Peter and John Return to Jerusalem

In today’s study, we are finishing our look at the initial Christian mission to Samaria, which Luke recounts in Acts 8:4–25. Since Simon Magus figures so prominently in this history, we will begin with one final lesson that we learn from his story. As noted in our look at how Simon sought to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit, it is plain that he never had true, godly sorrow for his sin and thus that he had not exercised saving faith and repentance unto eternal life. He sought mainly to escape the consequences of his sin and did not really mourn over how he had offended the Lord (v. 24).

What we have not yet considered is the fact that Simon had been baptized (v. 13). Here we have an example of a man who professed faith and received the sign and seal of baptism and yet did not experience true conversion. John Calvin points out that this demonstrates that not everyone who is baptized actually receives the grace promised in baptism. Some theological traditions, including Roman Catholicism and Lutheranism, tend to collapse the thing signified in baptism into the sign of the water in the sacrament, thus believing that those who are properly baptized always experience the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. This, however, cannot be. Simon Magus shows us that not every baptized person is born again, and other texts in Scripture indicate that many who seemed to have been truly in Christ by baptism and profession of faith walk away from the visible church because they were never truly part of the invisible church, made up of all those who possess true faith in Jesus (1 John 2:19). Baptism is no empty sign, for God uses it to communicate His grace (1 Peter 3:21), but saving grace is not automatically conferred to all who are baptized. It comes to the elect only, and then not necessarily at the exact moment of baptism but at the time the Lord determines (see Westminster Confession of Faith 28.6).

After Peter and John’s rebuke of Simon Magus, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem, but not before they preached the gospel through many other Samaritan villages (Acts 8:25). As Jesus promised, the gospel did not remain in Judea but went forth into Samaria on its way to reaching the ends of the earth (1:8). It found its way, by God’s appointment, beyond the major city of Jerusalem to the smaller, less important Samaritan villages, for the gospel is to be preached to all people.