046 – Baptism of Simon the Sorcerer

In our last seven lessons, we studied a variety of scriptures speaking specifically about baptism; scriptures which present an accurate doctrinal picture of the purpose, practice and execution of this Biblical command. These scriptures are rich in information and fairly direct in their presentation and claims. Now, let’s begin looking at a number of scriptures which again, directly mention and use the word baptism, but this time, our revelations unfold in narratives. These are Biblical stories where baptisms occur. We begin with the baptism of Simon the Sorcerer.

Acts 8:9-25
Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.”

This is quite a story! When we first meet Simon, he is in Samaria and in business for himself… literally. He is an arrogant, blustering carnival barker, charlatan; amazing people with what many people suspect was sleight of hand magic and grand illusions. Simon is the David Copperfield of his time… albeit sans the Copperfield class! Some people speculate that since Simon was doing such great and amazing things, he may have had some kind of demonic power. All this is to say… “Simon ain’t a great guy.” At the top of his sin list are greed and self promotion.

One day, Philip, one of the first church deacons, shows up in Samaria and preaches the good news about Jesus. How do we know this is Philip the Deacon and not Philip the Apostle and why is that even important?

We know this is Philip the Deacon because of what we learn in Acts 8:1-5. A great persecution had broken out against the church after the stoning of Stephen. It was a tumultuous time and caused the church to scatter far and wide.

Acts 8:1-5
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.

So, persecution hits and everyone is scattered…. EXCEPT the Apostles. The Apostles stay in Jerusalem. This would have included Philip, the Apostle. So, what we see happening in Samaria cannot be about him!

Philip, the deacon who had been appointed to that office in Acts 6:1-6, is the man who goes down to Samaria. As to why this is important, we’ll see that in a minute.

Phillip’s preaching is powerful and effective. As a result, people obey the Gospel in water baptism. Even Simon the Sorcerer believes and is baptized! He follows Phillip everywhere and is astonished by the great signs and miracles Philip is doing. Whatever was happening must have been truly amazing.

Let’s pause for a moment and recall the purpose of Philip’s miracles. Remember, miracles, signs and wonders were done by Jesus, the Apostles and a limited number of other disciples for one express purpose – confirming the word of God.

Listen closely to these passages.

Acts 2:22-23
“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

Mark 16:20
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Acts 14:3
So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.

Acts 8:6
When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.

Hebrews 2:3-4
This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

The miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were always done for the purpose of verifying the veracity of the speaker. Jesus was “accredited” as authentic through the signs and wonders He performed. The word of the Apostles was “confirmed” through the presence of miraculous signs and wonders. The message of Paul and Barnabas is “confirmed” by miracles. Phillip’s followers “paid close attention” to him because of the miraculous things they saw. Finally, Hebrews again reminds us, the message was “confirmed” by these events when God Himself “testified” by performing them. The purpose of the miraculous signs was always to confirm what a preacher or prophet was proclaiming.

Simon is awestruck by Philip’s ability to perform these miraculous events. And, there is something boiling in Simon’s heart. There is a deep, sinister form of greed welling up. He wants what Phillip has and I suspect he was not shy in asking Philip to teach him the “secrets” of his power even though we have no record of his requests at this point in time. He was a greedy man. This was his nature!

After an unspecified time, the Apostles hear what is happening in Samaria and decide to send Peter and John to investigate. When they arrive, they perform miracles themselves but with a bit of a twist. Let’s look at this passage again closely.

Acts 8:15-19
When they arrived (the Apostles) they prayed for them (meaning the new Christians) that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Simon “saw” something new happening which triggered renewed amazement and greed. He also saw that it only occurred when the Apostle’s laid their hands on the people. It had not happened during the preceding ministry of Philip. These things were happening to the new Christians, not outsiders.

Simon used the phrase “receive the Holy Spirit?” It is linked to the event called “come upon.” This is very important and is presented as a contrast to the new disciples being “simply baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” In this passage, we see what is sometimes thought to be two different baptisms. We see a baptism of the Holy Spirt, or a “coming on” and another baptism… one that puts people “into the name of the Lord Jesus.”

In Podcast 030, “Lemonade in the Pool” and Podcast 031, “Pagans with Spirit,” we learned that the phrase “come upon” is always associated with God using his Holy Spirit to move on people and cause them to react in supernatural ways, usually with speaking in tongues. This “coming upon” of the Holy Spirit happens at different times. Sometimes it happens before water baptism and sometimes it happens after water baptism. The “coming upon” of the Holy Spirit should not be confused with a the indwelling measure of the Holy Spirit which occurs, as promised, during water baptism. Simon witnessed the “coming upon” of the Holy Spirit and we see this clearly delineated from the disciples’ baptisms.

Now, don’t be confused by the statement that the disciples had “not yet received the Holy Spirit.” Some people will look at that phrase and conclude that the new disciples did not yet have the indwelling Holy Spirit. That can’t be. Remember, the gift of the Holy Spirit is a promise for everyone who obeys the Gospel. The Holy Spirit was absolutely indwelling these believers at this point in time. The Apostles lay their hands on them so that the word is confirmed by the “coming upon” of the Holy Spirit which is sometimes referred to as “receiving the Holy Spirit, just as Simon said.”

Now, here’s why it is important to understand who this particular Philip is. If Philip was the Apostle, I believe he would have had the ability to lay his hands on the new disciples causing the Holy Spirit to “come upon” them. This Philip never demonstrates that ability. The Bible is pretty detailed about this event by identifying the Apostles as the people who had this ability.

All of this leads some people to conclude that the Apostles were the only people who were able to pass along the gifts to a select number of other disciples. They will point out the fact that Philip the deacon had the Apostles’ hands laid on him back in Acts 6 when the seven deacons were first chosen.

Acts 6:6
They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Some theologians speculate that because the Apostles placed their hands on these men, certain limited abilities were “passed on.” I’m not so sure we can make that claim with great confidence but it seems possible. What is clear is that the Apostles did something new in front of Simon which Philip did not do! So, what had Phillip been doing?

Acts 8:13b it tells us about Simon that…
“And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.”

Phillip performed external miracles. These would have been things like healings, driving out demons, opening a deaf person’s ears and the like. His power was limited compared to what Simon saw in the Apostles. The Apostles could lay their hands on people and something vastly different was happening. How do we know this? Because Simon “saw” it. He saw something physically happen when the Apostles laid their hands on the new Christians. He called it, “giving the Holy Spirit” and this is the power he craved.

Simon’s covetous desire explodes. He wants the Apostles’ power!

When Simon makes his request, the greedy intention of his heart is revealed. Peter rebukes him with one of the strongest rebukes we ever see in the New Testament. The blow was devastating! Simon cowers! And, this is the last time we ever see him in the scriptures… but not in extra biblical histories. Take a look at the article about Simon on Wikipedia, he apparently became quite a character. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Magus

Hidden in all of this narrative we discover a cool doctrinal lesson. We learn that repentance must occur before true conversion can happen! Simon was a greedy, covetous man who obviously never repented of his greed despite the preaching of Philip and the good news about forgiveness of sins for all who obey the Gospel. When we first meet Simon, he is a man greedy for attention and power. When he leaves, he leaves for the same reason. He coveted the Apostle’s power! Repentance means you turn away from your sin. Repentance means you understand that your sin put Jesus on the cross. When you repent, you don’t easily jump right back into the same sin you have just abandoned! This is not Simon’s situation. He gets baptized but clearly never leaves his old ways.

Some people look at Simon’s baptism and say, “You see, Simon was baptized and it had no affect on him at all. If baptism is so important it would have changed Simon.” This line of thinking reveals a misunderstanding about baptism. Baptism is not a ritual someone performs in order to get some benefit. There is nothing magic in the act or the water. Stop thinking like Simon!

Baptism is simply the final step in the process we call the Biblical plan of salvation. Without the other vital steps occurring before final obedience in baptism, the end goal of salvation is never bestowed by God on a believer. Our obedience is worthless. Simon got wet but he was never converted. He never experienced true Christian baptism.

Did Simon Become a Christian? No. Not according to Peter and not according to Simon’s behavior. Listen to what Peter says about Simon after his presumed conversion while he was following Phillip.

Acts 8:21-23
You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Peter describes Simon as a man full of bitterness and still captive to sin. He was not free from sin and freedom from sin is a hallmark of a true Christian. Peter said, “You have no share in this ministry. Your heart is not right before God.”

In some commentaries regarding Simon, I read the claim that Simon became a disciple or Simon became a Christian. I don’t think so! A Christian is someone who follows the Biblical Plan of Salvation. “But,” you may say. “The Bible says, ‘Simon himself believed and was baptized.’” It sure does! And this proves a very critical point. The Biblical Plan of Salvation contains five steps. Simon experienced the first two. He heard the message, he believed or accepted the message and it all comes to a crashing halt right there. He obviously never repented. He never made Jesus the Lord of his life. He was still lord of his life!

Simon’s failed conversion is a powerful testimony that believe is not enough to save someone. Simon believed! This story offers one reason I separate the term “believer” from the term “Christian.” A Christian is someone who has followed the Biblical Plan of Salvation and is currently walking in the light and actively practicing their faith daily. Peter summed up Simon’s brand of faith. He said, “You thought (or believe) you could buy the gift of God with money.” That’s Simon’s real faith!

Baptism without repentance or baptism before repentance is wholly and completely ineffective. God has provided a biblical plan of salvation. There is a process. We can not make up our own plan or make “little well-meaning adjustments” to the existing plan by putting things out of order. In Acts 2:38, Peter gave us the order of the plan: repent first, then be baptized. Later, in 1 Peter 3:21, he reminds us that baptism is, “the pledge of a good conscience toward God.” Simon made no such pledge!

Simon the Sorcerer is a monumental example of an incomplete conversion due to his unrepentant heart. He is a man who wanted to do things his own way. He serves as a warning for us to always strive to keep our hearts and consciences clear by humbly obeying the full Gospel plan. Simon was not saved. By outward appearances he obeyed the Gospel, but inwardly he never had that specific and saving kind of Faith that Obeys.

Enjoy!

Dana Haynes