Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
Acts 8:13
Simon the sorcerer is one of the most troubling characters in the scriptures. He is an example of what we find in many churches across our nation today. In the last days, 2Ti 3:1-5 states that, among other things, men will be “lovers of themselves” and “lovers of money”, a stark contrast with a true Christian who is marked by a preeminent love of God. (Mar 12:30) Though full of self-love, these latter-day people are described as “having a form of godliness but denying its power”! They profess Christ outwardly, but deny His power over them in their daily life. Sadly, many churches accept a salvation that is founded on a brief excitement over spiritual things, a superficial prayer (often given to a person to repeat), and an outward act of baptism. When these same souls later doubt their salvation, the preacher advises them to ignore what he calls “an attack of Satan” when he ought to encourage them to submit to this conviction of sin and approach God in true repentance unto salvation!
Jesus warns that, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” (Mat 7:21-23) Notice that true salvation is accompanied by a separation from sin and a walk of obedience before God. Simon had become rich by deceiving the people with his magic spells (Act 8:9-11), but when Philip came along preaching the gospel and performing real miracles, Simon was caught up in the excitement. He saw a new sorcery that he hoped would profit him even more than his old one. He had swapped his black magic for religion while his heart remained unchanged, and his belief doesn’t hold up any better under careful examination than the belief of the people in Joh 2:23-25: “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” Even as Jesus didn’t accept their belief, Peter saw right through Simon’s weak testimony.
So, how did Peter know Simon’s faith to be false? Because Simon revealed his heart to be just like those false professors that we saw in 2Ti 3. “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'” This sinful act revealed that he trusted in riches and was interested in religion only for what he could gain materially from it. He desired his own glory rather than the Lord’s. Peter didn’t sugarcoat his response to Simon, stating, “Your money perish with you”! (Act 8:20) Simon’s problem was the same as all who have only a “form of godliness”. They have never repented of their sins! I can’t stress the importance of this message enough because, in our day, it is the missing note from too many pulpits. The message of the gospel is a message to sinners, and sinners must begin their journey toward Christ by repenting of their sins and turning from them to serve the living God! (1Th 1:9)
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1Ti 1:15) We are not offering the world relief from debt and disease. We are proclaiming something far better, namely that there is eternal healing for their souls! Jesus never promised us comfort for these natural bodies. The faithful saints in the word of God didn’t have all of their natural problems eliminated. Timothy was in constant physical affliction, prompting Paul to instruct him to “use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.” (1Ti 5:23) Paul himself described his life as being “in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness”. (2Co 11:27) Doesn’t sound like the life of ease that so many professing Christians have their hearts set upon, does it? But, what Paul and Timothy did have was rest to their souls, and that’s exactly what Jesus invites us to find in Him! (Mat 11:28-30) May we return to the message of repentance which Jesus preached at the outset of His ministry (Mat 4:17), the same message that Peter preached to a lost sinner named Simon who had previously professed Christ: “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” (Act 8:22)
Jamie