The first Christian martyr recorded in the Bible was Stephen, a man whose death became a powerful testimony to the great truths upon which Christianity rests. At the very beginning of the Christian dispensation, the dispensation of light and truth, God placed before the world a living demonstration of two great spiritual realities: Christ in heaven, glorified at the right hand of God, and Christ in His people, manifested through the Holy Spirit.
These two truths belong together. The Christ who reigns above is the Christ who lives and works within His people.
CHRIST IN HEAVEN
As Stephen stood before his persecutors, the fury of religious hatred surrounded him. But heaven opened before his eyes, and he saw something the natural eye could not see. Acts 7:55-56 tells us that Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He declared, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
What a revelation! The One whom men had crucified was not defeated. The One whom the world had rejected was glorified. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead and was exalted to the place of divine honor and authority. The cross was not the end of His story. The empty tomb was not the end of His work. Christ had ascended, and He was reigning.
Christianity rests upon this glorious reality. Our Savior is not merely a memory from the pages of history. He is the living Lord of heaven. Hebrews 1:3 declares that after He had purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
CHRIST IN US
Stephen was not merely looking toward heaven; the Holy Spirit was at work within him. Acts 6:5 describes him as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Acts 7:55 again emphasizes that he was full of the Holy Spirit. The glory of the exalted Christ was being reflected in the life of His servant.
Notice the remarkable evidence. While stones were being hurled against him, Stephen prayed for his persecutors. He cried out, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60). His response brings to mind the prayer of Jesus upon the cross. The Christ who had been glorified in heaven was being displayed in the character of His servant on earth.
This is the wonder of the Christian life. Christ reigns above, yet His life is manifested in His people. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
The Christian faith is not simply believing that Jesus once lived, died, and rose again. It is trusting the living Lord and allowing His life to shape our own. The exalted Christ becomes the center of our hope, and His presence transforms our hearts, our conduct, and our relationships.
Here, at the dawn of the Christian dispensation, Stephen stands as a witness to these two glorious truths: Christ in heaven, our reigning Lord, and Christ in us, our transforming life. One gives us confidence in our Savior's authority; the other gives evidence of His work within us.
May we never separate what God has joined together. Let us look by faith to the Christ who reigns in glory, and let us live so that the world may see His character in us.
BDD
