Simon Magus: Was He The Thorn?

Today I'll wrap up commentary of yesterday's scripture. Let me remind the reader that all people herein are real people. Christ really exists. He's not only a religious figure, but a historical figure of whom many many have written about including the historian Josephus and even Pontius Pilate!

Simon the Magician was a real person who was actually in competition with Jesus Christ as being accepted as savior of mankind. Because of his magic, people believed in him as a miracle worker just as they did Jesus. Simon propagated a religion, many of it precepts, still widely believed until this day.

Therefore, mention of "the competition" should be taken seriously. Paul, in his many letters, took Simon quite seriously and so must we. With that said, reread the following passages:

Acts 8:9 "But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.13 Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.23 For I perceive thatthou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.24 Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

Simon had faith and was baptized. Yesterday we established that his "belief" was "faith".  To testify to his faith, Simon was baptized. He went under as an old creature and came out of the water a new one. The water is symbolic of a transformation of the heart, Unfortunately, many people arise from the water committed to a new life, then Satan goes on the attack!

Three Baptisms:

The "born again" experience IS ALL ABOUT YOU. That's because Jesus died for the salvation of ALL, but the person we're all focused on when we're born again is ME (each of the corporate ME's). Jesus is the WAY to save ME. He's an effective tool and the only tool in the tool box which has the power to bestow eternal life!

If we're serious about what happens when we're born again, when we're "sorry" for our sins, it's fear that we have for our eternal destiny. We know from scripture that unless we repent, we're going to hell! (John's Baptism allays that fear). We want to avoid the punishment, so we seek redemption to save us (corporate me's). Because we have faith that Jesus blood is sufficient in payment for our iniquity, we are grateful for God's grace for allowing us (me's) to escape what we deserve. It is this gratitude which brings about love for Jesus!

In testimony of our gratitude, we announce it by obedience. What are we to do in obedience? Be baptized:

Galatians 3:27 "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Genesis says that Adam was created "in our image": God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. With God's foreknowledge of his Son, our flesh was made in the image of Jesus! (It would be pride if we thought Jesus was copied after us!). What was taken off with the original sin was the cloak of Christ. We were like him in flesh, but our spirit died. With baptism, we put that spiritual cloak back on again. We're never forced to wear it, but it's there to dress us. Simon put on that cloak, but Satan convinced him by money, just as he did Judas, to take that cloak off again. That's apostasy! Once it's taken off it's no longer yours. It can never be given again because it has been rejected as a poor fit!

The fit Simon was seeking was wealth. Christianity's purpose is not to make people wealthy. Christians can become wealthy if they're generous and faithful, but doing "good" things for the elevation of the old person who is said to have died, resurrects the old creation again.

Simon with his focus on wealth resurrected Simon the Magician. Between the lines it's obvious too that Simon's old person had pride, power, prestige, and admiration. Those things were supposed to be buried,, but Simon surely and quickly looked back on them, just as Lot's wife did at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah!  We can't long for things of the old creature and still be a new creature. Satan knows that, so he tempts babes in Christ with memories of the old person. Money, for Simon, was the tea that colored his flesh. He drank the tea, it had poison in it and the new person was infused with that poison and died again just as a beautiful flower would!

That was the "baptism of Christ". He believed in Jesus and his power to save, but before he was able to mature, the devil tempted and he abandoned what he once believed. His maturity was lacking something. Simon was never baptized by the Holy Ghost, for scripture never says that he was!

Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

However, to be saved (safed) requires one "thing" :

Acts 16:31a  "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..."

The same writer says two things. He does not contradict himself. "Belief" (faith) is sufficient for salvation. Baptism is not. Baptism is mentioned for "the remission of sins", That's the same as John's Baptism except for one thing; With John's baptism, Jesus had yet to make the sacrifice. It was faith in what Jesus was "to do". The baptism of Christ is all about what Jesus "did do"! (Baptism if complicated and many people have different beliefs. Baptism will be commented more deeply at a later time).

So, there appears to be three different baptisms: John's, Christ's and the Spirit's. It was said that Simon believed (had faith in Jesus), he was baptized (a testimony to faith in Jesus), but he never received the Holy Spirit!

Simon went wild shortly thereafter! Scripture does not bear witness to that, but secular writings do. If you didn't yesterday, read Wikipedia Simon Magus. 

Basically, Simon went throughout the apostolic world preaching another gospel. It was gnosticism. It's the "ism" of which Paul preached against repetitively to the church. Rather than re-writing what I have written before, the next paragraphs are from what I wrote two years ago:

Paul's Thorn in the Flesh;Simon Magus:

 We were pondering, as many have, what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" actually was. Many say it was his poor eye-sight. Although the Bible does speak of Paul's weak eye-sight he had scribes who actually wrote many of his inspired words. Having poor eye-sight is not a "thorn in the flesh". I have poor eye-sight uncorrected until I was an adult and it was a nuisance at most!

Herrin hypothesis: Simon the Sorcerer was Paul's "thorn in the flesh". Simon converted to Christianity under Philip who baptized him. Simon tried to buy works of the Spirit from Peter, now called Simonism. Simon was in apostasy at that time. We know from early writings of the church fathers that Simon Magus (the Sorcerer) was certainly a thorn in Paul's flesh:

Wikipedia (I've seen this in the actual writings mentioned) "Surviving traditions about Simon appear in anti-heretical texts, such as those of Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Hippolytus, and Epiphanius, where he is often regarded as the source of all heresies. Justin wrote that nearly all the Samaritans in his time were adherents of a certain Simon of Gitta, a village not far from Flavia Neapolis. Irenaeus held him as being one of the founders of Gnosticism and the sect of the Simonians. Hippolytus quotes from a work he attributes to Simon or his followers the Simonians, Apophasis Megale, or Great Declaration. According to the early church heresiologists Simon is also supposed to have written several lost treatises, two of which bear the titles The Four Quarters of the World and The Sermons of the Refuter.
In apocryphal works including the Acts of Peter, Pseudo-Clementines, and the Epistle of the Apostles, Simon also appears as a formidable sorcerer with the ability to levitate and fly at will."

Here we have Simon, who the people believed could fly at will, shadowing behind Paul and preaching gnosticism, the "false gospel", which was the major opposing religion to orthodox Christianity at that time in history (During Paul's journeys. Paul spoke often against the heresies propagated by Simon!).

Hence, I rest my case. Simon was Paul's "thorn in the side". Without Simon, however, Paul's preaching would not have been as fervent and Simon could have won the battle for people's souls! Has anyone else ever espoused this? Not as far as I know, but it is viable and likely. Likely, because Paul confirms that the thorn was "the messenger of Satan". Simon was certainly Satan's messenger!

Scripture (Paul's own writings) 2 Corinthians 12:7-10: "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (KJV)"

Simon lives again! The gnostic gospels were discovered at Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt in 1945. These ancient texts, not known to have been written bu Simon, were the same heresy propagated by Simon the Sorcerer. There are 54 of those fake gospels full of secret knowledge, which contradict the canon of the true gospels. Simon influenced these early writers. He bewitched them!

Simonism is renewed in modern media. The movie The Divinci Code is based on  those gnostic writings and even supports them! Simon is certainly a great magician because, according to Paul, he is "a messenger of Satan" who buffeted not only Paul, but Christians even today! Simon is important! Those who apostatize are the worst enemies of Christ. There are those who backslide, but those who deny Christ and work against him are reprobate, and the evil of which they are capable is historically horrendous!

Hebrews 6:6  "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

Simonism is more than the gospel of money; it's apostasy itself. It is those who shame Jesus by accepting false gospels. I believe that Paul wrote this passage in refutation of gnosticism, the religion of Simon.  People still abandon their faith in Jesus as Simon did. The "messenger of Satan" is alive in the media, entertainment, education and alternate religions. That was one great trick Simon performed: he never died! True his body is dust, but his spirit is still gathered as Satan goes to and fro stealing the souls of those who are bewitched by the things of the flesh and the false knowledge of those who teach lies!