Acts - 22

Acts - 22

Acts 8:14-25

Introduction

Of all the books in my office (and I have a lot of books) one of the most important is a little paperback book titled “Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms.” To get a right definition for a word, to come to a right understanding of a concept sometimes requires that you compare it to other words, called synonyms. The synonyms essentially mean the same thing but they bring out other nuances that help you understand it. But other times, to rightly understand a word you need to contrast it with other words, called antonyms, so that you can define something by what it is NOT.

In our text for today, the concept of what it means to be a Christian is shown to us by way of contrast. We are able to see what a true believer is and what a false believer is. And by seeing this true/false dichotomy we are able to come to a fuller understanding and appreciation of what it means to be a Christian.

Let me remind you of the context: Philip the evangelist is in Samaria, preaching the gospel and pointing people to Jesus. The Samaritans have previously been focused on the astounding feats of a magician named Simon. Philip comes into town, with the power of God, and heals the sick and casts out demons. All these miracles point to the truth and validity of Philip’s message. The Samaritans believe the gospel and respond in baptism. Even Simon the magician seems to be converted. But upon closer inspection, things might not be as they seem.

Acts 8:14-25 - 14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent 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 upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17 Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit had been bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,

19 saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone 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 supposed you could obtain the gift of God with money!

21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray earnestly to the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.

23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of unrighteousness.”

24 But Simon answered and said, “Pray earnestly to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

25 So, when they had solemnly bore witness and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

TS - The Samaritans as a whole are set in contrast with Simon, showing us the difference between a true believer and a false believer.

TRUE BELIEVERS (V. 14-17)

In Acts 1:8 the Lord Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses, they would testify about Him, in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. While this would have certainly been inspiration to hear that they would take the good news of Jesus around the world, the reality of that was maybe a little less than inspiring. For centuries, the Jews believed they were God’s chosen people. And in one sense, that was certainly true. God had promised Abraham in Genesis 12 that He would work through Abraham’s line to birth a new nation that would be God’s own possession on the earth.

God promised to bless them and protect them. He promised to work in and through them. And God did exactly as He had promised. But over time, this created a false sense of superiority among the Jews. They were God’s people and the rest of the world be damned. The Gentiles were unclean. They were rebellious against God. They disobeyed His law. They were ‘less than’ the Jews in terms of a relationship with God. So even when their own people caved and intermarried with those pagan nations, producing the people group known as Samaritans, the Jews viewed even them as ‘less than.’ In fact, Jews put Samaritans in the same religious category as the Gentiles…unclean, unfaithful, outsiders.

The fact that the Gospel, the good news of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, was going to go to the Samaritans, even to the nations, was mind blowing for them. It was overwhelming. That God would save those outside the Jewish nation was difficult to accept. Read the NT letters. Read the rest of the book of Acts. These early Christians, who all came from a Jewish background, struggled with the fact that Samaritans could be saved, that Gentiles could be saved. That struggle is put on display for us here.

V. 14 - Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John…

That phrase ‘received the word of God’ is used three times in Acts. First in Acts 2:41 at Pentecost when the Church initially began. The Jewish crowds believed God’s word in Peter’s sermon. Now, here it is Samaritans who receive God’s word. In Acts 11:1 it is the Gentiles (the non-Jewish, pagan nations) receive God’s word. There is something going on here. This event in Acts 8 is a major turning point salvation history.

God’s salvation goes beyond one chosen nation. The gospel goes outside the Jewish people and into another group, one that had previously been viewed as ‘unsaveable.’

So when word gets back to the apostles about the Samaritans believing in Jesus, they quickly dispatch Peter and John (two major pillars) to check it out. Of course they did! They had to verify this was real. They had to check in to make sure this was legit. They had heard Jesus say that they would take the gospel to Samaria, but to hear the Samaritans actually believed it…well, maybe that was too good to be true. Upon arrival, they discover that something is missing…or Someone is missing.

V. 14b-17 - …they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

What is going on here? In Acts 2 at Pentecost, Peter had declared that all who believe, repent, and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ are assured forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet here, (as seen in verse 12) these Samaritans believe the gospel, repent of their previous trust in Simon the magician, and are baptized in the name of Jesus. Why hasn’t the Spirit come yet?

Of all the theories that scholars present, only one of them makes any sense. This is an exceptional event. This is not the normative experience for all believers. It is not the normative experience for all believers that they come to Christ at one point and then the Spirit comes into their life during a second experience. That is what Roman Catholics and Pentecostals/Charismatics falsely teach. According to Acts 2, the normative experience for all believers is that upon faith, repentance, and baptism, salvation and the indwelling presence of the Spirit are given at one and the same time. This is an exceptional event in Acts 8.

So what makes it so exceptional? This is the first time salvation comes to anyone outside of a Jewish background. This is so outstanding, so unique, that God purposely withholds His Spirit until the apostles arrive. Why? Two reasons. First, so the apostles can know for sure that God is saving people outside of Israel. Yes, Jesus promised that, but it is another experience to witness it firsthand. Get your head around it. Get your heart around it. I think this is shown for sure in the fact that John is one of the apostles sent to Samaria. Do you know what John wanted to do the last time he was in Samaria? Read Luke 9. They had rejected Jesus and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to kill them all. That is how John feels about Samaritans. But now, instead of seeing fire fall from Heaven, he sees the Holy Spirit fall. I imagine this had a life-changing impact on the apostles.

And second, to show the Samaritans that they are in. They are not second-class believers. They are not going to form a secondary church full of Samaritan Christians, as opposed to Jewish Christians. No, there is only one Church and all are saved by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus. The centuries-old fights and schism between Jews and Samaritans are healed in an instant.

So here we see true believers…they have believed the gospel message, trusted in Christ, and experience the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit. Anything other than that is not a true believer. As we see next.

FALSE BELIEVER (V. 18-25)

V. 18-19 - Now when Simon saw that the Spirit had been bestowed through the laying on of the apostle’s hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

It is as if Simon is an observer to all that has happened here, not a participant. But hadn’t he become a Christian with the rest of them? Go back to verse 12-13 - But when they believed Philip proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly astounded.

The crowds respond to Philip’s preaching of the gospel and trust in Christ. Simon’s supposed conversion is presented a little differently than the rest. According to verse 12, the Samaritans are focused on the gospel message. But verse 13 says that Simon is focused on the signs. His attention is on the miracles that Philip is doing. Remember, Simon was a magician who had wowed the crowds with his abilities to perform some magic tricks. But he’s been overshadowed by a greater power, exhibited by Philip. And that’s all he apparently cares about.

And the fact that Simon would go so far as to offer money for the power to bestow the Spirit shows that his heart probably isn’t in the right place. These factors cause scholars to debate as to whether Simon’s conversion was real or false. While we want to give Simon the benefit of the doubt here and think that maybe he’s just misunderstood or that he’s new to this whole thing and made a mistake, perhaps there is more going on here. Remember, Simon is a magician. The verb used in v. 9 to ‘practice magic’ is mageuo, meaning to utter incantations to control the gods. So pay attention to what Simon has just done. He sees the power that is greater than his lame magic tricks being bestowed by Peter and John. If only he could have that power! Give me that power. Give me that authority. Why does he want it? Because he could control God as he decided who gets God’s Spirit.

And though we may want to give him the benefit of the doubt, Peter absolutely does not. Listen to the harshness of Peter’s response to him. Verse 20-23 - 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you supposed you could obtain the gift of God with money!

21 You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.

22 Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray earnestly to the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.

23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of unrighteousness.”

‘May your silver perish with you’ presents in the text as a curse. In fact, the word for ‘perish’ apoleia is used to refer to eternal destruction in Hell. So Peter’s words here are far more harsh than what we see in English. He essentially says to him, “To Hell with you and your money!” ‘You have no part or portion in this matter’ - part and portion are words used in the Bible to refer to inheritance. You are not part of this deal. You are not included in what God is doing here. You are an outsider. ‘Your heart is not right before God.’ If Simon had indeed just become a Christian, then this is not the statement to say to him. Because his heart would have just been made right with God. But it is not. Therefore he had not been converted. He still needs to repent and ask God to forgive. Because that hadn’t happened to him yet. Simon is in the ‘gall of bitterness’ meaning he is overcome with jealousy. It is a phrase out of Deuteronomy 29:18 that shows following false gods produces bitterness in the heart. Simon is still an idolater. He is ‘in the bondage of unrighteousness.’ That is not a statement that is true for the Christian. He is still enslaved to sin.

How then are we supposed to understand verse 13 that states Simon believed and was baptized? Here is how: by all outward appearances, Simon has become a Christian along with everyone else. But as this text shows, internally, his motivations are sinful. His intentions are selfish. He doesn’t want Christ, he wants Christ’s power that he can wield for his own personal gain.

Lest you think we are being too harsh towards poor little, misunderstood, Simon, take a look at the final verse. Peter confronts him with his sin and lack of conversion and calls on him to repent before the Lord so that he can be forgiven. And look at Simon’s response in verse 24 - But Simon answered and said, “Pray earnestly to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” Sounds good, right? But what has Simon done? He has refused to repent. He won’t take his sin to the Lord. He won’t pray to the Lord about this. You pray for me, he says. Here is the thing: we pray for one another. That is right and good. Others can pray for you. But no one else can repent for you. You have take your sin to the Lord, confess it, and ask the Lord’s forgiveness. No one, no priest, pastor, pope, or parent can do that for you. You have to do that yourself.

So hear the warning from Simon’s false conversion…dare not trust in some religious experience you once had. Paul will tell the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:5 - Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test? Why would Christians be instructed to do this? Because not everyone who thinks they are a Christian is actually a Christian.

Jesus told a famous parable in Matthew 13 about this very issue. Listen carefully to what he said in Matthew 13:24-30 - 24 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.

26 But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.

27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’

29 But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.

30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Scattered among the wheat, the good and true crop, is a false one. Tares are a weed known as darnel, which in its infancy is indistinguishable from wheat. It is only at the harvest, once the wheat has sprouted grain that the difference is clear. Tares don’t produce the fruit. So the enemy has planted the false among the true. And while they are indistinguishable on the outside, the proof is in the fruit.

So as you test yourselves, as you examine yourselves, what are you looking for? Fruit. Is there evidence in your life of the transformative work of God? Do you exhibit the growth of the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control? Do you want to grow deeper in your knowledge of God? Do you want to love Him more?

If you have to say no to any of those questions, then maybe…maybe it’s not real for you. Don’t trust in some religious experience as a child or teenager at camp or church. That is not dependable. Simon teaches us that. Do you trust in Christ now? Is there fruit of that reality growing more abundant in your life?

Here is why we care about this…the consequences are profound. As Jesus explained His parable in Matthew 13, here is part of His explanation…Matthew 13:40-42 - So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Don’t make Simon’s mistake. Believe in Christ. Repent of your sin. Unite with Him in baptism. Enjoy forgiveness and the Spirit’s empowering presence in your life.