The Power of Pure Faith — Acts 8 Daily Word

The apostles who remained in Jerusalem heard the news through Philip that Samaria had also received the gospel, and so they sent Peter and John to Samaria. Peter and John frequently appear in Acts as spokespeople for the leadership of the Jerusalem church.¹3:1, 3-4, 11; 4:13, 19 However, John does not appear again after this scene.

The reason the Jerusalem church sent apostles to Samaria was that there was a historically deep divide between Jews and Samaritans. In particular, many Jews considered Samaria to be religiously inferior, since the gospel had never been properly proclaimed there.²Modern Bible Commentary, Acts, 113. This is also why those who reviled Jesus called him a “Samaritan.” (John 8:48; 4:9) In that sense, preventing conflict from arising between the church in Samaria and the church in Jerusalem was a matter of great importance.

Another reason is that although the gospel had been spread to new regions through Philip, a Hellenistic Jew, the presence of Peter and John — Hebraic Jews — coming to encourage Philip’s ministry reflected the early church’s united commitment to the proclamation of the gospel.

In particular, the Samaritans were being baptized in the name of Jesus through Philip, yet God had not yet given them the Holy Spirit. (16) Since the Samaritans had believed the gospel Philip preached (12), had received the word of God (14), and had all turned and been baptized (12, 16), their faith cannot by any means be considered weak. Nevertheless, they had not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (15)

Why had they not yet received the Holy Spirit from the Lord?

It was so that God, through this work of the Holy Spirit — by which He had previously distinguished Jews and Samaritans — might now bring about the miracle of uniting them as one again. For this reason, the apostles sent Peter and John, as verse 15 tells us, because they went down and earnestly prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit.

The case of Simon the sorcerer gives us a window into the state of faith in Samaria. We discover that the people there had a serious misunderstanding of God’s work. Simon had been deceiving the people through folk magic — tricks that appeared to produce real effects — and had been boasting of himself as someone great. Yet when he witnessed the “signs and great miracles” (13) that occurred as Philip proclaimed the gospel, Simon came and was baptized by Philip.

Just as Simon bowed before the work of God in this way, God allowed all those who desired to receive the Holy Spirit to receive Him when Peter and John laid their hands on them. Through this, even Samaria — which had been cast off by God — must have been filled with grace and joy, knowing that if they turned to the Lord, they too could be saved.

In the midst of all this, however, Simon thought that the ability to impart the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands was something that could be bought and sold with money. And so he says in [19] saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:19, ESV). Simon the sorcerer viewed the Holy Spirit as a kind of magic trick that could be artificially manipulated and controlled — a telling glimpse into the nature of the sorcery he had practiced all along.

However, the Holy Spirit is not something that can be bought or sold — as stated in verse 20, it is “the gift of God.” The phrase “the gift of God” is synonymous with “the Holy Spirit.” This is why Peter pronounces a curse upon Simon.[20] But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! (Acts 8:20b, ESV) He then declares[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. (Acts 8:20c-21, ESV) — a statement that Simon would not only be excluded from participation in the apostles’ ministry, but would also be shut out from the promise of salvation.

Therefore, the only thing Simon can do at this point is repent. (v. 22)

Verse 22, [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. (Acts 8:22, ESV) Verse 23, [23] For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” (Acts 8:23, ESV) Simon was not a servant of God — he was one who was bound under the power of Satan himself.

Upon hearing the curse pronounced over him, Simon asks that none of these things would come upon him. Yet this is not repentance. It is nothing more than a desire to escape the curse. Pharaoh, too, once asked Moses to pray on his behalf — yet he never truly abandoned his hardened heart. Simon’s response reveals the very same disposition.

On their way back to Jerusalem, the two apostles preach the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Notably, among the two apostles, John had once asked Jesus to call down fire to consume a Samaritan village. (Luke 9:54) [54] And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54, ESV) Yet this very same John is now preaching the gospel throughout Samaria.

Peter cursed Simon, saying, “May your silver perish with you!” Anyone who treats God’s precious spiritual gifts as cheap commodities and seeks to use them for personal gain will ultimately come to ruin. When the heart is not right, even God’s gifts cannot be received rightly. One may outwardly appear to be a believer and earn the recognition of others, but if it is not the genuine faith that God sees as righteous, it amounts to nothing. I close in prayer, blessing you in the name of the Lord, that we may all live today as those who possess the true, God-pleasing faith.