Neville Goddard on Acts 7:57-60 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 7 in context

Scripture Focus

57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts 7:57-60

Biblical Context

Stephen is publicly attacked and killed, yet he prays, entrusts his spirit to God, and forgives his attackers, dying with peaceful resolve.

Neville's Inner Vision

In this inner drama, the violent mob represents fixed mental states pressing upon consciousness. Stephen’s unwavering stance arises from the I AM, not from resistance to outward force. When he says, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' he is not seeking help from an external power but affirming the soul’s continuity within divine awareness. The plea, 'lay not this sin to their charge,' becomes a revision of condemnation—an inner release from judgment that frees the mind to rest in God. The death is not defeat but the energy of consciousness translated into rest, a natural movement when the identification with limitation dissolves. The scene also hints at Saul, the inner convert in everyone’s mind, awaiting the moment of awakening. Thus the outer spectacle reveals an inner discipline: enduring with inner peace, forgiving as a state of being, and letting the I AM carry the substance of life beyond conflict. Your life can be read as this: every assault is only a belief awaiting your authorized revision.

Practice This Now

Imitate Stephen: close your eyes and assume the feeling of the I AM unshaken by attack; imagine addressing your internal critics with forgiveness, then quietly affirm that your spirit is received by God and remains in peace.