TITLE: SIMON MAGUS, THE PROTOTYPE FOR THE DEVIL’S VERSION OF A "BELIEVER" Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."HOW CAN WE SURVIVE?" TRUSTING GOD'S PROMISES IN TIMES OF JUDGMENT He states in verse 12, "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. The writer of that profound letter begins in chapter two by stating, "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." In chapter five he chastises his readers for being so immature. In reality the entire epistle stands as a warning of the possibility of apostasy. Many passages stating similar warnings can be cited.įor example, the book of Hebrews. And the example of disciple Simon does not stand unaccompanied by others. Calvin, the text we have examined clearly teaches otherwise. In effect, "Once saved, always saved", a doctrine more formally known as the "Impossibility of Apostasy". He reasoned that if God saved or condemned man according to His whim, then a man predestined to salvation could not endanger his safety by any activity, no matter how heinous it might be. Calvin believed that salvation was in the realm of God, apart from any action of man. The influence of John Calvin has so pervaded Protestantism that this issue presents itself quite often in Bible discussions. A very large contingent in Protestant denominations deny thispossibility. What we want to emphasize, however, is the possibility raised here of a child of God losing his soul. We are happy to note his repentance, and his request for the apostles' prayer. The passage very clearly teaches that unless he repented and asked God's forgiveness, he would be lost for an eternity. And yet just as clear is the import of the above verses. He had believed, and he had been baptized. We have already determined by the passage that Simon was a Christian. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.'" Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. "But Peter said to him, 'Your money perish with you, because you thought thatthe 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. Now, notice carefully the statement of Peter in its entirety, recorded in verses 20-23. Simply, we have a Christian, guilty of sin. As Peter pointed out very clearly in verse twenty, it was sinful to try and purchase a gift from God with money! We must not lose sight of the scenario here in this context. He saw the apostles laying hands on the Christians there, and offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit" (verse 19). Later on in the account we read of Simon committing a sin. This brings to mind the clear teaching of Jesus in Mark 16:16, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned." Notice the text is just as positive in stating his conversion as it is any of the others who were convinced by the preaching of Philip on that occasion. We are told that he believed, and he was baptized. His conversion cannot be successfully denied. In verse 13 of the text, a sorcerer named Simon is mentioned as being converted by the preaching of Philip. In other words, Acts 8 teaches that it is possible for a child of God to apostatize, and as such be lost eternally. It does not include theunconditional safety of the convert. The occasion of the apostles' visit and their laying on of hands brings to our attention another example of what conversion does NOT include. This obviously disproves any claim that "Holy Spirit Baptism" plays a part in theprocess of conversion. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." In fact, it was not until the apostles sent Peter and John to lay hands on the new converts that they received the Holy Spirit. Verses 14-16 indicate that the Samaritans had been converted, and yet, ".He (the Holy Spirit) had fallen upon none of them. It is interesting as much for what it excludes from the conversion process as for what it includes.Īs an example, one might note that Holy Spirit baptism is excluded from the conversion process. The account referred to is the conversion of the Samaritans by Philip, as recorded in verses 4-25 of the chapter.
One of the most interesting accounts of conversion during New Testament times is found in Acts, chapter 8.
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