Acts 7:51 - William Styles

Acts 7:51, “Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did so do ye:”—often quoted to show that sinners have it in their power to oppose the work of the Spirit. But the passage forms part of the last Divine appeal to the Jewish nation, who are exclusively addressed. Stephen explains His meaning in verse 52. They “resisted” the Spirit, just as their fathers had “vexed” Him (Isa. 63:10), by opposing and persecuting the prophets who addressed them by His inspiration. The verse has therefore no relation to the saving operation of the Holy Ghost.