Col 3:13: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

The testimony of Stephen took this to the extreme when as he was dying said ““Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” And Saul (Paul) was a witness to this. Taking a little liberality in translating I think that Paul, who himself was a persecutor of Christians at that time, saw in Stephen a man who just forgave the people who were killing him. I mean, what kind of man does such a thing? Well, it was Paul who wrote this letter to the Collossians. Paul understood that an average religious zealot would have cried out “Let God avenge thee.” Stephen did not. NONE of the religious people who were stoning him “deserved” forgiveness. But…it is a very rare exception that anyone we NEED to forgive deserves it either. That is what makes forgiveness so powerful. It frees ourselves and is a powerful testimony for the ages…..you NEVER know who may be watching you…