Simon has been the source of
much controversy (Acts 8). Some deny that he was really saved since he was
clearly in danger of losing his soul later in the chapter. Their denials,
however, are without merit. There is no doubt that Simon was saved when he
obeyed the gospel: (1) The Lord's statement in Mark 16:16 promised salvation
to those who believed and were baptized. Simon did that. (2) The phrase
"Even Simon himself believed" indicates that his belief was the same
as the others in Samaria. If we deny that his belief was sincere, then the
other Samaritans must not have been sincere either. (3) Simon was told to
"repent…and pray" when he sinned later in the chapter. That is the
second law of pardon for erring Christians. (4) Simon was told only to repent
for the one sin just committed, not for all the sins of his past life. If he
were never saved, he would need to repent of a whole lot more than just that
one sin. (5) Some period of time lapsed before Simon sinned. This is proven by
the phrase "he continued with Philip" and by the fact that the
apostles in Jerusalem had time to receive the news and travel to Samaria
before he sinned. Yet there is nothing said about Simon's character during all
that time. He was recognized by Philip and the Samaritan believers as a
faithful brother in Christ.
All agree that Simon's sin
was terrible, but so was Peter's sin in Galatians 2:11-14. The fact that
someone sins doesn't mean he was never saved. Simon proves that a Christian
can so sin as to be lost. Without repentance, he would have perished. There
are many examples in the New Testament of men and women who fell from grace:
Ananias, Sapphira, Hymenaeus, Alexander, Philetus, Demas, and others.
