The Lord God has a purpose for including every named person in the Bible; some warn us of false beliefs and practices. Such is the case with Simon the Sorcerer.
We read the narrative of Peter and John’s activity with Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24. In context, Saul had recently approved the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:54-8:1), and he “began to destroy the church” (Acts 8:3). The church then underwent great persecution (Acts 8:1b), which scattered all the believers except the apostles throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). Matthew Henry, in his commentary on Acts 8, said, “the more they were afflicted the more they multiplied.” This same persecution and scattering gave a disciple named Philip (not the apostle) the impetus to go to an unnamed city in Samaria to preach the Word and perform signs to manifest the truth he shared.
When the apostles heard Samaria had accepted God’s Word, they sent Peter and John there to preach and to pray for the new believers and laid hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. (To clarify this occurrence, Ligonier Ministries adds, “The pouring out of the Spirit upon the Samaritans powerfully demonstrated their equality with the Jerusalem Christians and their full participation in the church, and it was appropriate that this symbolism occur at the hands of the leaders of the church.”).
Simon the Sorcerer had been a vigorous practitioner of idolatry and superstition, and the implication is he believed he wielded the power of God. (Also see the account of Paul and the slave woman in Acts 16:16-40.) Scripture tells us he amazed the people of Samaria as he practiced his sorcery. He was arrogant in boasting of his greatness (Acts 8:9). Simon had garnered much attention from all walks of the people. They fueled his conceit by proclaiming, “this man is rightly called the Great Power of God” (Acts 8:10). Simon gathered quite a following after a long period of amazing people with his “magic.”
The Bible continues the backstory of Simon the Sorcerer when it reports the people (men and women) believed Philip’s message of the good news of the kingdom of God, the name of Jesus Christ, and were baptized (Acts 8:12). Verse 13 is interesting: “Simon himself believed and was baptized.” Afterward, Simon followed Philip “everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.”
A deeper look at that verse shows us Simon focused on the signs and miracles. The passage doesn’t say the message Philip preached enthralled him. Instead, by his own words and actions, Simon was only interested in how he could prosper financially by “using” the Holy Spirit.
In the company of Philip, Simon saw Peter and John lay hands on the baptized believers so the believers would receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17-18). What Simon did spoke of his wicked heart; he offered money to the apostles. He said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whim I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:19).
Peter immediately admonishes Simon because Simon’s wish displays his evil motive. Simon wanted his status back as the one with the power. The Gospel truth got in his way as Peter, in effect, spoke a curse against him when he said, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money.” (Romans 6:23 states God’s gift is free. And the gift is not temporal signs and miracles but eternal life.)
Continuing his rebuke with a revelation of Simon’s obvious lost state, Peter said, “You have no part or share in this ministry because your heart is not right before God.” We can assume Peter used financial terms so Simon would understand, since wealth was his purpose.
Peter then tells Simon to repent of his wickedness and pray to the Lord for forgiveness, hoping God would forgive him for the sinful thought in his heart. Peter knew and proclaimed Simon’s sorry state of sin and bitterness (Acts 8:20-23). Simon doesn’t pray; instead, he asks Peter to pray for him (Acts 8:24).
Simon may have truly repented, but we don’t know the outcome because the Bible doesn’t tell us. The narrative moves along to John and Peter’s work of proclaiming God’s Word and testifying about Jesus, both in the Samaritan city and as they returned to Jerusalem (Acts 8:25).
I am sure many people cringe when they read this narrative. They may decry Simon’s actions: “How dare he think he can grasp the power of the Spirit to gain wealth?” But many people who don’t know the Lord Christ suppose an act of man can enable them with power to perform their own “works of wonder.” Simon acted on what had worked for him before. The glorious light of the Gospel revealed the dark lies he believed and imposed on the people. His reaction was selfish because he didn’t want to share his past acclaim with anyone else.
The account of Simon the Sorcerer opens our eyes to several truths and warnings:
Sorcery is an evil act before the Lord and a work of the flesh (2 Chronicles 33:6; Galatians 5:19-21). Revelation 18:23 lists sorcery (magic arts) as a deceitful practice—and the Lord will destroy Babylon (which reformed theology says is the world’s sinful system) in which is found such practices. Sorcery and the magic arts of necromancy and witchcraft are forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).
Yet sorcery and many false teachings abound in our world today through the practices of astrology, palm reading, witchcraft, demonology, and even false religions, which purport to give adherents “special powers, signs, and miracles.” Satan is urgent in his work as a thief to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). He will work on unbelievers with emotion-filled lies that make them think they don’t need God, or the power they have is all they require to make their best life in the here and now, with no thought of what’s coming in eternity.
Immature Christians can fall prey to the charms of promised affluence or claims of a healthy life if only they give to certain false teachers/ministries. The prosperity gospel movement has the same trickery, asking people to give “seed money” to receive health and wealth. Unbelievers who fall prey to such practices become almost immovable, and it’s hard to budge them out of a doctrine akin to Simon the Sorcerer’s selfish beliefs.
Make no mistake. Peter sure didn’t, as Simon’s words revealed his heart and responded with wisdom. We, as Christians, are to judge, but it is not ours to condemn. Pastor John Piper says it well:
“When we sin, our Christian brothers and sisters have an obligation to judge us. They must not condemn us, but they must, out of love, call us to repent. Such judgment is a grace, an expression of God’s kindness (Romans 2:4), and we only compound our sin if we take offense.”
Jesus said we will recognize false teachers by their fruit (Matthew 7:15-20).
If anyone comes to you and displays “signs and miracles,” saying you too can have these gifts if you pay for them, run the other way, and warn others. Satan is behind their acts, for he always seeks someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Satan has real but limited power and disguises himself to trick souls (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). Don’t follow signs and wonders because not every mystifying work of power is of God. Jesus, in Matthew 16:4, said an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. Deuteronomy 13:1-4 underscores the words of Jesus as it speaks of a false prophet’s wonder (sign) coming true and how people are still not to listen because God is testing them to see if they hold to His Word or follow the sign.
As Christians, remember that we are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:5) and cannot buy salvation. It comes only through repentance and faith in Christ alone (Acts 4:11-12).
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/designer491
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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