Acts 6:8-10 8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9Then some rose up from what is called the synagogue of the Freedmen, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arguing with Stephen. 10But they were not able to oppose the wisdom and the Spirit by which he was speaking.
The storyline of Acts shifts to one of the seven men designated to help with the ministry to widows. Stephen was already described as full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Verse 8 notes three more of his character qualities. First, he was full of grace (charitos). This word can have a range of meanings, from a person’s disposition or attractive personality to a quality of God. The term used in this context, especially when lined up with the other three qualities describing Stephen, has more of a spiritual sense. Stephen was blessed by God and showed it by how he lived. He modeled God’s grace and was an instrument through whom God reached people with the good news of Jesus Christ.
The second and third qualities go together. The power (dynameōs) Stephen had came as a result of the previous three qualities (faith, Holy Spirit, and grace) and was evident by his ability to do great wonders and signs. Miracles point to the power of God and should lead to spiritual change. They should never exalt the one through whom they are done but always bring glory to God and lead to faith. The healing stories in Acts show how people came to believe the truth of the gospel. The early years of the church were unique in all of history with the reports of such wonders and signs. God still does miracles in people’s lives, especially in contexts where the gospel is initially going out. God is the same and God’s power is still effective in changing people’s lives.
Following the pattern in Jesus’ own ministry, opposition arose with the outstanding effectiveness of Stephen’s ministry. He experienced similar reactions, verdict, and eventual death. This opposition was the first from people outside of the Jewish leaders and officials. Verse 9 mentions five groups who rose up and opposed Stephen. It is difficult to determine based on the grammar if this was one synagogue with five groups present or one synagogue of the Freedmen and then four additional groups. The names of the nationalities implies that these were all Hellenists or outsiders like Stephen. This may even have been the synagogue from which he came as a Hellenistic Jew, his “home church.” Like Jesus experienced opposition in Nazareth, Stephen experienced opposition from the people he used to worship with. It is also possible that Stephen returned to his resident synagogue and preached the gospel. The people there responded by arguing with him.
As verse 10 indicates, the opposition could not overcome Stephen’s wisdom and Spirit. Another translation challenge is how to interpret Spirit, either in reference to the Holy Spirit or Stephen’s personal spirit, as in demeanor or personal approach to people. The context would again suggest a more theological reading with this as a reference to the power of the Holy Spirit working through Stephen, giving him wisdom and ability to witness to the truth of the gospel. When God is with us, the world cannot stop our testimony. As chapter 7 shows, this opposition can get extreme, even to the point of death, but the power of God’s word changes people.
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