The last thing the Bible says about Simon is encouraging. They’re operating in fear instead of faith.īut Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” (Act 8:24) But they are walking in the old ways of flesh when they could be frolicking in the better way of the Spirit. Am I saying that people who engage in dead works are unforgiven? Of course not. Peter would tell us that we need to repent of our unbelief, renew our minds and ask God to help change the intentions or thoughts of our hearts. If I do good, God will bless me.” It’s the same sin and it would make Peter furious. We look at Simon and think, “What a fool to think he could buy the grace of God with money.” Yet many of us are trying to purchase grace with dead works. Will we let go of what has served us in the past (money, in Simon’s case)? Will we commit ourselves to the grace of a good God and allow the Spirit to change the intentions of our heart? The issue is not whether God can change us, but whether we want to change. You better pray that your screwy notions can be ‘removed and disregarded’” (to quote the Amplified Bible). “Simon, you don’t know what you’re saying and your motives are wrong. With the discernment of the Holy Spirit, Peter got right to the heart of the problem. Peter said, “Pray that the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.” What needs to be forgiven? Not the man but the deed, or rather the intention behind it. He needed to stop relying on his own understanding and begin walking in the new way of the Spirit. Like every single one of us, Simon needed to throw off the old and put on the new. “If you believe God can be bought, you have no share in the Spirit’s ministry.” Obviously that approach would not work in the kingdom of God and Peter told him so. He probably got his training in the occult arts by paying people to teach him. Yes, that was stupid, but it was probably how he had operated in the past. In other words, “ Change the way you think.” Simon thought he could buy his way into the Holy Spirit’s ministry. It’s just that our mistakes don’t lead to a scolding from the most intense apostle of them all. I hope that sounds familiar because we all make mistakes. He believed, got baptized, but then he made a mistake. Simon had an encounter with the grace of God. Here we are not talking about Simon the forgiven sinner, but the wicked intention of his heart. If God is no longer holding our sins against us, he is no longer counting Simon’s sin. Will Simon be forgiven? That’s the wrong question because the gospel declares Simon is forgiven. “Simon was told to repent and pray and even then there were no guarantee that the Lord would forgive him.” (Act 8:20-21)įrom this gem of a story, some have concluded that the Lord’s forgiveness is not a sure thing. May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. He wanted to lay hands and pray for people too, so he offered Peter money. When Peter came to town to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Simon was amazed at the results. Simon was an occult practitioner who, along with other Samaritans, heard the gospel, believed and was baptized (Act 8:13). It kind of sounds like Simon has to do stuff to merit forgiveness. That doesn’t sound like unconditional forgiveness. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. But what about when Peter said this to Simon the Sorcerer:
My answers to these questions can be found in the links above.
Whenever I tell people that God’s forgiveness is complete and unconditional, I invariably get hit with questions like these: So thank the Lord for his forgiveness and live free. Grace cannot be purchased it can only be received by faith. They’re bringing sacrifices of tears and confession and they are trying to earn what God has freely provided. It’s a liberating truth, yet many haven’t heard it. In Christ, you are eternally and unconditionally forgiven.
God’s forgiveness is revealed in the matchless and unrepeatable sacrifice of the One who died for all sin. If God loves you, God forgives you, and God loves you indeed!
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