Acts 8:9–25
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Main Idea
How do you know that you are really saved?
How do you know you are truly saved? It is more common than you think to constantly question your salvation experience. I’ve heard it from some of you. I have family members who talk about that misery when they give their testimony.
How can you look back at your profession of faith and know that it was real and not just an emotional response… to know you had really been forgiven and redeemed by God and that you didn’t just offer an empty prayer to the ceiling that achieved nothing?
Today, we will discover four markers of genuine faith that will answer that question. And surprisingly enough, we learn them through the story of a man who exhibited none of them.
Outline
I – Simon the Magician (vv. 9-13)
II – Kingdom expansion outside of Israel (vv. 14-17)
III – Simon shows his true colors (vv. 18-24)
IV – Peter and John continue preaching (v. 25)
Passage
Acts 8:9–25 ESV
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Simon the Magician
But there was a man named Simon. The ‘but’ is meant to distinguish from what came before. So, to understand what Luke is getting at, we need to look back at verse eight, which says, “So there was much joy in that city.” This referred to Philip’s miraculous works and bold proclamation of the gospel.
People were being healed, released from the demon possession bondage, and experiencing joy… but there was a man named Simon. Man, I hope I never get introduced like that!
Who was Simon?
He is only mentioned in this section of scripture. The biblical account describes him as:
- a magician who amazed the people
- some great (though that was self-proclaimed)
- loves power
If we want to learn more, we must turn to extra-biblical sources outside the New Testament. There is some debate about this, but many scholars say this is Simon Magnus – a man written about by some of the early church fathers – Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, for example. They describe Simon Magnus as a heretic and father of the Gnostic movement, which gained prominence in the 2nd century, which was harmful teaching that all material existence is evil and that one could only know God using special, secret knowledge (gnosis means knowledge).
This could be the same Simon of Acts 8, though it is not 100% certain. The real intrigue is in his level of ‘believing’ Philip’s gospel. If this is Simon Magnus, then it is pretty clear how his story turns out, but if it isn’t him, there is a lot here to discuss.
What was he doing?
Simon was a magician. By that definition, for the first century, he was not Jewish or Christian, but pagan. Magic was a pagan practice, and one that (unless you were an outright charlatan) was quite real, as opposed to the David Copperfields and the David Blaines of our modern world. These folks weren’t illusionists that were masters of sleight-of-hand tricks.
Think back to when Moses first confronted Pharoah, and his stick turned into a snake. What did Pharaoh’s magicians do? The same thing. They successfully counterfeited God’s miracle. A human being cannot do such things, they are demonically inspired, and it is clear from the text that Simon’s power was not from God. So, we are looking at a man who is an enemy of the faith. He doesn’t hate the message of the cross, but the Spirit is not the source of his power.
And, speaking of his power… it was substantial. He wasn’t pulling your card from the deck. Whatever he was doing, the Samaritan people were convinced that the very power of God was making it happen. The crowd exclaimed, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” Or, in other words, “Simon is the Great Power of God.” Do you see the issue here?
Whether he was a faker pretending to be great or a demonically-powered miracle worker, one thing is for sure: Simon helped sway over the people, and he craved their adoration.
What happened to him?
Simon had the acclaim of the city until Philip came into town. Simon went to the people filled with either demonic influence or deceitful arrogance. Philip, however, came full of the Spirit, and there was no comparison.
This Hellenistic Jew from Jerusalem came in the power of the Spirit and left Simon floored. What Philip was doing far surpassed his own showmanship, and he just had to have what Philip had.
Simon heard the news of the:
1. Kingdom of God – citizenship is no longer for the Jew only. Now, it has extended to those who are 1/2 Jewish. Now, even the Samaritans can be sons and daughters of the King.
2. The name of Jesus Christ – Being in Christ – not ethnic Israel – is the door to the Kingdom. In Him, you can know God (so you can see how he could have gotten off-course and promoted Gnosticism).
He heard the good news preached. He saw the miracles and healing… and he believed!…something. Not only that but he was also baptized and followed Philip around. He was enthralled with Philip’s power.
The big question
Here is the big question of the day: Did Simon really believe? What did he believe? The text says he did believe something that Philip had. But then again, the text also describes the condition of his heart, which doesn’t line up.
So, your job for the rest of this discussion today is to listen carefully to the text and discern by asking questions of your own: What does real salvation look like? What does it require?
Kingdom expansion outside of Israel
After Simon’s profession of faith, the scene shifts back to the Samaritan population.
Word got out
When the apostles heard the Samaritans believed, they sent Peter and John. We must remember that salvation extending outside God’s covenant people was not on their minds. I’m sure it was amazing to see the half-breeds receiving Jesus, much less the gentiles, who have historically been actively rejected. I would imagine they were excited to see the Acts 1:8 mandate expand to reach the dispersed Jews in the surrounding regions. Still, I doubt going outside of the Jewish people was heavy on their minds, so when the apostles in Jerusalem heard about the Samaritan faith, they had to see it for themselves.
Another delayed filling
This leads to the second instance where the Holy Spirit did not fill the people during their profession of faith. This is another one of those examples that some use to prove a second filling of the Holy Spirit after conversion. Like the 120 gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost, a group of people believed in Jesus and later received the Holy Spirit.
There are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who believe this and the opposite – that there is only one filling of the Holy Spirit, which happens upon conversion.
I believe this is a mirror image of Acts 2 Pentecost. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit fell upon the Jewish believers (including the 12). God had fulfilled His promise to deliver HIS people. He sent the Messiah, and now, in fulfillment of Joel 2, God has given His Spirit to them.
Now, another group has been extended the gift of eternal life and sonship. First, it went to the Jews (fully Jewish), and now, it has gone to the 1/2 Jews. I believe Apostolic leadership needed to travel to Samaria to investigate and impart the Spirit so that there would be no question of the validity of the expansion of God’s family to them. Peter and John examined and were convinced because they proceeded to lay their hands on the Samaritan people so that the Holy Spirit would come and confirm their place in the covenant community.
As Ambassadors with directly delegated authority from Jesus, they confirmed the power of God among the first group of non-Jews! And I think it is important to see this as a unique circumstance and not God’s SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). When the Samaritans believed, the Holy Spirit had not come at all. He was at work behind the scenes to regenerate them, but he had not yet come as the deposit that guaranteed their inheritance until Peter and John laid their hands on them and prayed for them to receive the Spirit. This filling and conversion are still the same.
Simon shows his true colors
Now, the narrative pans back to Simon. Not only has he witnessed Philip do the miraculous, but now, Peter and John were doing the same thing… and they just got there! At this point in the story, it would be worth remembering Simon’s motivations up to his profession of faith.
1. He loved amazing the crowd and maintaining a following
2. He was arrogant enough to self-proclaim greatness to the point of blasphemy
3. He was a trickster at best and a demonically-empowered leader at worst.
Now, we see him interact for the first time since his ‘profession.’ What do we see?
He wanted power
Like Eve in the garden, Simon saw the fruit and wanted it for himself. He had just witnessed three men perform something miraculous that was way out of his league, and he craved it.
He said, “give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
As if bestowing the Holy Spirit of God was just a short YouTube lesson away!
It is reasonable to say that Simon views the Apostle’s power as similar to his own in that it is a learnable skill like his own magic feats. And he probably wanted it to maintain his following and continue to woo the crowds. He had fame, and he wanted to keep it. He had a title to maintain, and these three guys could ensure he kept it!
He was willing to pay to get it
And his request came with a monetary offer. He offered money to level up his abilities like a video game character. This is clear evidence that Simon had no idea what he had just professed belief in. Jesus was just another tool in his magical toolbox to continue his work and profession.
He probably even thought he could get more money if he could do something as unique as call down God’s Spirit on others. If he could purchase this endowment of power, he would be set for life!
Motivation reveals intention. If this was Simon’s response, what do you think he really accepted from Philip? Did he understand who Jesus really was? Did he truly comprehend what salvation was? Did he even know he needed saving?
This is the first marker of a genuine conversion: Knowledge. Do you understand who Jesus is? Do you even know you need him?
Philippians 2:12 ESV
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…
This passage comes right after one of the most beautiful descriptions of Jesus’ own motivation and mission. As God, He came to serve fallen humanity by being born as a human, so he could die to redeem the sins of His humans. And one day, every tongue will confess His Lordship by willful submission as an heir or at the judgment seat as an enemy.
You don’t have to have a seminary degree or be able to defend the doctrine of the Trinity to be saved, but you do have to understand Jesus’ mission and act of redemption before you can receive it.
Peter rebukes Simon
After Simon’s ridiculous offer, Peter sets the record straight while perceiving his spiritual status. Peter discerns a deep bitter root in Simon’s heart and proclivity to iniquity in this brief interaction. Peter chastises Simon with three statements and then calls for repentance:
1. May your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
This is a heavy statement. Having your money perish is one thing, but wishing Simon himself to perish due to trying to buy the Spirit’s power is pretty heavy-handed.
2. You have neither part nor lot
Peter is confirming that there is nothing for Simon here. This is a unique saying, meaning you are not included in this process now (part) or in the future (lot). Because Simon has not grasped the point of Jesus’ Lordship nor the coming of the Spirit in power, he has no part in the events at present, nor does he have a place in the ongoing, salvific work of the people in the future.
3. Your heart is not right before God
It’s not about what you can do or the power that you hold. The condition of your heart demonstrates your level of understanding. You crave power, prestige, and riches… not Jesus… not a relationship with your Creator.
Therefore repent of your wickedness and pray for forgiveness.
Do you honestly want what Philip and the Samaritan believers have? Repent of your wickedness. Turn from your evil ways and practices. Desire God instead of your magic and pray that God will grant you forgiveness. Because right now, Simon, all I see is a poisonous bitter root in your heart holding you captive and bound to your unrighteousness.
And, in reaction to Peter, Simon prays, repents, and becomes a champion of Christianity, right? Not even close!
If you scan this and keep going, you might mistakenly think that Simon did indeed repent, but if you look closer, you will notice a few things. First, poor Simon doesn’t even pray. He asks Peter to pray for him. Secondly, he doesn’t want to repent. He wants to avoid the penalty for his foolishness. He doesn’t want the delight of knowing Christ; he wishes to avoid the grim fate of perishing alongside his money.
The second marker of genuine faith is repentance. Repentance is a necessary part of a profession of faith because it actively turns away from sin and toward Jesus, who forgives sin. That is what He died for, so if you don’t repent, exactly what are you accepting? This is how your heart gets set right before God – that you reject the sin that has separated you from Him and receive the payment for your sin that restores you into His arms.
The third marker for genuine faith is also here: Forgiveness. It is in asking forgiveness and having the faith to know you have been forgiven. The Samaritan community had not seen Jesus in person, nor did they see His resurrection… and still they received the good news from Philip and the prayer of receiving the Spirit from the Apostles. The faith that produces a desire for forgiveness was theirs but was absent from Simon’s heart.
Peter and John continue preaching
Peter and John returned to Jerusalem but preached in many Samaritan villages along the way. What they have seen and heard is true because they were there to see the Holy Spirit descend on the Samaritans with their own eyes. Now, they are part of the gospel expansion to other non-Jewish communities!
They didn’t try to stubbornly hold onto old traditions and fight against the Messiah’s saving hand going beyond ethnic Israel. They fully embraced it!
This also leads to the fourth marker, which is a bit more subtle in the story but is present nevertheless: Fruit. There was a noticeable difference in the Samaritan believers after their conversion. Great signs and miracles were being done, and there was enough evidence of the Spirit’s regenerative work in their hearts to motivate Peter and John to continue preaching to the Samaritans on their way back to Jerusalem. Their fruit is the tangible evidence of their faith. Jesus himself said that a tree would be known by its fruit. A bad tree produces bad fruit (Simon), and a good tree produces good fruit (redeemed believers).
Conclusion
Saying you believe doesn’t make you a believer. Motivation reveals intention, and transformation is the proof of belief. A tree is known by its fruit.
- Knowledge
- Repentance
- Forgiveness
- Fruit
If you can see these elements in your story, rest assured that your faith is genuine.