What is the meaning of Acts 6:10? But They Could Not Stand Up The council’s most learned debaters lined up against Stephen, yet “they could not stand up” (Acts 6:10). Their arguments fell flat, their logic unraveled. Why? • Jesus had promised, “I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict” (Luke 21:15). This moment fulfills that promise in real time. • Just as the authorities were “amazed” and “recognized that [Peter and John] had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13), Stephen’s Christ-formed confidence left them speechless. • Opposition to God’s truth never ultimately prevails (Isaiah 54:17); when God defends His servant, human cleverness is no match. To His Wisdom Stephen’s wisdom was more than sharp reasoning; it was Spirit-saturated insight that pointed every issue back to Christ. • James describes heavenly wisdom as “pure…peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit” (James 3:17). Those very qualities characterized Stephen’s defense in Acts 7. • Like Solomon, to whom God said, “I have given you a wise and discerning heart” (1 Kings 3:12), Stephen received wisdom as a divine gift, not a human achievement. • Colossians 4:5 urges believers to “act wisely toward outsiders.” Stephen models that principle, using wisdom to open doors for the gospel rather than to win an academic duel. Or the Spirit His adversaries were not merely facing a gifted speaker; they were confronting the Holy Spirit Himself. • Jesus had explained, “It will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:20). Acts 6:10 records that very dynamic. • Acts 4:8 notes that Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” spoke with boldness; here the same Spirit empowers Stephen. Different men, same divine source. • When the Spirit moves, conviction pierces even hardened hearts (John 16:8). The inability of the council to refute Stephen reveals more about their resistance to God than about any rhetorical shortcoming. By Whom He Spoke Every word Stephen uttered flowed from intimate fellowship with the Spirit. • Acts 2:4 shows the pattern: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak…” What began at Pentecost continues here. • Paul later reminds Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power” (2 Timothy 1:7). Stephen’s courage embodies that power. • This dependence on the Spirit is the hallmark of effective witness (Zechariah 4:6): “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.” Summary Acts 6:10 illustrates the unbeatable combination of Spirit-given wisdom and Spirit-empowered speech. Stephen’s opponents could not overturn his arguments because they were really resisting God Himself. The verse calls believers to rely on that same Spirit, trusting that when we speak His truth with His wisdom, no opposition can ultimately stand. |
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