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General Category => Bible Study => Topic started by: Psalm 51:17 on October 08, 2015, 08:51:19 pm



Title: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 08, 2015, 08:51:19 pm
FWIW, I don't endorse this ministry - however, this is a pretty good write-up.

http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/prophets/false-prophets/simon-the-sorcerer/
Simon the Sorcerer
by David Treybig

Who was Simon the Sorcerer, mentioned in the New Testament book of Acts? What is the significance of his story for Christians today?
Simon the Sorcerer


The Simon mentioned in Acts 8:9-24 is commonly called Simon the Sorcerer or Simon Magus. Although the term “Magus” is not found in this passage, it is also an appropriate description since in Act 8:9 “the present participle mageúōn is used, and is translated … ‘used sorcery’” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1947, “Simon Magus”).

Sorcery is another name for witchcraft. It is a means of working magic with the assistance of the devil or evil spirits. This practice is specifically forbidden by God.

God told the ancient Israelites: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

Simon the Sorcerer had “bewitched” (Acts 8:9, 11, King James Version) the people of Samaria “with his sorceries for a long time” (verse 11). The people of that city mistakenly assumed that he was “the great power of God” (verse 10).

“This ‘power’ was considered a spark of God himself” (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, commentary on Acts 8:10). “They believed Simon was an impersonated power of God” (M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, commentary on Acts 8:10).

Simon the Sorcerer may have claimed to be a revealing angel from God, or this could have been the origin of the gnostic doctrine of emanations or various spirit beings “emanating” from the Godhead. The Samaritans viewed angels as “powers.”

Simon the Sorcerer’s status was apparently threatened when Philip entered the city and preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

When people “believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized” (verse 12). Simon was among those who believed and was also baptized. He “was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done” through the power of God (verse 13).

Simony
Since the people Philip baptized had not yet had hands laid on them for the receiving of the Holy Spirit, Peter and John came from Jerusalem to perform this important part of baptism (verses 14-16). Seeing that people received the Holy Spirit through “the laying on of the apostles’ hands,” Simon offered them money if they would give him power to give people the Holy Spirit (verses 17-19).

Historically, this is the origin of the word “simony”—the buying or selling of a church office or an ecclesiastical power.

Sadly, Simon’s request was based upon impure motives. Perhaps he saw this as an opportunity to make more money or enhance his own reputation. It was common for magicians to purchase tricks from one another, so Simon may have viewed the apostles as religious “magicians” or hucksters and was trying to purchase their “trick.”

Realizing that his motive was wrong, Peter strongly corrected Simon the Sorcerer, saying, “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” (Acts 8:20-23).

The final piece of information recorded in the Bible regarding Simon the Sorcerer is that, instead of actually repenting of his sin, he just asked Peter to pray for him that “none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me” (verse 24).

Sorcery versus the gospel
This account of Simon the Sorcerer exemplified one of the great challenges for those who preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God in the early centuries. As The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains, “It is not strange to find the gospel brought into direct conflict with magicians, for in the 1st and 2nd centuries there were a multitude of such persons who pretended to possess supernatural powers by which they endeavored to deceive men” (ISBE, “Simon Magus”).

A few years later, the apostle Paul had a similar experience with a sorcerer. When explaining God’s way of life to a proconsul named Sergius Paulus at Paphos, “Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith” (Acts 13:8).

Confronting this man who tried to deceive the proconsul, Paul said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time” (verses 10-11).

To counter the deception of sorcerers such as Simon the Sorcerer and Elymas, God gave His servants the ability to work miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit. In dealing with Simon the Sorcerer, Philip performed miracles and signs (Acts 8:13). In his confrontation with Elymas, Paul told the sorcerer that he would be temporarily blind (Acts 13:11).

Extrabiblical accounts
A number of early Christian writers mention Simon the Sorcerer. They confirm the biblical account and add additional details. Justin Martyr wrote that Simon came from the city of Gitton. Jerome said that Simon’s own writings stated, “I am the Word of God, I am the Comforter, I am Almighty, I am all there is of God” (Henry Longueville Mansel, The Gnostic Heresies of the First and Second Centuries, 1875, p. 82).

Irenaeus said that Simon the Sorcerer had purchased a prostitute named Helena and that, through her, “he [Simon the Sorcerer] conceived the thought of making the angels and archangels” (ibid.).

Followers of Simon the Sorcerer were called Simonians. Members of this small gnostic sect combined elements of paganism, Judaism and Christianity in their misguided beliefs. Origen wrote that they mistakenly called Simon the Power of God. Origen and the other early writers previously mentioned regarded Simon as the founder of gnosticism.

As for the sorcerer’s death, several traditions exist. One claims that he told people to bury him in a grave and that he would rise after three days. But he didn’t rise. Another tradition says that he was flying around Rome with the aid of evil spirits but crashed to the ground and died (ISBE, “Simon Magus”).

Lesson for today
Although it is difficult to know with certainty whether these legends about Simon the Sorcerer are true, there is a sure biblical lesson for us today. In correcting Simon the Sorcerer, Peter told him, “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” (Acts 8:21-22, emphasis added).

The instruction to have a “loyal” and “clean” heart toward God is a theme that runs throughout the Bible (1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 51:10). The point is, God expects us to fully serve Him in our thoughts and deeds. We cannot be double-minded, attempting to serve God while living in a worldly manner (James 4:8; Matthew 6:24).


Title: Re: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 09, 2015, 05:05:12 pm
Was just reading the John Gill(17th century theologian) commentary - not saying he's correct, but nonetheless Gill doesn't believe Simon was saved. He makes some good points.

http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/view.cgi?bk=ac&ch=8#1

Verse 13
Then Simon himself believed also,.... With an historical and temporary faith, as that Jesus was the Messiah, &c. or at least he pretended, to believe this, and professed that he did believe, what others did, and Philip preached:

and when he was baptized; upon profession of his faith, which he so artfully made, that Philip could not discover his hypocrisy: but taking him to be a sincere believer, admitted him to baptism: after which,

he continued with Philip; kept close to him, and got into a familiar acquaintance with him; and constantly attended on his ministry, as if he had been a sincere disciple and follower of Christ:

and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done; he was as much amazed at the miraculous performances of Philip, as the inhabitants of Samaria had been at his, which he could observe were real things; and this increased his wonder, and threw him into an ecstasy, that he was scarce himself: whereas he knew that what he did were only sham performances, and legerdemain tricks.


Verse 24
Then answered Simon, and said,.... Whose conscience might be touched, and smote with what Peter had said; and he might be terrified with the wrath of God, and filled with fear of his judgment coming upon him for his wickedness, and might now stand trembling before the apostles: and if this was not his case, he was a most hardened and audacious wretch; and his following words must be understood in a different sense, from what they might seem to have, when they came out of his mouth:

pray ye to the Lord for me; the Arabic version reads, "pray ye two"; the words are addressed both to Peter and John; for though Peter only spake to him, yet John joined with him, and assented to what he said, and approved of it; and which he might signify either by word or gesture; wherefore Simon desires both of them, that they would pray to the Lord for him; but whether he was serious, and in good earnest in this, is a question; since there is no reason to believe he truly repented, from the accounts given of him by ancient writers; who always represent him as an opposer of the apostles and their doctrine, as the father of all heresies, as a blasphemous wretch; who gave out that he was the Father in Samaria, the Son in Judea, and the Holy Ghost in other places; and as a very lewd and wicked man, who carried about with him a ****, whose name was Helena; whom he called the mother of the universe, and gave out the angels were made by her, and the world by them; with many other errors, blasphemies, and impieties: so that it should rather seem, that though Peter was serious in his advice to Simon, yet he was not so in his request to him; but in a sarcastic sneering way, desired his prayers for him; suggesting, that he was not in any pain about what he had said: and if he was in earnest, he did not take Peter's advice to pray for himself; nor did he declare any repentance for his sin; and his desire that the apostles would pray for him, might not be from any sense he had of the evil of his sin, but from a slavish fear of the evil, or mischief, that was like to come upon him for his sin, as appears by what follows:

that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me; as that his money should perish with him, and he with that; or that he should go into destruction; that everlasting destruction and ruin would be his portion; and that he should have no part nor lot in eternal life, unless he repented, and his sin was pardoned: and this confirms what has been before observed, that John assented to what Peter spoke, or said the same, or such like things to Simon as he did.


Title: Re: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on October 10, 2015, 12:00:49 am
Acts 8:19  Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
Act 8:20  But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.


OK, this is the clincher - look at the words "the gift of God" in verse 20 - Simon thought he could BUY the Holy Ghost, the gift of God, with MONEY.

Doesn't Eph 2:8-9 say we are saved by grace through faith, and it is the GIFT OF GOD, and NOT of our own works?

Ephesians 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Please don't listen to these false teachers who insist Simon the Sorcerer was a saved man, but chose to go on his wicked ways afterwards.


Title: Re: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 06, 2016, 11:02:32 am
This is in the commentary in my KJB e-sword software...

Quote
Simon: This Simon was probably, as several learned men suppose, the same who is mentioned by Josephus, as persuading Drusilla to leave her husband, and live with Felix.

Seriously, is this something a born-again believer would even think twice about doing?


Proverbs 17:20  He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.


Title: Re: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 13, 2017, 04:34:59 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UI1M2OHyyM


Title: Re: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on May 24, 2017, 03:49:48 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilwj2Mb5czc


Title: Re: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 19, 2017, 12:55:14 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sYsLVoJYY0&t=0s


Title: Re: Simon the Sorcerer of Acts 8:9-24 - was he really saved?
Post by: Psalm 51:17 on June 30, 2017, 01:22:37 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8rmiZRzqfg