was filled not to be full, but to be faithful.
Luke says that Stephen was “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5), “grace and power” (Acts 6:8), and wisdom (Acts 6:10). A “man of faith” can be used simply as a cultural phrase that amounts to nothing, so what does Luke mean when he says that Stephen is “full of faith”? Fundamentally, true faith answers the need of every person. We, having fallen short of the glory of God and therefore justly under God’s perfect judgment, need to put our faith in Christ as our only substitute and atonement for sin. Faith trusts in Christ’s work alone for the forgiveness of sins, that His record is reckoned to us as Jesus took our payment. This is why the author of Hebrews can say, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” because it is faith that makes us right before God (Heb. 11:6).