The Example of Stephen
- Guy Cohen
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
From the Sinful Heart to the New Heart
Harvest of Asher
Akko, Israel
Since the fall of humanity, the human heart has tended toward sin, conflict, and death (Genesis 6:5). When people act out of their sinful nature, the result is strife, violence, and destruction.
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1). The wars and conflicts we see in the world begin in the human heart.
Stephen describes the human heart that is closed to God. “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your ancestors: you always resist the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51).
Scripture goes beyond diagnosing sin, promising a profound transformation of the human heart. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:26). Through Yeshua the Messiah, a person receives a new heart born of the Spirit of God.
This difference becomes very clear with Stephen. When the raging crowd begins to stone him – his natural reaction could have been fear, cursing, or a desire for revenge. But Stephen responds in a completely different way. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Instead of hatred there is prayer. Instead of revenge there is forgiveness. This is a heart touched by the grace of God and walking in the way of Yeshua, who said on the cross, “Father, forgive them.”
At first the story appears tragic and painful. A righteous man is violently killed. Yet within this scene there is a young man present named Saul and during the stoning “the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58, 8:1).
Years later Saul testifies about this moment. “And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him” (Acts 22:20).
Saul encountered Yeshua on the road to Damascus and became the apostle Paul. He wrote epistles that continue to guide and strengthen churches around the world.
Today as believers living in Israel, our calling is to pray for peace for ourselves as well as for those who are considered our enemies. Just as Stephen prayed for those who were stoning him, we are also called to pray for the peoples and nations that oppose us, including Iran, Lebanon, and other countries in the region. Such prayer is an expression of the new heart we have received in Messiah, a heart that seeks mercy, forgiveness, and salvation for all.
In Isaiah 19:23–25, God reveals a future in which former enemies are brought together under His blessing. The prophet writes that a highway will exist between Egypt and Assyria, and that the people of these nations will worship the Lord together. His ultimate purpose is redemption and reconciliation.
As believers in Yeshua living in the land of Israel today, this vision reminds us that God’s plan reaches beyond conflict and hostility. Just as Stephen prayed for those who persecuted him, we are called to pray for the nations around us, believing that God’s mercy can transform enemies into fellow worshipers.
In this way we see how God works even within painful situations. A sinful heart brings strife and death, but a new heart born by the Spirit of God responds with love and forgiveness. Stephen’s example reminds us that even in moments of suffering we can become God’s instruments – bringing life where it seems there is only death.
