Acts 8:9-25
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
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, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone 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 neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Reflection
The Samaritans were considered racial “half-breeds.” Here, it appears that God withholds the giving of the Spirit until the apostles arrive (Acts 8:14–17), in order to draw a clear connection between the Jerusalem church and the Samaritans. Otherwise, the Samaritans may have assumed that they were independent from Jerusalem, or the disciples in Jerusalem may not have accepted them as full brothers and sisters in the family of God. The important point is that even the Samaritans, whom the Jews usually avoided, were now filled with the Spirit. This extraordinary sign confirmed the truth of Christ’s earlier message (1:8) by indicating that Samaritans were now to be included in the church as full members. In the book of Acts, the unity and the fellowship of believers as the people of God is a continuing sign of the Spirit’s presence and blessing.
1 John 5:1-12
5: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Reflection
As John approaches the end of his letter, he weaves the three strands of right belief (1 John 5:1, 5), love for other believers (vv. 1–2), and glad obedience (vv. 2–3) into a strong cord of assurance. There is nothing here that provides new content beyond what John has already said. His purpose here is to show the connection between these three realities of gospel transformation. Belief, love, and obedience are all mutually reinforcing. The Christian life is one of head, heart, and hands. However, the person who “overcomes the world,” who is given ultimate victory over sin and its effects, is the one who “believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (v. 5; cf. Rev. 2:7ff.; 3:5ff.; 21:7). Eternal salvation is never gained by human effort but is granted to those who trust in Christ.
Psalm 70:4
4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
The grace of God is not reserved for any particular ethnicity, social class, nationality, or any other human distinctive. The grace of God is for any and all who put their trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation. Ask God to give you a wide view of his grace so that your heart is free from prejudice and full of love for all people.