Before His ascension, Jesus had instructed His disciples to bring His gospel to Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. In this sermon, R.C. Sproul discusses the gospel’s advancement into the region of Samaria, highlighting the difference between genuine repentance and superficial remorse in the hearts of sinners.

Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 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.

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

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.”

But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

He who has ears to hear the Word of God, let him hear it.

Scattered Witnesses

In the text I have read this morning, there is not one sermon, but at least three. As time permits, I will try to preach all three of them. If I am pressed for time, I will do the first two and finish the last one next week, God willing, because this section of the Scripture is packed with very important content for our understanding and edification.

First, look at at verse 4: “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” That statement presupposes something that Luke already told us earlier in the chapter. In Acts 8:1, we read, “Now Saul was consenting to his death,” referring to the martyrdom of Stephen. Then we read, “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

When this great persecution, of which the martyrdom of Stephen was a part, arose against the nascent church in Jerusalem, Luke tells us that they were all scattered. The entire Christian community was scattered throughout the regions outside of Jerusalem and into Samaria, except the Apostles. For reasons Luke does not give us, the Apostles themselves remained in the city of Jerusalem, while the laypeople were trying to escape for their lives.

Then we come to where we started this morning with verse 4: “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” The persecution that forced the Christian community to flee from Jerusalem was one of the main causes of the rapid expansion of the Christian faith in the early church’s life. Those who were scattered proclaimed the gospel of Christ everywhere they went. Remember, these were rank-and-file believers, not the Apostles. It was the laity of the church carrying the message of Jesus’ ministry abroad.

The task of the minister, the pastor, is to teach, preach, and equip the laity for ministry. The ministry of Christ is given to the whole church. Every person who is in Christ is to be a participant—not a spectator—in the outreach ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We explored that when we had our missions conference. It is not just the paid professionals who have been entrusted with the gospel; the whole church has been given that task.

The church was built and always will be built when the people of God are mobilized to go into the marketplace, into their offices, among their friends, and into their communities as Christians proclaiming the Word of God. There is no place in the kingdom of God for Secret Service Christians.

Some people say, “I like to keep my faith as a private and personal matter.” That is impossible. If it is true faith, it must be personal, but the faith of a Christian can never be private. We have been called to bear witness to Christ, to let it be known where our allegiance is so that there is no doubt about it. Here in Acts, we see a model of this in the early church.

Victory over Demonic Oppression

As the expansion of the church takes place, we hear about Philip. The Philip referred to in this text is one of the seven who was set apart to be a deacon, an event we looked at a few weeks ago.

We often think of the deacons as those who waited on tables to make it possible for the Apostles to be the ones who proclaimed the gospel, preached, taught, and so on. No, the biblical deacon not only took care of handling the needs of the church but also was an evangelist and preacher. Just as we heard of Stephen, who was a deacon, proclaiming the Word of God, so now we hear about the ministry of Philip in Samaria.

Luke tells us: “Philip went down to the city of Samaria”—whether it was the city itself or a city in Samaria is difficult to discern in the Greek, but that is immaterial—“and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.”

There was great joy in the city because it had been under demonic oppression. That demonic oppression manifested itself in many ways, from demonic possession itself to great outbreaks of disease, paralysis, and other calamities of that sort. When the cloud of oppression was lifted by the power of God, the city was awakened to the things of Christ and relieved. There was a great victory against Satan, and joy came into the community.

The miracle of demon exorcism in the first century, which was a far cry from Rosemary’s Baby, was one of specific and particular significance. When Jesus astonished everyone by His power and ability to cast out demons, He made this comment: “If you see Me casting out Satan by the finger of God”—that is, by the power of the Holy Ghost—“then you know the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Jesus attached singular significance to the miracle of exorcism as a manifestation of the breakthrough of the divine kingdom. The ministry Jesus began was continued by the Apostles and the Apostolic entourage such as the deacons in Samaria where miracles were taking place.

Simon the Magician

“But there was a certain man called Simon.” There is almost an ominous tone when we read this “but” in the text: “There was great joy, but there was a certain man in this city whose name was Simon.” You can almost sense that there will be a shift in the mood of the writer. Luke continues, telling us that Simon “previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great.”

In Christian history, this man is known as Simon Magus or Simon the Magician. We are told that he had an incredible hold over the people of this town in Samaria because of the sorcery that he performed. He persuaded the people that he was something; maybe an avatar or an incarnation of some supreme power.

Luke was aware of the record in the earlier narratives of Scripture, particularly in Matthew’s gospel, regarding the coming of the magi to the scene in Bethlehem, where they brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. For all intents and purposes, the magi were those people acquainted with the oriental arts of the east that were something of a mixture of science and the occult—astronomy on the one hand, astrology on the other. The magi or “magicians” were trained in the art of legerdemain and prestidigitation, what we refer to as “magic” in the entertainment world today.

We do not believe that the magicians who earn their living by performing amazing exploits on television or on stages really have any supernatural power to bring something out of nothing or make things disappear. But we understand that the business of magic is a carefully crafted skill by people who master sleight-of-hand.

I know something about the business because I had a next-door neighbor whose job was to be a cabinetmaker for magicians. He would show me all the tricks, hinges, and trapdoors, and he showed me how they perform some of these amazing stunts. I am not going to destroy your future enjoyment of entertainment by revealing some of these tricks, but the idea that smoke and mirrors are used a lot is prevalent in the world of contemporary magic. Magic was the same in antiquity.

Fraudulent Power

Ancient magicians had no supernatural power, but Simon claimed to have supernatural power. I am sure he astonished the people with his tricks, delusions, sleight-of-hand, and arts. He probably was skilled in whatever science was popular in the day in a way that he could use scientific principles to fool the people into believing he had supernatural power.

I am going to share a first-hand account of a very dear friend of mine who was killed in Ethiopia after fifty years of missionary service to the natives of that country. The greatest problem he faced in the interior of Ethiopia and Sudan among the tribes of the region was having to deal with the witch doctors who practiced their arts. The witch doctors with their hocus-pocus had the people living in terror. The people were afraid of their power.

My friend the missionary was always brought into confrontation with the pagan witch doctors. One day, he decided to face off against the local witch doctor. He took a large piece of cotton in a bundle and buried several match heads in the cotton. At noonday, he came out and stood before the tribe with the piece of cotton in his hand. He took a magnifying glass out of his pocket, focused the rays of the sun on the match heads, and whoosh, the cotton lit on fire. The witch doctor ran for cover because he saw what he perceived as real magic.

When my friend told me that story, I said: “That was a good trick, but that was duplicitous, you know. That’s not the way we are supposed to proclaim the gospel to people.” He answered, “I was just trying to fight fire with fire—literally—on that occasion.” People are easily amazed by some of the most simple tricks that magicians perform. Simon Magus knew that his power was counterfeit.

I wonder about people who make their living claiming to perform miracles today in the name of Christ. When you investigate them carefully, you will find out more often than not that they are less than authentic. I wonder if they know. If I stood here today and claimed to heal you, it is almost inevitable that somebody would respond and say, “While you were saying that, my headache went away.” If you give me that feedback, soon I will start believing in my own act. That happens. But for the most part, fraudulent sorcerers, whether they be in the name of Christ or against the name of Christ, know that they do not have the power they claim to have.

Clearly, Simon Magus knew his power was fraudulent. Simon saw the real thing and said, “I want that.”

Unpurchasable Power

Luke tells us that the people in Samaria believed when Philip performed miracles and preached concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, and listed among the believers is Simon. Luke says, “Simon himself also believed.”

We have a problem here because Scripture describes Simon as a believer, but when Peter and John came up from Jerusalem, Simon asked, “How much does it cost for me to get that power?” He offered them money to secure the power of the Holy Spirit when he witnessed the Apostles lay hands on the Samaritan believers, bringing the Pentecostal experience that had been restricted to the Jews to non-Jewish Christians. When Simon saw Peter and John lay hands on the Samaritans, he tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever heard the term simony? Simony was one of the great problems in the sixteenth-century church, which involved the sale of ecclesiastical offices to those with money and power. One of the great points of corruption that provoked the Reformation was the widespread practice of simony within the church, particularly among the Medici popes. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes that one of the benefits of the Council of Trent after the Protestant Reformation was to clean up the problem of simony in the church.

The indulgence controversy during the Reformation was linked to the sale of church offices by the pope to particular people. One man in Germany was too young to be a bishop, and canon law was violated when he was made bishop, and then he bought a second bishopric. When he sought to be the Archbishop of Mainz, he offered the pope gold, and he now had a triple play—a bishopric with three jurisdictions or sees from which he controlled most of Germany. Part of the business of indulgences was to raise money for Saint Peter’s Cathedral, but also to help the bishop in Germany pay off his debts to Rome through which he bought his office.

At the Council of Trent, the practice of simony was forbidden from then on. It was called simony in reference to this text where the man named Simon tried to buy the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Listen to the rebuke of Peter upon Simon. Luke says that Simon “offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you.’” That is known as a biblical euphemism. Really, Peter said, “You and your money can go to hell”—that is how strong the text is regarding what Peter said. Peter placed an anathema upon Simon. The strongest possible judgment an Apostle could utter was now uttered against Simon Magus for his sin: “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!”

Do you know how many people today think that God can be bought, who think that the gifts of God can be purchased through donations? They’ll say, “Let me write out a check, pastor,” thinking that it will ensure someone’s salvation. I do not want to deter you from giving to the work of the ministry; financial support is needed. But do not ever think that any tithe, gift, or purchase can buy God. God is simply not for sale. The grace of God cannot be earned. It cannot be borrowed. It cannot be achieved. It cannot be merited, and it certainly cannot be bought, save by the purchase of the blood of the Son of God.

Spurious Faith and Shallow Repentance

Peter continued to rebuke Simon: “You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

Luke had said just a few passages earlier that Simon Magus believed, but was it saving faith? James tells us that even the demons believe in the sense that they assent and acknowledge intellectually the truth of God. But that kind of faith is not saving faith.

Simon believed in the power of God. Simon believed that it was God who was working through Philip. There was no question about that, but he had no saving faith in his heart. He could not possibly have had such wicked a response to seeing the manifestation of the power of God if he possessed saving faith.

Peter knew right away that Simon’s profession of faith was spurious. It was not real. Peter said, “Your heart is not right with God, and God sees your heart.” In other words, Simon made a profession of faith while his heart remained a heart of stone. Peter said: “Simon, God can see what’s in there, and what God sees is poison. He sees a venomous heart inside of you. He sees a bitter heart in bondage to that sin and that poison.”

Anyone who has true faith has been born again, and anyone who has been born again, though they may sin and fall, is no longer a bondservant to sin. But Simon Peter looked at Simon Magus and said: “You are still a slave to sin. You need to repent, and you need to pray that God will forgive you of this crime.”

Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” That sounds like maybe Simon repented. He may or may not have, but everything else we see in the text about him involves his repentance and faith only going so far as his vested interests. That the New Testament never mentions Simon again in any salutary way leaves us to suggest that whatever he did here was at best a response of attrition, like the child who repents when he gets caught with his hands in the cookie jar. He says, “Please, don’t spank me!” That is not true repentance. That is the kind of repentance we call attrition, where somebody repents to escape punishment, to get a ticket out of hell, to flee from the wrath of God, not because their heart has been moved to sorrow for having offended God.

I think we are left to conclude that when Simon Peter walked away from Simon Magus, Simon Magus was still in the gall of bitterness and in bondage to sin. But Simon was the exception among the Samaritans because on that day, the Lord visited His Spirit mightily upon those who did believe.

He who has ears to hear the Word of God, let him hear. Let us pray.

Our Father and our God, keep us from such sins of presumption. Keep us from an empty and meaningless profession of faith, where our hearts are not in it. Teach us, o God, that there is nothing we can ever do to purchase Your grace or earn Your forgiveness. But thank You for the power and the presence of the Holy Ghost who applies to us the riches of the One who could purchase our redemption. We thank You for that in His name. Amen.

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.