Reflection

Stephen’s life is so influenced by the grace of God in the gospel that when faced with an unjust death at the hands of an angry mob, his dying breath is spent pleading with God to forgive his murderers. He has learned this love from Jesus, who prayed for the forgiveness of his persecutors, even as they crucified him (Luke 23:34, 46). It is difficult to imagine a more dramatic example of loving one’s enemies (Luke 6:27–28).

Stephen’s selfless love is motivated by the gospel. Christ died for Stephen and showered him with undeserved grace. As a response to God’s grace, Stephen reflects the same grace to his persecutors. Such radical forgiveness and love shocks a watching world, which has little motivation or power to forgive enemies.

Stephen’s confidence in the face of death and his mercy toward his enemies must have made an impression on Saul (Acts 7:58). At this point Saul was a persecutor of the church, but he would soon become its most famous supporter, receiving and extending God’s grace amid great hostility.

Reflection

Here John calls us to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1), referring to the spiritual presence behind religious teachings, whether true or false. We are to detect “whether they are from God” (vv. 1, 6).

John mentions two ways to know whether a teaching is from God. First, those who deny that, “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” are not from God (v. 3). All true teaching must affirm that the Son of God became a genuine human being. The second way to know if a teaching is from God is to test whether what is being taught is consistent with the teaching of the apostles—that is, Scripture. John says, “Whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (v. 6).