Simonism

"And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost" Ac. 8:18-19. This is Simon the magician, not Simon Peter. In the same chapter, the Bible describes him

with details from the ninth verse. He gave out that himself was some great one, practiced magic and amazed the people of Samaria. Everyone, from the least to the greatest, listened carefully, and said, this is the great power of God. They had regard to him, because he had long bewitched them with sorceries. Verse 12 shows us that, as for Philip, he told them the THINGS CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND THE NAME OF JESUS ​​CHRIST, and men and women were baptized. Then the Bible tells us that Simon the magician also believed, was baptized, and never left Philip, because he saw with amazement the miracles and signs which were done.

There are those who believe because they have heard the gospel of the kingdom, and there are others who simply want to enjoy miracles. Now a miracle is not evidence that God is present, but the Word of Truth is. A miracle may accompany the Truth, it may accompany witchcraft too. Now, we understand through the description given above that magic is the art of causing amazement by miracles in order to pass oneself off as someone great. A witch is based on the principle of "my will be done" as he does not seek the glory of God, but his own glory. But the heavenly children humbly follow the principle of "Thy will be done", as in all they expect God. If God works, it is to his glory; and if he does not, he himself knows why. It is not so with the magician, his magic power is under his control, to provide him what he wants.

Now Simon the magician met a power superior to his own, and was envious to get it. He forced himself to make any possible sacrifice, up to becoming a disciple of Philip, but still he was not allocated the power. As he was impatient and saw a much larger phenomenon, gift of the Holy Ghost through laying on of hands, he resolved to put in money, besides his sacrifices. Goal in all this: put the power of God, the power of the name of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit at his service so that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. He already saw, in terms of glory and grandeur, the step he was about to cross in his occupation as a magician. He already saw his hundredfold income, the number of souls on which he would exercise his influence multiplied infinitely, etc. But Peter replied that there was no part nor lot in the matter for him, because his heart was not right before God.

All men of God who ever performed miracles and wonders, it was not their own, they did not work on their own initiative either, and they did not seek to pass themselves off as great people. Our Lord Himself, God in the flesh in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead in a bodily form, did not violate the principle of "Thy will be done." He said "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me."Jn. 7:16. "... And that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things" Jn. 8:28. "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" Jn. 12:49. "The Words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Jn. 14:10b. "I can of mine own self do nothing, as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which sent me." Jn. 5:30.  All these passages are demonstrating the Lord's submission to the Father and the Holy Scriptures, in words and deeds.

The apostles likewise did not seek to confirm themselves as such, but they waited for “the promise of Father (Ac. 1:4)," without knowing the timing or the time of its fulfillment. Moreover, the Lord gave them this remark "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power." Ac. 1:7. As Jesus Christ himself, the apostles performed a miracle only when the Lord had shown them, i.e. not by their will or on their own initiative, but on divine decision and the will of God.

If we look into the Old Testament, we also find men of God who performed miracles, and the matter was never any man’s business, trying to pass himself off as someone great, but they were ‘remote-controlled’ by God. Moses did not start to go and amaze Pharaoh, but God performed in him his own word, his own will, and his own plan. Elijah the Tishbite did not perform things according to his visions and dreams, but he said himself, "... And that I have done all these things at thy word." IKings. 18:36. Solomon in building the temple to the Lord, did nothing in his famous wisdom, but he followed scrupulously the pattern that the Lord had given David his father, "All this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all works of this pattern" IChr. 28:19. We cannot exhaust the list: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Gideon, etc.

They were like robots of God. When God says 'do' they obey and do. When God says nothing, they do nothing. And so are all true servants of the Lord. They do not manufacture miracles because they do not seek to pass themselves off as prominent; they await the promise of the Father while strictly complying with the recommendation of the Lord not to depart from Jerusalem, the source of the Word of God. They recognize the sovereignty of God, as expressed in Isaiah 45:9 "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and I create evil: I the LORD do all these things". I am a man of God and I see a patient that I want healed: this is my will. So, what if God wants him dead? His will be done! I cannot say that, as I am a man of God, the sick must be healed as I will! if I go about it that way, I leave off "Thy will be done" for "my will be done", and that's magic.

Unlike the Son of God and all men of God faithful and subject to the Truth and guidance of the Holy Spirit, many want to have power that they control themselves. They reject God and his Word, but they work miracles in Jesus' name. They have the same mind of Simon the magician, they are the great-grandsons of Jannes and Jambres who oppose the Truth operating magic and causing astonishment among the people. The fact for them moving without the Truth and God’s will helps us trace back their ancestry to the prince of Tyre, the very personification of Lucifer, "Yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God" Eze. 28:2b.

It is sad to see how people display the same attitude the Samaritans displayed towards Simon the magician, "To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, this is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries."Ac. 8:10-11. What degree of seduction! Magicians who are carefully listened to and received as servants of God! Woe to him who blindly enjoys miracles; he is already a prey to the simonists.

This is a call from the Lord, love the Word of God, and seek the Truth, but not miracles. God's Word itself contains the promise over miracles, and if you have faith as a mustard seed, the Word itself shall perform miracles, though you will not: "Jesus saith unto her, said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” Jn. 11:40.

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