Stephen's Final Prayer: The Victory of Dying Grace

When Stephen knelt down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge," he exemplified the transformative power of Christ in the believer's final hour. His death reveals four dimensions of Christian triumph:

First, Stephen displayed boldness in confession—his enemies could not resist the power radiating from his unwavering testimony before the council.

Second, he embodied purity of conduct; the tongues of blasphemers could not stain his character, even as they prepared to execute him.

Third, he demonstrated tenderness of love by praying for his murderers—a priestly petition mirroring Christ's own words on Calvary.

Fourth, he gained blessed insight into eternal glory in his dying moment, seeing the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of Elohim.

Stephen wore three crowns: the crown of grace adorning him in life and death; the bloody crown of thorns, worn after his Saviour in suffering; and the heavenly crown of glory reserved in eternity for the faithful martyr. His request—uttered by one entirely forgetting himself, striving after nothing but the kingdom of God—reveals the magnanimity of the Christian spirit. This spirit achieves victory over corrupt affections, demonstrates superiority to worldly principles, and endures unprovoked injuries with fortitude. Forgiveness, that noble and generous Christian virtue, transforms dying into triumph.