Acts 8:18 – Now when
Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’
hands, he offered them money,
19 – saying, “Give this
authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive
the Holy Spirit.”
20 – But Peter said to
him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the
gift of God with money!”
21 – “You have no part
or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.”
22 – “Therefore repent
of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention
of your heart may be forgiven you.”
23 – “For I see that
you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
According to
the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
(online), the term “simony” comes “from Simon Magus; Acts 8:18-24.” It describes simony as “a deliberate
intention of buying or selling for a temporal price such things as are
spiritual or annexed unto spirituals.”
This same
article also states that simony is a very serious sin:
“To estimate
accurately the gravity of simony, which some medieval ecclesiastical writers
denounced as the most abominable of crimes…”
“To uproot
the evil of simony so prevalent during the middle ages, the Church decreed the
severest penalties against its perpetrators.”
See here:
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14001a.htm
Ok, that’s
great. I am glad to see the Catholic
Church officially condemning the sin of simony.
They certainly should. However, there
is another aspect to what Simon did.
What he
witnessed was the people receiving the gift and manifestation of the Holy
Spirit. But what about the gift of
salvation? Almost everyone would agree
that salvation (the new birth) is certainly a gift from God. In fact, eternal life is the greatest gift that God has offered
mankind.
But can
anyone buy this gift? Absolutely not. The very fact that it is called a gift tells us that it is not for sale.
Then why do so many people in the world (including Catholics) think that salvation can be received, or merited (at least partially), by good works? Catholics would look down on Simon for what he did, but they are doing exactly the same thing! Aren’t they trying to buy salvation/eternal life when performing good works? They’re trying to purchase it, but they’re just not using money here. So, what’s the difference?
Peter didn’t say, “No, Simon, you can’t use
money to obtain this gift, but you can
use good works or personal suffering!”
No, attempting to buy salvation with works or personal discomfort also
falls under the condemnation of Simon Magus.
It is just as bad as trying to do it with money.
But
Catholics may say, “But the works that merit justification/salvation are grace-driven
(or grace-infused) works from God. These
works come from God’s grace, so our works-based salvation is still by grace!”
But if these
works are done by grace, then aren’t our
money and our effort obtained by God’s grace also, since God gave us the strength
to earn that money? Grace-infused good works
would be no different than grace-infused labor to earn and use money, right? It would be the same thing – but the Bible
tells us that works and grace are in two different categories. Romans 11:6 says:
“But if it [salvation]
is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no
longer grace.”
If Simon was
so severely rebuked for trying in any way
to purchase any gift from God,
shouldn’t those who try to earn or merit salvation by anything other than faith be rebuked just as harshly? What Simon did was an insult to God and to the apostles, and if Simon was wrong, so are all those who believe in a works-based
salvation (including Catholics, Orthodox, and even some Protestants).
We MUST
understand that the new birth is not obtained from the ability to do
“grace-infused” good works, but it is obtained by faith, apart from works (Romans 3:21, 28), by SURRENDERING to
the will and purpose of God and by trusting ONLY in Jesus’ work on the cross. Again, it is a gift.
Trying to
buy salvation with your works tells everyone that:
1) You, like
Simon, have no portion in the kingdom of God (Acts 8:21)
2) Your
heart is not right before God (v. 21)
3) You need
to repent, since it is wickedness in
the eyes of God (v. 22)
4) You are
in the gall of bitterness (v. 23) and
5) You are
in the bondage of iniquity (v. 23).
Doesn’t
sound like a very good place to be. Once
again, to answer the question that the title of this article asks, eternal
life/salvation is a gift, and no,
this gift can never be purchased.
Catholics,
along with the apostle Peter, rightly condemn Simon for trying to buy this gift
of God. Interestingly, the Catholic
Church has recognized simony in their own papal “elections” in the past where
the “chair of Peter” was given to the highest bidder, yet, they don’t seem to
recognize the parallel when it comes to purchasing salvation with good works.
We could
also mention indulgences, which could
certainly be considered (by Catholics) to be a gift from God. An indulgence
was a promise to get out of Purgatory earlier than “scheduled” and not suffer
as long. Yet this “gift” of an
indulgence, from its beginning, was always purchased with either money or good works, and it still
is today.
Let’s learn
a lesson from Simon – salvation is not obtained by silver or gold, not with
good works, or a “spiritual” lifestyle.
It is not by godly suffering, enduring persecution, being kind to
people, helping the elderly across the street, or by being a pastor’s kid. It is not by going to church every week or by
frequent Bible reading. These may all be
good things, but none of these can do what only the blood of Jesus Christ can.
See these
links:
https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B171030/the-obscenity-of-indulgences
https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2010/02/faith-alone-part-3.html
https://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2011/01/sacraments-gods-grace-for-sale.html
