The power of the gospel is amazing. It can transform the greatest sinner into a loyal follower of Christ.  No example of conversion is greater than that of Saul of Tarsus being converted into Paul, the apostle.  To be fair, however, he was helped by seeing the glorified Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).  His was more that an ordinary conversion.

Previous to Paul’s conversion, we have a more typical example of people being saved by the gospel of Christ.  Many men and women of Samaria were converted to Christ when they heard and obeyed the gospel (Acts 8:4-25).

At this time, there was a man named Simon at Samaria, who bewitched the people by practicing magic (Acts 8:9-11).   Eventually, even he was converted to Christ. The Bible says that Simon believed and was baptized (ver. 13).

Sadly, Simon’s favor with God did not last. In a relatively short period, he fell from grace. What brought about the fall of Simon? It began with the arrival of Peter and John.

Acts 8:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴ Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, ¹⁵ who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

In the absence of the written Word, these new saints needed to receive a miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit. The apostles had the unique ability to transfer miraculous power to others.  This was their primary purpose for making the trip from Jerusalem; thus, they wasted no time in giving these new saints this blessing.  Paul referred to this as a sign of a true apostle (2 Corinthians 12:12).  So, Peter and John laid hands on the Samaritans,  and they received the Holy Spirit.

This is where the downfall of Simon began. How long it took for him to fall we do not know, but we do know some time did pass because it would have taken time for word about what was happening at Samaria to get to Jerusalem, and for Peter and John to, then, make the trip to Samaria. So, Simon’s fall was not instantaneous as some believe. Nevertheless, when he saw that the apostles had the special gift of transferring miraculous powers to others, he wanted to possess that ability so badly that he offered the apostles money (ver. 18-19).

Simon thought that if he could be in the same unique position as the apostles (having an ability that just a select few possessed), the people would again view him as having the power of God.  By offering Peter and John money, Simon was essentially trying to bribe God into giving him power that was never meant for him to possess (vers. 20-21). Peter referred to this attempt at attaining glory as wickedness (ver. 22). Simon had fallen from grace.

Fortunately, we serve a forgiving God. Peter’s personal experience made him very much aware of the need for grace, and he knew exactly what Simon needed to do. He told Simon to repent and pray to God (ver. 22). John taught the same thing (1 John 1:9). Did Simon do it? Was his fellowship with God restored? Most write him off as a lost cause, but it looks to me like he did what Peter told him to do. He asked Peter to pray for him (ver. 24). Why would he do that if he had not repented?

One important lesson for us to see in this example of conversion is that we can fall from grace just like Simon did. If you ever find yourself in the position of Simon, having sinned against God, confess your sin to Him, and, as John said, “He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  What you never want to do is convince yourself that you cannot fall from grace.  Any of us can fall, and it is in our best interest to take heed of this every day (1 Corinthian 10:12).

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.