Do not hold this sin against them.

Acts 7:51-8:8 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. ⁵² Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; ⁵³ you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; ⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. ⁵⁸ When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.

8 Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.

And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ² Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him. ³ But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

⁴ Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. ⁵ Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. ⁶ The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. ⁷ For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸ So there was much rejoicing in that city.

In today’s text we see Stephen truly doing what Jesus said and did, even to the very end. The text says:     They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”  Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”     Jesus says: I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.(Luke 6:27-28) Jesus Himself from the cross said: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."(Luke 23:34)  It is one thing to love the unlovely, to forgive those whose sin doesn’t really affect or impact us. But the unconditional love and forgiveness which Stephen demonstrates, forgiving and praying for the forgiveness of those who are stoning him is not a normal human response. That kind of love and forgiveness only comes from being fully yoked to Christ, fully yielded to the Holy Spirit.

It is difficult enough for us to forgive the normal every day offenses which come against us at the hands and mouths of others.  In Luke 5:3-5 we are given a key to our own ability to forgive:   Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,  and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”      Like the apostles, we too must recognize that forgiveness is a matter of faith. It is not something we will do well in our human nature. It requires faith, recognizing what we ourselves have been forgiven of, we then forgive others in response to the forgiveness of God which we have experienced. In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus says: “ For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”     Whether or not we can actually lose the forgiveness of our sins by holding the sins of others against them I don’t know. But certainly Jesus warns us that there are grave consequences to living in unforgiveness. In Matthew 7:1-2 Jesus says:  “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”      If we hold the sins of others against them and judge them as unforgiven, then we too will be judged and measured in the same way.

In order for us to truly live and do what Jesus said and did, to live and walk in unconditional forgiveness we must like Jesus decide in advance that we will forgive. Jesus knew what was ahead. He knew that He came to earth to give His life to redeem man from their sin. He knew those who would betray Him, those who would deny Him, He knew those who would mock Him. Yet as He shared the Passover meal with His disciples He said: this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.(Matthew 26:28) Jesus forgave before the offense.   If we wait until we are hurt or offended our forgiveness will tend to be conditional. We will forgive based on the outcome of the hurt or the offense. We will wait until we have come through, forgiving based on what we have endured. If we are to live and walk in true forgiveness, if we will like Jesus and Stephen love and forgive unconditionally, we must like the apostles ask that Jesus would increase our faith.    Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.(Hebrews 1:1) We must in faith forgive before we see the results. We must like Jesus decide in advance that we will forgive. We must in faith, yoked to Jesus, fully yielded to the Holy Spirit decide even now that we will forgive as we have been forgiven.  

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ thank You for the unconditional forgiveness You showed to me, that while I was yet a sinner You died for my sins, that I might be redeemed and restored. Like the apostles, I pray that You would increase my faith, that I might live a life of unconditional love and forgiveness. I choose today, now to forgive others knowing that offense will come. I say now, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” and ask that You, Holy Spirit would fill me, empower me and lead me to live and love, to forgive unconditionally when the offense does come. May it all be to Your glory.  Amen