hi, what do u think abt Simon? It looks like he really believed the gospel and became a christian... But why r apostles telling him like he will go hell even if he believes? and why do they say that God will only MAYBE forgive him, even if he repents of his sins? GBU! :) Peter

Peter sent this to me, but I was unable to get my response back to him because of a bad email address. I hope he checks back and finds this here.

Hello Peter! How are you today? :) Oh yeah, good old Simon, the sorcerer. Let's take a look at the script:

Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.” And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.” But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. Acts 8:9-25 (NASB77)

I don't see any reference to hell or afterlife destination in Peter's statement to Simon, do you? Nor can I assume anything beyond the plain statement "that even Simon himself believed" Phillip. But consider what's behind this whole situation. When we look back and try to fit the words of the apostles into our modern patterns of thinking, we often overlook the critical connection between believing the gospel and receiving the Spirit of God. I'm not suggesting that we don't receive the Spirit at faith in Christ at this time, but at least in the early years this connection did not necessarily happen automatically. You see, this was the time when God established the apostles as the official carriers of the good news of Christ to the world.

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Hebrews 2:1-4 (NASB77)

This confirmation of the message of Christ through the apostles stands behind all the instances we read about where people who believed did not yet receive the Spirit. Not only did God want it understood that the message itself was valid, but that the miracle of the Spirit was intimately connected to the good news message as preach by those who had been with and heard Jesus. Anyhow regarding Simon and the other Samaritans, their believing of the message of Christ that Phillip preached happened during this time, and this created a kind of vacuum to their completeness in Christ. Why? Because they had not yet received God's spirit. The life was not yet in them. Although we may feel a sense of insecurity, everything was under control by God. This also makes it clear that faith is not the power of our salvation, merely the accompanying reality of those who receive the Spirit. For God works by grace through faith. This all means that Simon and the other Samaritans did not yet have the life of Christ but were in a place of transition. As Simon observed the miraculous working of God by which those ahead of him were receiving the Spirit when the apostles put their hands upon them, he likened it to his practice of the magic arts, especially as he held much sway with the people. His mind must have been spinning with the possibilities as to how he could keep his former importance in the community by becoming one of the leaders of this new magic. But also imagine how the people who had been astonished by him may have later assumed that he would be one of the prime candidates for leadership among them because of his past work in the field of the metaphysical. Consider how God specifically worked this event to the good of all who were present at the time (including Simon). I mean, even down to the positioning of allowing Simon to observe what he couldn't help but perceive as magic. After all, what if Simon had been the first in line? I have to wonder if Peter may have purposely held him back in order to force the issue. Or it could have been Simon himself who wanted to observe. Either way, things worked out so that everyone present would be given the perfect real-life scenario by which the magic of Simon was contrasted with the miracle of Christ. You see, Simon's otherworldly magic could be bought and sold, but the gift of God could not. Simon's perceived spirituality was declared in the presence of all as being nothing more than a fleshly guise that covered his bitterness and bondage to his evil practices. Immediately at the hearing of Peter's proclamation, Simon came to his senses. Realize what it was for Simon to appeal to Peter to ask God on his behalf. Up until that moment, he was imagining himself as on a similar level with the apostles. After all, he assumed that they might share some trade secrets with him in exchange for money. Simon had to recognize that the gift of God had no absolutely nothing in common with his former magic that was actually based in the elemental world. Peter's statement to Simon did not present a hopefully-maybe kind of possibility, as it often seems according to many of our translations. He instead put forth the reality that God's gift could not be bought. In begging Peter to pray for him, Simon declared his recognition to everybody that the authority of the apostles superseded any position his former practice gave him among them. As to why some translations insist on saying "perhaps" or "if possible", I don't know. Here's the word in question:

NOTES FROM THE NASB: ara; a prim. particle; therefore (an illative particle):– NASB usage: fact(1), perhaps(2), possible(1), so(4), so then(12), then(22), therefore(3), well then(1).

NOTES FROM THE KJV: ara; a particle denoting an inference more or less decisive (as follows) {Often used in connection with other particles, especially G1065 or G3767 (after) or G1487 (before)} [probably from G142 (through the idea of drawing a conclusion)] KJV: haply, (what) manner (of man), no doubt, perhaps, so be, then, therefore, truly, wherefore

I mean, look at the other possible translations of that word: fact, so, so then, then, therefore, well then, no doubt, so be, truly, wherefore. Even if it was a sense of "perhaps" that Peter meant to convey, it would have been to establish the need for the gift of God to be regarded as totally apart from Simon past magic and money. For as it worked out, Simon threw himself at the mercy of those who declared the true God, and the intention of his heart had been forgiven him. However, I think the better sense of that word in the statement appeals to the definite connection that would "no doubt" come about through the true God as preached by the apostles. It is more a therefore or truly relationship that Peter declared, even if it may have sounded to Simon as being a possibility. Maybe the translators used the sense of maybe-possibly because that is how it comes across to them. I hope to hear back from you, Peter. :) Jim