Some stories are short and unforgettable. Simon’s is one of them. He steps onto the stage in Samaria wearing the reputation of a wonder-worker, hears the gospel preached by Philip, professes belief, and watches the apostles lay hands on new believers so that they receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9–17). Then his old instincts rise. He offers money to purchase what God gives as a gift, and Peter’s reply cuts to the heart: “May your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money” (Acts 8:20).
Simon’s episode exposes a perennial danger. It is possible to be impressed by the power of God and yet remain unchanged in the heart. It is possible to stand near the work of the Spirit, to admire signs and testimonies, and still treat grace like something to acquire, manage, and leverage. The Lord uses this moment to warn, to invite repentance, and to teach the Church what genuine faith looks like when the gospel crosses new thresholds.
Words: 2542 / Time to read: 13 minutes
Historical and Cultural Background
The setting is Samaria, the next circle in the risen Lord’s commission: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). After persecution scatters the Jerusalem church, Philip goes down to a Samaritan city and proclaims the Messiah (Acts 8:4–5). Samaria’s history with Israel had long been tangled. Centuries before, Assyria resettled peoples in the northern lands, producing a mixed community with rival worship centered at Mount Gerizim (2 Kings 17:24–33; John 4:20). Many Jews despised Samaritans, yet Jesus had sowed seeds there, revealing Himself as the giver of living water and declaring that the Father seeks worshipers in spirit and in truth (John 4:10; John 4:23).
In that world, spiritual power was a market. Sorcerers and magicians promised access to the unseen, and cities learned to revere those who amazed them. Simon fit the role. He had “practiced sorcery” and “amazed all the people of Samaria,” who said that he was “rightly called the Great Power of God” (Acts 8:9–10). Titles like that do not arise overnight. He had built an identity on influence and awe, and the crowd had learned to orbit his persona. Into that environment came a different kind of proclamation: not techniques to control the divine, but news that God had acted in Jesus, crucified and risen, and that forgiveness and new life were given through faith in His name (Acts 8:5; Acts 8:12).
The movement of the gospel from Jerusalem to Samaria also carried a theological weight. The Lord was gathering one new people in Christ, not two separate churches divided by old hostilities (Ephesians 2:14–16). In this transitional moment of Acts, God would often confirm new frontiers of the gospel through apostolic presence so that the church would remain visibly one. Later in the chapter Peter and John come from Jerusalem and lay hands on Samaritan believers, and they receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14–17). This sequence did not teach the Spirit’s gifts could be bought or sold. It testified that the same Spirit who filled Jewish believers now filled Samaritans, securing unity in a church that was expanding by grace.
Biblical Narrative
Philip’s ministry confronts Samaria with a different power. “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said” because “with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed” and “there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:6–8). Philip’s signs confirm his message, and the joy is not the thrill of spectacle but the relief of salvation. The text then narrows in on Simon: “Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw” (Acts 8:13). The verb choices are revealing. He believed and was baptized, yet the focus of his attention clings to the visible power.
The apostles in Jerusalem hear that Samaria has accepted the word of God and send Peter and John. They pray that the new believers might receive the Holy Spirit, “because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:14–16). Then “Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17). However we describe the precise manifestation, it was visible enough that Simon recognized it as the decisive thing that set apostolic ministry apart.
So he made his offer. “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:19). His words betray the old economy of his heart. He sees the Spirit as transferable power, a capacity to be owned and dispensed. He thinks money can secure participation and position. Perhaps he imagines himself an ally, a sponsor of the movement. Peter hears the poison underneath. “May your money perish with you,” he answers, “because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money” (Acts 8:20). He goes further: “You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God” (Acts 8:21). The issue is not the coins in his hand but the condition of his heart. Peter’s counsel is direct: “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart” (Acts 8:22). Then he names what he sees: “For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin” (Acts 8:23).
The last line we hear from Simon is a plea. “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me” (Acts 8:24). The narrative moves on with Peter and John preaching in many Samaritan villages as they return to Jerusalem (Acts 8:25). Scripture leaves Simon’s final state unstated. The silence is instructive. It keeps the spotlight on the warning and on the grace that is still offered if he would turn.
Theological Significance
Simon’s story exposes the difference between amazement and repentance. He “believed,” “was baptized,” and “followed” Philip, yet Peter discerns that his heart is not right before God (Acts 8:13; Acts 8:21). Mere proximity to the gospel and participation in its outward rites do not guarantee new birth. Jesus warned of those who would say, “Lord, Lord,” and point to mighty works, yet hear Him say, “I never knew you” because obedience was missing and the heart remained unbowed (Matthew 7:21–23). True faith receives Christ Himself, not merely His benefits, and bows to His lordship with a new, Spirit-given desire to do His will (John 1:12–13; Ezekiel 36:26–27).
The passage also clarifies the gift-character of the Holy Spirit. Peter calls Him “the gift of God” and rejects the very idea that the gift could be purchased (Acts 8:20). Salvation and the Spirit are given by grace through faith, “not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). The Spirit is not a force to be tapped or a badge of status to be leveraged; He is the personal presence of God who unites us to Christ, indwells us, and empowers witness and holiness (Romans 8:9–11; Acts 1:8). Treating the Spirit like currency profanes His holiness. The Church must speak of Him with reverent joy and receive His ministries with gratitude, never with grasping hands.
Acts 8 also illumines the transitional nature of redemptive history. In a dispensational reading that honors progressive revelation, the unusual sequence in Samaria—belief, baptism, later reception of the Spirit through apostolic laying on of hands—serves a unifying purpose. The same apostles who preached in Jerusalem place their hands on Samaritans to show that there is one body and one Spirit, and that Samaria’s inclusion is not a separate stream but part of the same river of grace (Acts 8:14–17; Ephesians 4:4–5). Later, Gentiles in Caesarea receive the Spirit while Peter is still preaching, and the Jerusalem believers glorify God that the gift has been poured out “even on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:44–48; Acts 11:17–18). These moments do not reduce the Spirit to a technique; they magnify the Lord’s sovereignty in building His Church across old boundaries.
Peter’s rebuke teaches the Church to exercise spiritual discernment. Leaders must guard the integrity of the gospel when motives are mixed and when gifts are sought apart from grace. Paul would later ask a sorcerer in Cyprus, “Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?” and pronounce a judgment that led to the proconsul’s belief (Acts 13:10–12). Shepherds are called to “keep watch over yourselves and all the flock” and to silence teaching or practices that distort the gift of God (Acts 20:28–30; Titus 1:10–11). Discernment is not cynicism; it is love for the Name and care for souls.
Finally, the episode confronts the old sin of pride. Simon had lived on applause and influence; now he seeks a shortcut to spiritual authority. But grace cannot be bargained with. “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble,” therefore we are told to “humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:6; James 4:10). The cross stands as the end of boasting and the beginning of true power, for “the message of the cross is the power of God” to those being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18). Where the Spirit is honored, self-exaltation must die.
Spiritual Lessons and Application
Let the Word test your motives when you draw near to spiritual things. Simon stood in the stream of blessing and saw the real work of God, yet his heart reached for control (Acts 8:13; Acts 8:19). It is possible to want platform more than presence, usefulness more than holiness, spiritual impact more than the Spirit Himself. The Lord is kind to expose this. He calls us to seek His face, not His power for our projects. “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” (Psalm 105:4). Ask Him to purify the aims that live beneath your prayers and ministry plans. Ask Him to make your delight the Lord Himself (Psalm 37:4).
Remember that the Spirit is a gift, not a prize. We receive Him by grace through faith in Christ, and He dwells in us to glorify Jesus, not to decorate our names (Ephesians 1:13–14; John 16:14). Where envy, rivalry, and self-promotion stir, the Spirit is grieved (Ephesians 4:30). Where repentance, faith, love, and obedience flourish, He rejoices and empowers. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The way forward is not to try harder to look spiritual but to yield to the Spirit’s holy desires and to keep in step with Him (Galatians 5:25).
When confronted, repent quickly and personally. Peter told Simon to repent and pray to the Lord, directly and urgently (Acts 8:22). Simon asked Peter to pray for him that the threatened judgment might not fall (Acts 8:24). Intercession is good, but it does not replace the sinner’s own turning to God. Grace invites you to come yourself, to speak to the Lord honestly about the thoughts of your heart. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Do not outsource repentance. Enter the throne room by the blood of Jesus and receive mercy and help (Hebrews 4:16).
Cultivate discernment that protects the Church without quenching the Spirit. Peter’s firmness did not halt the gospel; it guarded it (Acts 8:20–23; Acts 8:25). Love rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). Leaders and members alike must learn to weigh claims, to test what is said and done in God’s name by Scripture, and to correct with humility and courage. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). Healthy churches are neither gullible nor skeptical by default; they are biblically alert, eager for genuine grace, and wary of showmanship that eclipses Christ.
Let this story teach holy fear without stealing your hope. Peter’s words are sharp because the stakes are eternal (Acts 8:20–23). Yet the call to repent is grace itself. The same Lord who judged Ananias and Sapphira also multiplied mercy in Jerusalem, Samaria, and beyond (Acts 5:1–11; Acts 8:5–8). If the Spirit shows you a Simon-like impulse within, do not hide. Bring it into the light. The Father receives the humble. He exalts the lowly. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
Finally, keep the mission in view. The point of the scene is not to freeze Samaria in suspicion, but to keep the gospel moving with integrity. After the rebuke, Peter and John “preached the gospel in many Samaritan villages” on their way back to Jerusalem (Acts 8:25). The story ends with the Word advancing, just as the Lord promised (Acts 1:8). When correction preserves the purity of the message, mission quickens. The Church grows not by selling access to power but by proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, and by living in the power of the Spirit whom God freely gives (Romans 1:16; Acts 2:38–39).
Conclusion
Simon stands as a mirror for anyone who draws near to holy things with hungry ambition. He reminds us that the Spirit cannot be bought, that grace does not bow to gold, and that a right heart matters more than impressive gifts. He also reminds us that rebuke, when it comes from the Lord through faithful servants, is an act of mercy meant to turn us back before it is too late (Acts 8:20–23). The gospel’s move into Samaria shone with great joy because the Word brought freedom and life, not merely fascination with power (Acts 8:8; Acts 8:12). Let that joy correct our motives, humble our hearts, and send us out in honest dependence on the One who gives every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).
“Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” (Acts 8:22–23)
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