In this installment, we will discuss the Acts 8:14-25. This section of the chapter is rarely discussed by mainstream Christianity; therefore, it deserves our proper attention. Remember, there are no details in the Holy Bible that are insignificant. We need to be humble enough to study all of what is available to us.  

Baptism Does Not Guarantee the Receipt of the Holy Spirit  

Many who claim to be Spirit-filled believers of the Lord Jesus Christ do not truly understand how the Holy Spirit is given. Many have accepted unbiblical ideas about this process because they have not studied the subject for themselves. Additionally, the famous television evangelists of modern times have distorted the truth about the Holy Spirit and anointing, adding more confusion to mainstream Christian culture. We must learn to read and study the word of God independent of the ideas of others. Please be sure to study this topic beyond what is written below.  

In Acts 8:14-16, we read that the people of Samaria who believed Philip’s preaching were baptized in the name of Jesus. Despite being baptized, they had not received the Holy Spirit. These verses prove that baptism does not guarantee that anyone will receive the Holy Spirit.  

The first group to receive the Holy Spirit consisted of 120 disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:15; Acts 2:1-4). Have you ever asked the question: who baptized these 120 people? In truth, we have no indication that this group of disciples was baptized in water at all. Some of these people may have been baptized by John the Baptist, but we cannot prove it with a clear citation from the Bible. We also cannot prove that these people weren’t baptized. What we can see is that they received the Holy Spirit directly from heaven.  

Reread Acts 8:14-16. The people of Samaria did not receive the Holy Spirit just because they were baptized. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is a gift. There is no ritual you can do to guarantee a gift from God the Father.  

Others declare that hands must be laid on a person before they can receive the Holy Spirit. Is this true? We can see in the Scriptures that there were some people who had hands laid on them, but that does not mean it is a requirement. A few questions to ask are: 

• Who baptized and laid hands on Seth?  

• Who baptized and laid hands on Enoch? 

• Who baptized and laid hands on Noah?  

• Who baptized and laid hands on Abraham? 

• Who baptized and laid hands on Moses? 

• Who baptized and laid hands on Samuel? 

• Who baptized and laid hands on David?  

• Who baptized and laid hands on Isaiah, Jeremaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Malachi, Zephaniah, etc.? 

• Can I cite a verse in the Holy Bible to prove it? 

Yes, Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist but where is it recorded that John laid hands on Jesus? There is no such verse! Furthermore, who baptized and laid hands on John the Baptist? Unfortunately, many of us assume much of what we believe, and this should not be. Our beliefs should not be based on assumptions and speculations. We should be able to document what we believe from the text we say is the source of our beliefs.  

What Jesus Said about Receiving the Holy Spirit 

Heb. 12:2 shows us that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. Consequently, His words pertaining to a matter should supersede the words of others. What many do not recognize is Jesus told His disciples how to receive the Holy Spirit. Please read Luke 11:9-13 carefully and read verse 13 several times.  

Jesus said “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?“ Jesus said God the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Jesus did not say you must be baptized and have hands laid on you to receive the Holy Spirit.  

Sidenote: For clarification, I am not saying that you do not need to be baptized or have hands laid on you at a given time. I am showing that these rituals are not the reason someone is given the Holy Spirit. Baptism and the laying on of hands are symbols of spiritual things that require a separate Bible study to understand them. Every doctrine should be investigated by studying the Word of God thoroughly. The importance of these rituals is secure in my mind because they are preserved in the Word of God.

Read John 14:14-17. Notice that Jesus said He would pray to the Father and they will receive the Comforter. This is consistent with what Jesus said in Luke 11:13. Jesus asked the Father to send His disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now reread what Peter and John did in Acts 8:15. This verse clearly shows that Peter and John prayed that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit. This means they asked God first just like Jesus Christ told them to do. They asked that the Samaritans may receive the Holy Spirit just like Jesus Christ said He would do for them.  

It is true that Peter and John laid hands on the people of Samaria, but the laying of hands was not the reason why some of them received the Holy Spirit. Think!! God knows who He wants to have the Holy Spirit and who He does not want to have the Holy Spirit. Our job is to ask for this precious gift, not do a set of rituals that we think guarantees us the gift. The example of the apostles who Jesus Christ personally trained was to pray that those who believe would receive God’s Spirit. They learned this from Jesus! After they prayed, they laid hands on the people, and their prayers were answered (Acts. 8:17).  

Questions  

There are certain questions that arise from reading the chapter 8 of the book of Acts. Some of these questions cannot be answered with a direct citation from the Bible. When contemplating the Word of God, we must learn to distinguish between speculation and direct proof. It is important not to declared speculation as doctrine. It is equally important not to take speculation too far.  

One speculative question that arises is: would the Samaritans have received the Holy Spirit without Peter or John laying hands on them? In studying the entire Bible, we can see that there were some individuals who received the Spirit of God without hands being laid on them. This means it was possible for them to receive the Holy Spirit; however, we cannot definitively say whether or not they would have. Remember, it is God’s Spirit and He alone has the prerogative to give His Spirit to whom He will. Beyond the fact that it was possible for them to receive the Holy Spirit without the laying on of hands, we should not speculate further. It is not productive or useful to do so.  

Another speculative question is: Did Peter and John lay hands on Simon? There is no clear verse to cite as answer to this question. We know that Simon the sorcerer believed and was baptized based on Acts 8:13. Nevertheless, Simon is not explicitly mentioned in Acts 8:17. It merely says, “Then laid they their hands on them…” Is Simon included in the “them”? Only God and the people who were present truly know what happened. From Acts 8:18-19, it appears that Simon was watching the apostles lay hands on others. Simon may not have had hands laid on him, but again we cannot definitively say that. Again, if we speculate further, we may develop unbiblical doctrines.    

Reread Acts 8:18-19. The question that arises is: what did Simon see that made him recognize that the people were receiving the Holy Spirit? Obviously, he saw the laying on of hands, but how did he know that people actually received the Holy Spirit? This is another question where speculation could cause us to develop unsound doctrine. Based on Mark 16:15-18, many will say that Simon saw one of these things listed by Jesus. Indeed, this is possible, but we have no way of knowing what Simon saw. Jesus gave a list that included five signs. Simon could have seen any one of them. We should not assume that Simon saw people speaking in tongues as others might assume. Remember, everyone here is Samaritan. Why would they need to speak in a new tongue? In Acts 2:5-11, we can see that this group of people were made of Jews who were born in other countries. These Jews were able to hear the first group of disciples speaking in their native language. In the case of Acts chapter 8, there would be no need for different languages to be spoken. 

Again, speculation can lead to unbiblical doctrine. The signs that follow those who believe were outlined by the Lord Jesus Christ. We should not assume that every time people believe that they will speak in tongues when there are four other signs.  

Lastly, Jesus said that these signs would follow those who believe. He did not say that these signs would be immediate. Remember, assumptions lead to unbiblical doctrine. We must avoid senseless speculation to avoid being led astray. 

Real Power Cannot Be Purchased 

In Acts 8:18-19, we read that Simon tries to buy power. Remember, he was a sorcerer and bewitched the Samaritans. He was so good at this that they thought he was the power of God (verses 9-11). Simon was after a power he did not have nor did he understand.  

Notice, that Luke wrote, “when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given.” The word through was translated from a Greek word that means a channel as in the vessel in which an act is done through. It appears that Luke wrote this verse in this way to show that it was not the apostle who gave the Holy Spirit. Luke was showing that Simon could not see that Peter and John were just vessels God was using to work His purpose.  

Peter and John knew this when they healed the lame man at the gate of the temple (Acts 3:11-16). They knew it was not their own power or holiness. They also knew that the Holy Spirit was a gift that would give them power because Jesus told them (Acts 1:8). Simon thought he could buy power because of his experience with sorcery. Peter affirmed that the Holy Spirit is a gift and it cannot be purchased. Read Acts 8:20-23.  

Sidenote: Acts 8:21 says “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter…” Some suggest this is referring to the fact that Simon was not an apostle, but it is actually deeper than that. Indeed, lots were casted to pick the man who would replace Judas (Acts 1:23-26), but Peter mentions “part nor lot.” The word part was translated from a Greek word meaning a portion, i.e. province, share or (abstractly) participation. Peter was telling Simon that he had no part of God’s work. Peter even explains this by saying, “for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.” Simon’s heart was on wielding power, but God does not give His servants power to wield it over others (Matt. 20:25-28). 

Bitterness and Lawlessness  

God gives His Spirit to His servants to serve other people. God does not give power to those who lust for power. The Holy Scriptures is filled with examples of God giving power through His Spirit to humble servants who are willing to serve His people. It is evident that Simon the sorcerer was not humble and arrogantly thought he could purchase the power of God to do his own will. Peter rebuke Simon strongly (Acts 8:22-23). Peter declared that Simon was poisoned by bitterness and joined to lawlessness. (Please look up these words in a concordance.) Peter could only perceive this through the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter was shown that Simon was not going to truly repent and be converted because he was bonded to lawlessness.  

Peter told Simon to repent and pray to God that he may be forgiven of his wickedness. Instead, Simon asked Peter to pray for him. Peter told him that his money would perish with him, yet he was not willing to change and pray for forgiveness. The issues of bitterness and lawlessness are serious. It is not difficult to fall into an attitude of bitterness and become poisoned by it. The consequence is to become aligned and willfully joined to lawlessness. The Scriptures do not tell us what happened to Simon to bring him into such a state of bitterness, but we can see he was not willing to let it go. Typically, bitterness is a result of something happening to us that we do not like or understand. We have to be willing to forgive those we who have wronged us, whether real or perceived. If we do not, we open the door for bitterness and begin to become confederate with lawlessness.  

This is most likely what happened to Simon and probably the reason he began to practice sorcery. Bitterness can lead to very dangerous behavior and cause people not to repent and be converted. In these end times, Christians will experience many horrible things, but we must learn to forgive and not become bitter. We must resist the lust for power to avenge ourselves. Again, God gives power to those who are willing to use that power to serve others. Again, the greatest Christian is a servant first and leader second. True Christians do not wield power over others to serve their own interest. This is the folly of Simon the sorcerer and much of mainstream Christianity.  

The Word of the Lord 

“And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans” (Acts 8:25) 

This phrase, the word of the Lord, is often misunderstood. The word of the Lord is not limited to believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This phrase is about ALL of the instructions and doctrine of Jesus Christ. Sadly, professing Christian ministers do not teach all of the teachings of Jesus. As a consequence, modern Christianity looks nothing like the Christianity in the book of Acts.  

If you want to be a real Christian, then commit yourself to living by ALL of the teachings and doctrine of Jesus Christ. If you want to be a real Christian, then commit yourself to teaching, promoting, and magnifying ALL of the teachings and doctrine of Jesus Christ. Do not allow yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ in name only. Truly follow everything He taught!! We have the great fortune to have four accounts of His teachings to learn from and live by. Do not become deceived by the idea of mere belief. Simon the sorcerer believed, but he was unwilling to live the way Jesus Christ says we must.  

God has not promised that living the Christian lifestyle would be easy. Set your heart on His ways regardless of what is happening in the world!!! The lawless will not enter into the kingdom of our great God!!! (Luke 13:22-29) 

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴ because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)