TRUE AND FALSE CONVERSIONS
Warsaw Christian Church, Richard Bowman, Pastor Emeritus
Text, Acts 8
In Acts chapter 8, we see two conversions. One turns out to be false, the other true. Two men are confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both say, “I believe.” One is told he is going to hell. The other is a redeemed soul. How can that be?
We begin with a man named Simon. His story begins in chapter 8:9. Phillip goes to the city of Samaria and preaches Christ. Many come to faith, and there is great joy in that city. In the name of Jesus, great healing miracles take place. Simon practiced sorcery and had a reputation as a great magician. He apparently was very good at his trade, as the people of Samaria referred to him as “someone great.”
Simon listens to Phillips proclaiming the name of Jesus. Being a magician himself, he is much impressed with the miracles wrought by Phillip. He professes faith and is baptized. Later, word was sent to the apostles that many converts had been made in Samaria. Peter and John were sent to these new Christians. They had been baptized in water, but the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon them in power. Peter and John lay hands on the Samaritan believers and pray for them, and the Holy Spirit falls upon them with power. Simon witnesses this and is impressed with what he sees when the Holy Spirit is given. We are not told exactly what happened when the Spirit fell, but we can assume, from Pentecost and Cornelius' household, that they spoke in tongues. In any event, something miraculous took place, and Simon is very interested in receiving this power. He wants to add to his bag of magic tricks.
Simon approaches Peter. “Hey Peter, that was a neat trick. I will pay you handsomely if you will teach it to me.” Peter’s response is very direct. “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” (Acts 8:20-23).
Simon sobers up in a hurry when he hears Peter’s words. He responds, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” (Acts 8:24). What became of Simon we are not told. We do know that his name has come down to us today to define a particular sin. How many of you have heard of “simony?” ------ It is a sin named after Simon the sorcerer. It refers to the act of buying or selling spiritual powers or offices.
If I were to say to you, “If you will give me $1000, I will teach you how to speak in tongues,” I would be guilty of simony. Or, if I were asked to conduct a funeral for a man I had never met and I said to the family, “If you want me to say kind things about the deceased, it will cost you $500,” I would again be guilty of simony. Of course, I would never do any of those things, but you get the idea. Simony is the practice of charging people for spiritual power or favors.
Let us leave Simon for now and return to him later. The second conversion story involves Phillip preaching to an Ethiopian, a very high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He is the Jackie Barb of Ethiopia, in charge of the treasury. The person in charge of the money is always a highly respected, trustworthy individual. Phillip is inspired to go to the Gaza Road and meet this official. Phillip finds that he is reading from the Book of Isaiah. The Ethiopian quotes a passage about a sheep being led to the slaughter and asks Phillip who the prophet is talking about. Phillip let him know that the subject of Isaiah’s prophecy was Jesus, and he preached Jesus to the Ethiopian.
This honest man is truly seeking the truth, and as the Gospel is proclaimed to him, faith is born in his heart. He asks to be baptized, a sign that his faith is genuine. Phillip says this: “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The Ethiopian answers quickly, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” And so, Phillip baptizes him. We hear no more about this Ethiopian official.
Having heard two “conversion” stories, it is time to contrast true and false conversion. The issue is this: what constitutes saving faith? Luke tells us about two men: both believed and were baptized. But one is lost, the other is redeemed. There is an important principle here that we need to extract from the text. Let’s return to Simon.
He professes faith and is baptized, but what is the nature of his faith? He hopes that by becoming a disciple of Jesus that he can do even greater things. He longs to lay his hands on others that they might receive the Holy Spirit. His priority is not, “Who is Jesus?” Rather, his priority is, “What can Jesus do for me?” The Ethiopian says nothing about what Jesus might do for him. He simply confesses his faith that Jesus is the Son of God. The difference here is subtle but very important.
Most of us, if not all of us, have done what these two men did. We have confessed our faith in Jesus and been baptized. Here is the question I want you to think about. Why? Why did you confess faith in Jesus and enter the waters of baptism? Were you thinking, like Simon, about all the good things Jesus could do for you? Were you thinking that if you become a Christian, your earthly life will be easy, blessed by God? Here is why I say the issue here is subtle. It is true that Jesus offers us fantastic blessings. He forgives our sins; He grants eternal life; He answers prayers; He gives many and various gifts to His people. Listen! If your faith in Jesus is based primarily on what He can do for you, you are in the same category as Simon.
There is nothing in the Ethiopian's story about what Jesus might do for him. His faith is rooted in one simple fact: Jesus is the Son of God. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God, you will trust Him and follow Him no matter what. Yes, He does grant wonderful gifts to His people, but what happens to your faith when you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and you feel abandoned by God? Will you still trust and follow Jesus? Will you trust Him in times of persecution? Will you trust Him if you are cast into the lion’s den? Here is the point. If you really, really believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you will trust and follow Him no matter what. You will thank Him when He blesses you. You will follow Him even if that leads to pain, persecution, or even death. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God, your loyalty to Him will transcend any and all other loyalties.
I have heard stories over the years of bargains people have made with God. God, if you will do this for me (meet my need, get me out of this mess, etc.), then I will do this for you (tithe, become a minister, missionary, etc.). May I be blunt? You should never bargain with God. We should never promise to do something for God if He will do something for us. The mature Christian attitude is more along this line. “God, I want you to meet this need, or get me out of this trial, but even if you don’t, I will still trust and serve you.”
The issue may be put like this. Are you more interested in God’s gift of His Son, or in the gifts the Son might grant you? Simon’s faith was based on what gifts He might receive as a disciple of Jesus. The Ethiopians faith was rooted in Jesus as the Son of God with no strings attached.
I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it illustrates this principle I am trying to get across so well that it bears repeating. When I was a young boy in Peoria, IL, my parents were close friends with a family in our church. The family had a beautiful daughter who married a football star who had played for Manual High School. A few years into the marriage, the football star was diagnosed with cancer. Prayers were offered for his healing, but to no avail. He died a few short years into this ideal marriage. The mother of the beautiful daughter was so angry at God that she turned away from Him. He did not do what she asked Him to do, and so she was through with God.
It was okay for her to pray for healing. Many of us have been where she was and learned, as she did, that our prayers for healing were not answered as we desired. But we must never say to God, “Do as I say, or I am through with you.” We can certainly cast our cares upon the Lord and ask whatever we will, but there must always be that “nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done.” If God grants the miracle we desire, we thank Him and praise His holy name. If He doesn’t, we thank Him and praise His holy name.
Do you believe Jesus to be the Son of God? Or do you believe in the possible benefits that following Him may bring to you? Simon believed in the benefits and offered to pay for spiritual power. Peter said, “Your money perish with you.” Unless Simon repented, he was a lost soul. We must never place the benefits Jesus brings ahead of faith in Jesus Himself, regardless of any benefits.
What is saving faith? It is faith that says, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God and I will follow Him no matter what the consequences.” Pseudo-faith is illustrated in our text by Simon. “Jesus, I have seen your disciples do great miracles. If you do the same for me, I will be your disciple. If you disappoint me, I will reject you as a false Messiah.” It is easy enough to follow Jesus when He is pouring out divine blessings. What will you do when the blessings stop?
I close with a quotation from the Old Testament which illustrates the nature of true faith. “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 [a]The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. (Habakkuk 3:17-19). We might modernize his prayer like this: “Lord, if my income fails; if I lose my house, if my car breaks down and the expense is overwhelming; if people whom I trust disappoint me; if the stock market crashes, wiping out my IRA; if severe sickness strikes my family or me, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.” If you can pray like that, your faith is genuine. If you are a Christian because you believe Jesus will do great and wonderful things for you, how are you different than Simon?
