Simony is the attempt to buy or sell what God gives freely—spiritual power, office, or sacred privileges—for personal gain. The name comes from Simon Magus in Samaria, who tried to purchase the ability to impart the Holy Spirit and heard a fire-bright rebuke: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:20). The episode unmasks a heart that treats grace as a commodity and ministry as a marketplace, and it sets a pattern for how the Church must resist greed and guard the purity of God’s work (Acts 8:18–24).
This sin has appeared in many forms—from ancient divination to medieval office-selling to modern schemes that promise blessing for a price. Scripture speaks directly to the danger. “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit,” Paul says, choosing sincerity before God over spiritual salesmanship (2 Corinthians 2:17). Leaders are called to shepherd “not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve” (1 Peter 5:2). Across time the message is steady: what Christ gives by grace cannot be bought with money, leveraged by flattery, or traded for favors (Ephesians 2:8–9; Proverbs 15:27).
Words: 2069 / Time to read: 11 minutes / Audio Podcast: 31 Minutes
Historical and Cultural Background
In the world of the apostles, money and power often traveled together. Patrons expected returns, favors were exchanged, and religious performers sold wonders to crowded streets. Samaria knew sorcerers who “amazed all the people,” and Simon was one of them, claiming to be “someone great” until the gospel exposed the difference between show and Spirit (Acts 8:9–11). Into this marketplace came the message that the Holy Spirit is a gift, given by the risen Christ through His apostles, with no price tag attached (Acts 8:15–17). When Simon tried to fold this holy gift back into the old economy of purchase and sale, Peter’s rebuke drew a line that the Church must keep bright (Acts 8:18–20).
The Scriptures had already trained Israel to hate bribery and to keep judgment clean. “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent” (Deuteronomy 16:19). Prophets cried out against priests and princes who turned sacred duties into paid favors, saying, “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money” (Micah 3:11). The law provided for priests and Levites, but it did not license the sale of blessing; the Lord Himself was their portion (Numbers 18:20–21). That moral backbone helps us understand why the apostles reacted so sharply when money reached for the keys of the kingdom (Acts 8:20–23).
Greed’s pull shows up in many ages and accents. Gehazi ran after Naaman for gifts that Elisha had refused and found himself covered with leprosy, a living parable of how grasping hands soil holy work (2 Kings 5:20–27). Balaam loved the wages of wrongdoing, and though he could not curse Israel, he counseled a path that led them to sin for gain (Numbers 22:7; Numbers 31:16; 2 Peter 2:15). These older stories frame the Church Age warning: if the heart treats God’s grace like a product and people like revenue, corruption is not far away (Jude 11; Revelation 2:14).
Biblical Narrative
Luke tells the story with pastoral care. Philip preached Christ in Samaria, and “when they believed… they were baptized” and there was great joy in the city (Acts 8:12). Hearing of the work, the apostles sent Peter and John, who prayed for the believers, “and they received the Holy Spirit” as hands were laid on them (Acts 8:15–17). Simon watched and calculated. He had once astonished a town, but now he saw a power that could not be faked, and he reached for the tool he knew best. He “offered them money” and asked for the authority he had just seen (Acts 8:18–19).
Peter’s answer cut back to the root: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” He called Simon to repentance, saying, “Your heart is not right before God… For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin” (Acts 8:20–23). The apostle did not offer a price list; he offered a call to pray that the intention of the heart might be forgiven. Simon asked for prayer himself, showing that the line between ruin and mercy runs through repentance, not purchase (Acts 8:24).
The New Testament keeps pressing this theme. The Lord Jesus told His disciples, “Freely you have received; freely give” when He sent them to preach and heal (Matthew 10:8). Paul modeled clean hands, saying, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing… we must help the weak” as he reminded the elders that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:33–35). He refused to “peddle the word of God for profit” and chose open statement of truth before God (2 Corinthians 2:17). Peter charged elders to shepherd “not greedy for money, but eager to serve,” keeping their eyes on the Chief Shepherd who rewards faithfulness, not sales (1 Peter 5:2–4). Together these threads form a fence around the flock: grace is God’s gift; ministry is stewardship; money must not steer the message (1 Corinthians 4:1–2; 2 Corinthians 8:20–21).
Theological Significance
At the center stands a doctrine of grace. The Spirit is given, not sold; salvation is by grace through faith, “not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). To “buy” the Spirit’s power would be to deny the Giver and turn mercy into merchandise. Peter’s rebuke made that clear by calling money and heart to judgment under God’s gaze (Acts 8:20–23). The thing at risk was not just church order; it was the truth about God Himself. The Father loves to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, not to those who pay (Luke 11:13).
Simony also distorts the nature of ministry. The Church is not a market, and the gospel is not a product. Scripture rejects leaders who chase “shameful gain” and calls for shepherds who watch over the flock “not because you must, but because you are willing” (1 Peter 5:2). Paul insists on financial integrity, arranging the administration of gifts so that “no one should blame us” and things are done “in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man” (2 Corinthians 8:20–21). When money buys office or influence, it places the unqualified in charge, skews teaching toward donors, and trains a congregation to measure blessing by price, not by truth (1 Timothy 3:2–3; James 3:1).
A dispensational view helps us hold the lines without confusion. Israel’s priests were appointed by birth and law, and their service foreshadowed realities fulfilled in Christ; the Church’s elders and deacons are recognized by character and calling in the present Church Age (Hebrews 7:11–12; 1 Timothy 3:1–13). God’s gifts and callings are not revoked, because His purposes stand (Romans 11:29). Yet the economies are distinct: we do not buy priestly access because our High Priest has already purchased our redemption with His blood (Hebrews 9:11–12). To sell what Christ has given freely is to deny the difference between shadows and fulfillment and to forget the cost already paid (1 Peter 1:18–19).
Finally, simony exposes a heart-issue that runs through Scripture: the love of money. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” Paul writes, and those who chase it “pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10). When ministry becomes a career ladder instead of a cross-bearing call, the result is “men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain” (1 Timothy 6:5). The antidote is contentment rooted in God’s nearness: “Keep your lives free from the love of money… ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). The Church thrives when leaders treasure the Lord more than gifts and people more than revenue (Philippians 4:11–13; 1 Thessalonians 2:5–8).
Spiritual Lessons and Application
First, receive again the pattern of the apostles: give freely what you have freely received. When the Church prays, teaches, counsels, and serves without price tags on God’s power, it bears witness that Christ is richer than any fund and the Spirit is not a commodity (Matthew 10:8; Acts 8:15–20). There is a rightful place for material support, and Scripture commands churches to care for those who labor in the Word, yet even that care must be free of greed and handled with integrity for the sake of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14; 1 Timothy 5:17–18; 2 Corinthians 8:20–21).
Second, test motives and methods in the light. “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil,” Paul says (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22). If a ministry teaches that blessing can be purchased, or if access and office move by payment rather than calling and character, the warning lights should flash. Leaders must be “above reproach… not a lover of money,” and churches must not confuse charisma for calling or results for faithfulness (1 Timothy 3:2–3; Titus 1:7–9). The Lord weighs the heart; He is not impressed by gifts attached to crooked intention (Mark 12:41–44; Acts 8:21–23).
Third, cultivate contentment and transparency. Paul could say, “I have learned the secret of being content… I can do all this through him who gives me strength” as he thanked the Philippians for support handled in the open (Philippians 4:11–13; Philippians 4:14–18). Churches can mirror that pattern by simple budgets, plural leadership, and clear boundaries that guard the pulpit from purchase and the sacraments from sale (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2–3). Where repentance is needed, Scripture invites it. Peter told Simon to pray that the intention of his heart might be forgiven, showing that grace is still grace even when greed is exposed (Acts 8:22–24; 1 John 1:9).
Finally, keep hope clear. The gospel is not for sale because the Savior has already paid. He “gave himself for us to redeem us,” setting us free to serve “eager to do what is good” rather than eager for gain (Titus 2:14). The Church does not replace Israel in the plan of God, nor does it inherit its promises by purchase; rather, it lives now as Christ’s body, awaiting the day when He will keep every promise He has made to Israel and to His Church in His appointed times (Romans 11:26–29; Ephesians 1:13–14). That future hope teaches present faithfulness: trust the Lord, love His people, and refuse any trade that turns grace into goods (Galatians 2:21; 2 Corinthians 9:8–11).
Conclusion
The sin of simony is the old lie that grace can be priced and power can be bought. Simon Magus tried and met a holy refusal: the gift of God is not for sale (Acts 8:18–20). Scripture’s warnings are not narrow rules; they are guardrails for joy. Leaders are called to serve “not greedy for money,” and churches are called to measure success by faithfulness, not revenue (1 Peter 5:2–3; 1 Corinthians 4:1–2). When greed presses in, the Church answers with contentment, transparency, and the courage to say no where purchase would twist the truth (Hebrews 13:5; 2 Corinthians 8:21).
Across history, the allure of gain has harmed many, but the grace of God has healed more. The same Lord who turned Balaam’s curse to blessing guards His people still, and the same Spirit who cannot be bought is gladly given to all who ask (Deuteronomy 23:5; Luke 11:13). May we guard the good deposit, keep our hands open, and serve in a way that makes much of Christ and little of ourselves (2 Timothy 1:14; John 3:30).
“Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.