What does it mean that Stephen had the face of an angel (Acts 6:15)?

Speaking about Stephen, he says: “As those who sat in the council looked on the face of Stephen their impression was that he came from heaven.” Again: “The reason they saw Stephen’s face as the face of an angel was, that while he was speaking to them he was absolutely absorbed with the blessed Person who had appeared in the presence of God for him. When he had finished the address he lets out the secret that had governed him while he spoke. ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.’ You see it in his face. As we are occupied with the One who appears in the presence of God for us, we are changed in our appearance. ‘Beholding the glory of the Lord we are changed into the same image from glory to glory.’”

It is difficult to know what one is to say about all this. Does he mean to convey to his audience, that being occupied with the Lord in glory will make one’s face shine as the face of an angel? To be occupied with Him is to be changed into His image. But this is moral—we come out, down here, practically like Him, as Stephen did (Acts 7:59-60), but was Stephen “absolutely absorbed” with Christ while he was speaking? That he was filled with the Holy Ghost, and guided by Him in all that He said cannot rightly be questioned; but he was, to a very large extent, occupied with the history of rebellious Israel. When he had finished he looked up into heaven and saw what these notes say he saw all the time. What is to be done with such perversion of the Word of truth? A believer’s face does not shine as the face of an angel either physically or morally. The law was given by the disposition of angels, and it was introduced with glory in the face of Moses, and I think I can see a moral propriety in its lighting up the face of Stephen, the man chosen of God to bring home to their consciences their wicked behaviour while under that law. Stephen with that glory in his face turns to “the glory that excels” seen in the face of Jesus, and is changed into His image, so that he commits his spirit to the Lord, and kneeling down, prays for his enemies. But to say that occupation with the glory of the Lord makes one’s face shine like the face of an angel is stupid nonsense. The glory that excels is in the face of Jesus, and occupation with it changes one into His image, not into the image of an angel.

The other side of this new order is more surprising and, perhaps, more difficult to grasp, but just as real and true. It is that the Holy Ghost has come down from the exalted Man, our Lord, bringing with Him the full knowledge of the glory of God, for He is the Spirit of that glory, and that He now indwells believers on the earth and unites them in a vital union with Christ who is exalted at the right hand of God. Stephen is a pattern of this, for he was not only a witness to what his divinely-anointed eyes beheld, but he became descriptive of Christ in the midst of the most adverse circumstances. It was not in the fact that his face shone like an angel's that he was descriptive of Christ, for the glory of an angel is not the glory of God, and his face shone in this manner before he looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus; but it was in that most wonderful grace that made him pray with his last breath, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". Thus was the life of Jesus made manifest in his mortal flesh. But this could not have been had he not been a member of the body of Christ, and he could not have been that had not the Holy Spirit come from Christ to make him so. What else but Christ, morally, could the Holy Ghost bring from heaven? Nothing. What other business has He but the displacement of self and the forming of Christ in the lives of those whom He indwells? None. And Stephen is the pattern of it. In him we see a man upon earth brought into perfect accord with the glory of God, and this not only in the fact that the glory of God and Jesus filled his eyes objectively, but that the life of Jesus was formed in Him subjectively, and manifested itself practically in the very world out of which Jesus had been cast.

Stephen may have been an amiable man or the reverse, it matters not; what he may have been naturally had no place here; he was full of the Holy Ghost, and Stephen was displaced and Christ shone out. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Beholding the glory of the Lord he was transfigured into the same image.

The other side of this new order is more surprising and, perhaps, more difficult to grasp, but just as real and true. It is that the Holy Ghost has come down from the exalted Man, our Lord, bringing with Him the full knowledge of the glory of God, for He is the Spirit of that glory, and that He now indwells believers on the earth and unites them in a vital union with Christ who is exalted at the right hand of God. Stephen is a pattern of this, for he was not only a witness to what his divinely-anointed eyes beheld, but he became descriptive of Christ in the midst of the most adverse circumstances. It was not in the fact that his face shone like an angel's that he was descriptive of Christ, for the glory of an angel is not the glory of God, and his face shone in this manner before he looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus; but it was in that most wonderful grace that made him pray with his last breath, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". Thus was the life of Jesus made manifest in his mortal flesh. But this could not have been had he not been a member of the body of Christ, and he could not have been that had not the Holy Spirit come from Christ to make him so. What else but Christ, morally, could the Holy Ghost bring from heaven? Nothing. What other business has He but the displacement of self and the forming of Christ in the lives of those whom He indwells? None. And Stephen is the pattern of it. In him we see a man upon earth brought into perfect accord with the glory of God, and this not only in the fact that the glory of God and Jesus filled his eyes objectively, but that the life of Jesus was formed in Him subjectively, and manifested itself practically in the very world out of which Jesus had been cast.

Stephen may have been an amiable man or the reverse, it matters not; what he may have been naturally had no place here; he was full of the Holy Ghost, and Stephen was displaced and Christ shone out. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Beholding the glory of the Lord he was transfigured into the same image.

The other side of this new order is more surprising and, perhaps, more difficult to grasp, but just as real and true. It is that the Holy Ghost has come down from the exalted Man, our Lord, bringing with Him the full knowledge of the glory of God, for He is the Spirit of that glory, and that He now indwells believers on the earth and unites them in a vital union with Christ who is exalted at the right hand of God. Stephen is a pattern of this, for he was not only a witness to what his divinely-anointed eyes beheld, but he became descriptive of Christ in the midst of the most adverse circumstances. It was not in the fact that his face shone like an angel's that he was descriptive of Christ, for the glory of an angel is not the glory of God, and his face shone in this manner before he looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus; but it was in that most wonderful grace that made him pray with his last breath, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge”. Thus was the life of Jesus made manifest in his mortal flesh. But this could not have been had he not been a member of the body of Christ, and he could not have been that had not the Holy Spirit come from Christ to make him so. What else but Christ, morally, could the Holy Ghost bring from heaven? Nothing. What other business has He but the displacement of self and the forming of Christ in the lives of those whom He indwells? None. And Stephen is the pattern of it. In him we see a man upon earth brought into perfect accord with the glory of God, and this not only in the fact that the glory of God and Jesus filled his eyes objectively, but that the life of Jesus was formed in Him subjectively, and manifested itself practically in the very world out of which Jesus had been cast.

Stephen may have been an amiable man or the reverse, it matters not; what he may have been naturally had no place here; he was full of the Holy Ghost, and Stephen was displaced and Christ shone out. “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Beholding the glory of the Lord he was transfigured into the same image.

At this moment God bears remarkable witness to His servant, causing his face to shine as that of an angel, just at the time when all those of the council were intent on watching him. No doubt Stephen himself was not conscious of this (Cf.Ex.34:29), though he would certainly know the reality of the power of the Spirit of God virtually enfolding him.

In Acts 6, we are introduced to Stephen as chosen and ordained by the apostles to serve tables; but as one who was full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, he had purchased for himself a good degree and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 3:13). So that when we find him preaching the word, none were able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Coming out in the Spirit of His Master, Stephen is seen "full of grace and power," working wonders and great signs among the people. With such a ministry, it is no wonder that he becomes the object of the enemy's assault, and that like his Master, evil men are suborned to bring false accusations against him, saying that he had spoken blasphemous words against Moses and against God. When he is brought before the council to answer to the false charges, we read, "And all who sat in the council, looking fixedly on him, saw his face as the face of an angel." No doubt the rays of the heavenly glory of Christ were shining upon Stephen, and ministering grace to his heart, to sustain him in his faithful and devoted witness to Him, in the face of all that religious evil and bitter enmity and hatred against Him whom he served. But to the onlookers, his face appeared as the face of an angel. This was God's testimony against those who accused His servant of speaking against Moses and against Him. Had not the law of Moses been given by a dispensation of angels? And where now is the angelic witness? Is it with the false witnesses; with the council; or in Stephen? This should surely have come home with conviction to the leaders of the people; but no, they have the veil over their hearts.

Stephen's face shining was, according to all Jewish analogies, God giving a pledge of glory when He called into a place of trial. 'The God of glory' appeared to Abraham before he was called out of his country. Moses was 'fair to God' (margin v. 20), before he was called out to suffering testimony.

Such was the indictment to which Stephen would have to answer. Naturally all eyes were turned to the prisoner. What did they see? One pallid with fear? One trembling for the consequences of his acts, and shrinking from punishment? No! A sight they witnessed to which they were entirely unaccustomed. "Fastening their eyes on him, they saw his face, as it had been the face of an angel." A criminal about to die: was that the one who stood before them? Rather it was one like an angel prepared to go to heaven. The high priest's voice was now heard saying, "Are these things so?" Then in the midst, as we may well believe, of breathless silence, the voice of Stephen was heard addressing the Sanhedrists, the ecclesiastical judges before whom he was arraigned.

Such was the indictment to which Stephen would have to answer. Naturally all eyes were turned to the prisoner. What did they see? One pallid with fear? One trembling for the consequences of his acts, and shrinking from punishment? No! A sight they witnessed to which they were entirely unaccustomed. "Fastening their eyes on him, they saw his face, as it had been the face of an angel." A criminal about to die: was that the one who stood before them? Either it was one like an angel prepared to go to heaven. The high priest's voice was now heard saying, "Are these things so?" Then in the midst, as we may well believe, of breathless silence, the voice of Stephen was heard addressing the Sanhedrists, the ecclesiastical judges before whom he was arraigned.

miracles among the people. Certain of the synagogue of the Libertines and others disputed with Stephen. (It is wrong to call these "Libertines" free thinkers. Jews had been taken to Rome as slaves. Their descendants who had been liberated were called Libertines, that is freedmen. They were known as such in Jerusalem and hence the name "synagogue of the Libertines.") And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Stephen is accused of blasphemy. The charge is "blasphemy against Moses and against God." They succeeded in their satanic work by stirring up the people, the elders and the scribes. Three things are mentioned by them. He ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, against the law, and that he should have said: "This Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us." And then they looked upon him, and behold his face was like the face of an angel. All eyes were attracted to this wonderful sight. Steadfastly they looked upon a face of Glory; a face reflecting heaven's light, heaven's Glory; a face reflecting the Glory of Him into whose presence he soon would be called. And may not that young man named Saul also have been there and seen that face? And that dark countenance of that young Pharisee of Tarsus was soon to behold that same Glory-light, and then tell the world of the Gospel of the Glory and that "we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory unto glory."