Acts 8:14-25
The Word of God Cannot Be Purchased
Read the passage
14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15On their arrival, they prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit.
16For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.
19“Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
21You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
22Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent of your heart.
23For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
24Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
25And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The apostles hear that Samaria has received God's word and send Peter and John. The new believers have been baptized in Jesus' name, but the Holy Spirit has not yet fallen upon them. The apostles pray and lay hands on them, and they receive the Spirit.
This sequence makes the apostles participants in what God is doing in Samaria. The new believers receive the same Spirit; they are not left as outsiders to the mission that began in Jerusalem. Acts describes this event without saying that every believer must experience the same timing.
Simon sees what happens and offers money for the ability to give the Spirit through laying on hands. Peter rebukes him sharply. He has treated God's gift as something he can purchase, and his heart is not right before God.
Peter tells him to repent and pray for forgiveness. Simon asks the apostles to pray that the consequences Peter described will not happen to him. Luke does not tell us here how his life develops afterward. The warning remains: being impressed by spiritual power is different from receiving God's gift with a repentant heart.
Peter and John return to Jerusalem, preaching in Samaritan villages along the way. God's word keeps spreading as a gift to be received, not a power to be sold.
Questions
1 Why did Peter and John go to Samaria?
AnswerThey went to pray that the Samaritans who had believed and been baptized would receive the Holy Spirit, publicly joining them to the wider church.
2 What did Simon offer?
AnswerHe offered money for the ability to give the Holy Spirit by laying hands on people, treating God’s gift as a power he could purchase.
3 What did Peter command Simon to do?
AnswerHe commanded Simon to repent and pray that the intention of his heart might be forgiven, because Peter described him as poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.
4 What did the apostles do on their return?
AnswerThey testified about Jesus and preached the word in many Samaritan villages on their way back to Jerusalem.
What This Means for Us
Simon wants the ability he sees in the apostles' hands. Peter directs attention to his heart. We can desire a visible role in religious life while resisting the repentance God asks of us.
Ask what you want from serving: to help people receive Christ, or to be thought powerful and important? If praise has become the goal, confess it and accept work that serves others without making you central.
No payment can put God's Spirit at our disposal. Give generously where there is need, but never treat a gift to a ministry as a way to buy God's favor or control His action.
Prayer
Father, keep us from turning ministry into power for sale. Give us repentant hearts and joy in gifts that cannot be bought. Amen.