Simon the magician is a good example of a false convert. He believed Philip’s message, was baptized, and continued on with Philip, but there were some things in his life that indicated he never became a true believer. This teaching urges all of us to test ourselves to see whether Jesus Christ is in us!
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Marks Of A False Convert
Acts 8:5-25
One of the problems the Church has faced from the very beginning is that of false converts. Jesus taught that the wheat would grow together with the tares until the harvest, and then they would be separated. He also taught that some who heard the Word of God would be like the seed in the rocky places which springs up quickly, but has no firm root, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, he falls away. Hebrews 3:14 says, “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end…” Of course, this strongly implies that if a person does not hold fast the beginning of their assurance firm until the end they never really became a partaker of Christ.
Well, we have a premier example of a false convert here in Acts 8.
Now, remember that in Acts 6, the apostles charged the church with the task of choosing 7 men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom they could put in charge of making sure the Greek speaking widows received their daily serving of food. Among the seven chosen were Stephen and Philip. Luke chooses to expand on these two men quite a bit, and for good reason.
Stephen was the first martyr of the church, and Philip was the first missionary. A missionary is someone who crosses a cultural barrier in order to spread the gospel and make disciples. Now, no doubt that is exactly what Philip did.
Philip, a Jew, went to Samaria, and preached Christ to them. John 4:9 says that Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. For about 700 years, there was a deep hatred and animosity between Jews and Samaritans. In 722 B.C. The Assyrian army conquered the Northern 10 tribes of Israel, along with the capital city of Samaria, and carried thousands of them off in chains to Assyria. Other Assyrian men moved into the area which was now under the control of the Assyrian empire, and intermarried with the remaining Jewish women. Samaritans were half-breeds – part Jew and part Gentile. They accepted only the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. They had their own temple on Mt. Gerazim. They believed in the coming of the Messiah. Remember that the woman at the well said to Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming; when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” In fact, that woman may have been instrumental in preparing the soil for Philip’s later ministry, some six or seven years later. We are told in John 4:41, that when Jesus was among the Samaritans, many believed because of His Word.
So, when Philip went down to Samaria, yes he had to overcome the hatred and prejudice that had existed for centuries between these two nations, but he was not coming to a place which had no knowledge of Christ at all.
Acts 6 and 7 tell the story of Stephen, and Acts 8 tells the story of Philip. Interestingly, in Acts 21:8, we read of “Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven.” The word “evangelist” only occurs three times in the New Testament, and only once are we given the name of a person who was an evangelist. You guessed it – that person’s name is Philip.
In Acts chapter 8, we have a description of the ministry of Philip. The first half of the chapter deals with Philip’s ministry to the Samaritans. The second half of the chapter deals with Philip’s ministry to the Ethiopian eunuch.
Now, in the first half of Acts 8, although we find Philip preaching to the crowds in Samaria, Luke is interested in telling us a lot about one man. His name is Simon. In fact, most of the material in Acts 8:5-25 deals with Simon. Sometimes the Bible will describe someone in order to give us a good example to follow. Other times the Bible will describe someone in order to give us a bad example to shun. We have Simon, here, as a negative example. He serves as an example of a false convert.
You might ask, “Brian, why do you believe Simon was a false convert?” Someone could make the case that he was a true believer.
- Simon believed – 8:13
- Simon was baptized – 8:13
- Simon continued – 8:13.
So far so good! If that’s all the Bible said about him, we would conclude he was a true Christian. In fact, it appears that Philip thought he was. He would not have baptized him if his profession of faith was not credible. That just goes to show you it’s possible to fool the preacher.
However, the Bible has a lot more to say about Simon.
- Peter said, “May your silver perish with you…” – 8:20. Literally he said, “To hell with you and your money!”
- “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God” – 8:21
- “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you” – 8:22. That tells us that the intention of Simon’s heart was wicked, and at that point was not forgiven.
- “You are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity” – 8:23. The Bible never describes a Christian as a slave of sin, or in the bondage of iniquity. It describes him as someone who has been freed from sin.
- When Peter urged Simon to repent and ask the Lord to forgive him, Simon refused. Instead he asked Peter to pray for him. Why? So that nothing of what you have said may come upon me!” Simon confessed no sin, repented of no sin, and did not pray for forgiveness.
For all of these reasons, I don’t believe Simon was saved. Yes, he went through the motions of making a profession of faith, getting baptized, and continuing on. Yet all of those things are external. We have no evidence that he truly submitted his life to Jesus Christ as Lord.
Now, for the remainder of our time together, I want to point out 4 marks of a false convert. We see all four of these marks in Simon’s life.
1. Simon Sought His Own Glory
Simon Practiced Magic. This could be sleight of hand magic, such as you would see when going to a magic show to see an illusionist. Or, this may have been supernatural magic because Simon was deriving his power from the occult.
Simon Astonished The People of Samaria. From this we understand that Simon was very well-known, and was looked up to by all the people. Verse 9 says that he was “astonishing the people of Samaria.” Verse 11 says “he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts.”
Simon Received Great Attention From the People. 8:10, “they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is called the Great Power of God.” 8:11, “And they were giving him attention…” I have a feeling that Simon really loved all the attention he was receiving. In fact, that was probably the reason he pursued his magic arts.
Simon Pursued His Own Glory. How do we know this? We know it because verse 9 says that he was “claiming to be someone great.” The people called him “the Great Power of God.” How did they settle on that title for him? I have a sneaking suspicion the title came from Simon Himself. If He was claiming to be someone great, he was probably also claiming to be The Great Power Of God. We have no reason to believe that this pattern changed when Simon believed and was baptized. In fact, the fact that he wanted to buy the power to bestow the Holy Spirit, would lead us to believe he was still seeking to astonish the people and appear to be the Great Power Of God in their eyes!
Application. In this regard, Simon bears the mark of a false convert. One of the things that takes place in a child of God when he is regenerated, is that he desires to glorify God. He seeks after God’s glory. His own glory matters little, but God’s glory matters much. The real Christian agrees with Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory…” He agrees with Paul who said in 2 Cor. 4:5, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” His heart resonates with Paul’s statement in Galatians 6:14, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The child of God prays the prayer that Jesus taught, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” There may be times when he is tempted to do his works of righteousness to be seen of men, but he remembers the words of Jesus, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”
Brothers and sisters, if you can’t honestly say that you desire God to be glorified through your life, I have doubts whether you were ever saved. This is Christianity 101. It is basic to the Christian life. It is so basic that Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 10:1, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” A person who has a hunger to glorify himself rather than God, may indeed be a false convert.
2. Simon Sought To Use God For His Own Ends
Simon Sought To Buy The Power To Bestow The Holy Spirit. Philip wrought some amazing miracles. He cast out demons and healed the sick. In fact, even Simon was amazed when he observed the signs and miracles Philip performed (8:13). However, though Philip was able to preach the gospel, perform signs and wonders, and see multitudes come to Christ and be baptized, he was not able to bestow the Holy Spirit on these new converts. That was something that Peter and John did as apostles of Christ.
You are probably wondering why the Holy Spirit did not come upon these new Samaritan Christians when they believed. After all, when a person comes to Christ today, they are immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit. So, why was there a delay at this time?
Well, there are two different answers people give to that question. It really depends on whether you believe what is happening here in Acts is normative for all people of all time, or whether this was a unique situation in redemptive history. Those that believe that this was normative, believe that the “baptism with the Holy Spirit” is something that takes place subsequent to salvation. They believe that once a person is born again, they should pray and ask the Father to baptize them with the Holy Spirit that they might have the power to be His witness. They say that the Holy Spirit was in these new Christians, but he had not come upon them. What they needed was the “upon” experience of the Spirit. That’s why in certain churches, after a person has been saved, the leaders will often lay hands on them and pray that they might be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Those that believe this was a unique situation see this period in the book of Acts as a transition period in redemptive history. They believe that Luke is highlighting in the book of Acts several different groups who are being incorporated into the one body of Christ. Luke shows the Jews in Jerusalem coming into the body in chapter 2. He shows the Samaritans coming into the body in Acts 8. He shows the Gentiles coming into the body in chapter 10. Finally, he shows the disciples of John the Baptist coming into the body in Acts 19. In some of those cases, the believers received the Holy Spirit when they believed (Acts 2, 10). In the other two cases, there was a delay (Acts 8, 19). Of course, the obvious question is why there was a delay in these believers receiving the Spirit. I think the answer is that God saw it was necessary in these cases. Remember that the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other. What would have happened if the Samaritans received the Spirit without any of the apostles being present? There might have been a schism in the early church. There may have been a church of the Samaritans, and another church of the Jews. However, God’s purpose was that there be one body of believers, made up of all peoples. So, God deliberately delayed the bestowing of the Spirit until the apostles, Peter and John, went down and laid their hands on them. This had the result of the apostles validating the genuine faith of these Samaritan believers. They saw and heard the results of the Holy Spirit coming upon them. Therefore, the Christians in Samaria and Jerusalem would now be one body of believers, having experienced the same salvation and the same Holy Spirit.
However, putting all of that aside for a moment, the thing I want you to see is Simon’s desire to buy the ability to bestow the Holy Spirit. Why did he want this so badly? Obviously, he still wanted to be known by everyone as the Great Power of God. He wanted to astonish the people. In those days, and even today, magicians will buy a trick from another magician. That’s what Simon is doing. Now, how did Simon know that these Samaritans were receiving the Holy Spirit? Obviously, there was something he could observe. Verse 18 says, “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands…” He could see and hear something that happened when they laid hands on these believers. When the Holy Spirit first came upon a new people group in the book of Acts, something demonstrable would happen.
The Jews – Acts 2: the 120 spoke in tongues
The Samaritans – Acts 8: we are not told, but they probably spoke in tongues, and perhaps prophesied.
The Gentiles – Acts 10: they spoke in tongues and exalted God (10:46)
The disciples of John – Acts 19: spoke in tongues and prophesied (19:6)
This is what was probably happening here in Samaria, and Simon wanted to be able to make this happen. In effect, Simon wanted to use God for his own ends. Simon wanted to astonish the people and make them think he was the Great Power of God, so he wanted to be able to use God in order to make that happen.
It seems like Simon viewed the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force that he wanted to manipulate for his own selfish ends. He was interested in using God for his own personal success and power.
Application. The Christian life is just the opposite. Rather than using God for our own ends, it is surrendering our lives to God so that He will use us for His own ends! 2 Timothy 2:21 says, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” That’s the desire of the true child of God. He wants to be useful to the Master! Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Not only does the child of God earnestly desire God to use him, but God Himself is working in Him for His good pleasure. Jesus taught us in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Brothers and sisters, this is another mark of a false convert – he seeks to use God to accomplish his own ends. Maybe it is the soldier in the foxhole who prays, “Lord, get me out of here and I will do anything you want.” However, when the Lord spares his life, he forgets all about his promise. Maybe it is the person who prays the sinner’s prayer because they want to escape from hell, but have no real love for Christ or desire to be used by Him. Maybe it is the person who goes to church and donates his seed money because he believes it will guarantee that he will become rich and successful. All of those situations may be describing a false convert. Be honest with yourself today. If there is no deep seated love for God in your heart and desire to honor Him with your life, you just may not be a Christian at all.
3. Simon Remained A Slave To Sin
How do we know this? We know it because Peter declares it to be true. Look at verse 23, “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
The gall of bitterness. Simon was bitter, because Philip had usurped him in the eyes of the people of Samaria. Until Philip came along, Simon was the Great Power of God! Simon astonished all the people with his magic arts. But now Philip had taken his place by casting out unclean spirits and healing the sick. Simon craved the attention of the people, and he was losing it, because of Philip. He was bitter.
The bondage of iniquity. The phrase means that Simon was still a slave to sin. That’s what “bondage of iniquity” means.
Of course you can see the problem. A genuine Christian is not a slave to sin.
Romans 6:18, “having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
Romans 6:22, “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
Application. My friends, this is another mark of a false convert. He may be able to clean himself up on the outside, and fool the people at church, but inside he knows he is still a slave to sin. A slave to sin is someone who is controlled by sin, and powerless to stop sinful behaviors. Those behaviors might be lying or stealing, or porn, or drugs or sexual immorality, or a hundred other things. If a man has not been born again, the only resource he has to stop sinful behavior is his own grit and determination, which will never win in the end. He needs to die to sin and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
What about you? Are you a slave to sin, or a slave to righteousness. Of course a true believer still sins. He is still tempted to sin. He still struggles with sin. But he is not a slave to it. He is not powerless to stop sinning. If you are powerless to stop sinning, it may be that you are a false convert.
4. Simon Was Only Concerned About Being Freed From the Consequences of Sin
Peter exhorted Simon in Acts 8:22, “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.” But instead of repenting and praying for forgiveness Simon tells Peter to pray for him. And why does he want Peter to pray for him? Not that he will be freed from the gall of bitterness and the bondage of iniquity! It is just so that nothing of what Peter had said may come upon him! In other words, Simon was not concerned about being freed from sin. He was only concerned about being freed from the negative consequences of sin.
Peter had said in Acts 8:20, “May your silver perish with you.” Simon told Peter to pray for him that what he said would not come upon him. Simon hated the consequences of his sin and wanted to be free from them. However, he did not hate sin itself.
Application. This is the exact opposite of the true child of God. Sure, he hates the consequences of his sin, but he also hates sin itself. When he was born again, God gave him a new nature which loves righteousness and hates evil. If he could, he would never sin again.
My friends, do you have this new nature? Are you only concerned with escaping the consequences of your sin, or do you want to escape all sin itself? If you do not have this desire to be rid of sin in your life, you may be a false convert. Deal honestly before God this morning.
Conclusion
We have seen that Simon was most likely a false convert. We have seen four areas of his life that would indicate as such:
- He sought to glorify himself
- He sought to use God for his own ends
- He remained a slave to sin
- He was only concerned about the consequences of his sin
Every once in a while, it is good to run a reality check on your soul. Paul says in 2 Cor. 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith: examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test?” Take the False Convert Test this morning. Determine whether you pass the test or fail the test. May God help all of us to pass the test by discovering that Jesus Christ is in us!
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