Acts 8:9-11 ESV

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. 

This Simon the Magician went on to believe by the preaching of the gospel by Philip.

Acts 8:17-19 ESV

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.”

What were Simon the Magician’s interests? Power, magic, and reputation might have been a large part of Simon the Magician’s former life. This is the last tale from Acts 8 and it is unclear if Peter and John’s baptizing of Christians in the Holy Ghost included Simon the Magician.

The fact that he thought the power could be bought leaves me with the impression that he had not received the Holy Spirit. Chapter 9 goes right into the conversion of Saul, to become Paul. His change was so dramatic. In comparison Simon the Magician’s conversion seemed incomplete.

When we read of believers that do not fit perfectly within our understanding of salvation conversion, what are we to learn?

Number one has to be the issue of an unknown future. The future for each of us is an unknown at conversion. We have so much to learn about God’s promises, practices and will that we might only see the reactions of the flesh to our conversion. Simon leaned on old habits in trying to buy the magic from Peter and John. He had no real understanding of the power he witnessed. He desired the power. Why he desired the power remains unknown. All we can do is search our own motives in those things of God we desire.