Posted on 10/01/2010 3:36:14 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.(Acts 8:9-11)
Phillip the deacon, had been driven out of Jerusalem along with many other of his fellow believers, in the persecution instigated by Saul. But they preached the Word wherever they went for refuge.
Phillip ended up in Samaria, preaching Christ, the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus, with great power. God confirmed the word through signs and wonders, healings, demon deliverances, and mass conversion to Christ, as the people “gave heed to Phillip”.
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (Acts 8:7)
But there was a rival ‘Word’ in Samaria that the people also “gave heed to”, a renown sorcerer named Simon, who bewitched the people through signs and wonders of his own.He enthralled the Samaritans for a long time through his mastery of the black arts.
To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
Notice that Simon’s signs and wonders caused people to think of him as some great one, blasphemously calling him, “the great power of God”. The Sorceries caused them to esteem him, and to exalt him, in their superstition they magnified him.
The Occult is all about the glorification of man, and part of the appeal of the occult is the demonically inspired belief that all men are god-like, they just haven’t realized it. The secret teachings usually involve learning how to tap the latent power within.
Those few who learn the dark secrets that unlock the godlike powers in themselves are regarded highly as proof that any of us can be “as gods”, the serpent’s lie. Thus we have the appeal of “Simon Magnus”, The great power of God.
The Samaritans had to choose between the two ‘Words”, the Word of Jesus, proclaimed by Phillip, (a nobody), exalting Jesus the Christ of God, or that of “Simon the Great”, proof that all of us deep inside have latent godlike powers, that we can all be “as gods”as the Serpent in the garden once suggested.
In the Word of Jesus is the teaching that we are all sinners, bankrupt and unable to save ourselves, but that in mercy the Holy God descended to our lowly level, and became a man. This man died on a tree, as a sacrifice for our sins, but God the Father raised him from the dead.
The Word of Simon is the exact opposite, for Simon is proof that man himself can be as gods, knowing and determining for himself good and evil. This great man has tapped into the power within to reveal the true greatness of all men!
By the grace of God the Samaritans received the Word of God, not the Word of Simon, and were saved. There was great Joy in the city, because so many had been saved from their sins and brought out of superstitious bondage, the emptiness of man centered spirituality, into a living relationship with God!
In fact , even Simon the great became a christian and was baptized… or did he really?
The power through the Word of Jesus always prevails.
...or did he really...what?
“Phillip the deacon, had been driven out of Jerusalem along with many other of his fellow believers, in the persecution instigated by Saul.”
You mean Saul, the mass murderer? The same Saul who held Steven’s cloak who replaced Peter as the cornerstone of the church? That Saul?
“...or did he really...what?”
Simon was baptized, but then tried to buy from Peter the Apostles’ gifts of the Holy Spirit, and Peter rebuked him. This incident led to him having a sin named specifically after him, Simony. He went on to found one of the earliest Christian heresies, Simonianism.
“The same Saul who held Steven’s cloak who replaced Peter as the cornerstone of the church? That Saul?”
Huh?
Let’s see who Peter said was the cornerstone:
2 Peter 2:6-8
“ 6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”
Who is the Stone that the builders rejected? Let’s listen to Peter again:
Acts 4:10-11
“10Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.”
Simon may very well have started a heresy, but since I regard post-scriptural history as subject to error, I will do as I do with anyone; leave his judgement to the Judge.
The scriptures do say, that in the rebuke by Peter, that Simon was told to “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee”. Acts 8: 22
Simon’s answer indicate a man fearful of God’s wrath, for he said, “Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me”. Acts 8:24
A sidenote: Notice that Simon, the man that performed slick enough witchcraft to amaze the people of Samaria, saw something so remarkable that even he was impressed. Peter and John “laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost”. I believe Simon saw the same amazing sign that is mentioned in Acts 2:4, and later, in Acts 10:45,46. That’s right, I believe the Samaritans also spoke in tongues and magnified God when filled with the Holy Ghost. I DON”T believe that Simon was offering money after seeing people say, “I accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior” (which is what some believe to be the point that the Holy Ghost is given).
Another sidenote: You made mention that Simon was baptized. That’s right, and not only that, verse 13 says he BELIEVED also, and was baptized. In the previous verse, others were mentioned as believing and were baptized. That harmonizes with the Lord’s command in Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”. (he that ‘believeth not’ obviously isn’t going to be baptized).
The Samaritans believed and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and STILL hadn’t received the Spirit, until Peter and John came.
**I believe Simon saw the same amazing sign that is mentioned in Acts 2:4, and later, in Acts 10:45,46.**
Almost forgot another: Acts 19:5,6 “And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
Did he really become a christian.
You can listen to Peter all you want. Paul usurped Peter and distorted everything Jesus and the apostles preached.
Paul’s Romans 1-8 is an exposition of Peter’s conclusion in Acts 2:38. There is no usurpation or distortion.
Unless you believe there is not a drop of water in Romans 6.
“Paul usurped Peter and distorted everything Jesus and the apostles preached.”
Guess I must have missed the part in the Bible where Peter and the other apostles rebuked Paul for that...
Yeah, I must have missed that part too.
Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit and his perspective won out in regard to keeping superfluous Jewish law.
IMO it ensured the survival of Christianity as Paul saw that Jesus Christ was meant for all of the world, all of the nations.
Otherwise, “christianity” would have just been another sect of Judaism and could have been easier to destroy from within.
“Paul was guided by the Holy Spirit and his perspective won out in regard to keeping superfluous Jewish law.
IMO it ensured the survival of Christianity as Paul saw that Jesus Christ was meant for all of the world, all of the nations.”
Amen brother. Paul was Apostle to the Gentiles, while Peter & the others were Apostles to the Lost Sheep of Israel, so it makes sense that they would have a different perspective on how they should teach the Gospel. It’s the same Gospel, but while Peter & Co. thought it important to keep the Jewish traditions, in order not to alienate Jewish converts, Paul saw that keeping the Jewish traditions was an unnecessary burden on Gentile converts.
It kind of amazes me that some people are “anti-Paul”, and seem to believe he preached some different Gospel. I think they just don’t understand the different missions that were given to Paul vs. the other Apostles.
If Paul was an “anti-Apostle”, so to speak, and yet his views persisted while the views of the other Apostles have been abandoned, as they claim, then they are making another assertion, whether they say it aloud or not: that God didn’t do anything to stop this, and apparently allowed his Gospel to be supplanted by another. That’s the natural conclusion to be made, if you believe in the anti-Paul position, and I don’t think it would be one that would strengthen my faith if I was of that opinion.
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