1. Acts 8:20–23 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does Peter’s response to Simon remind us of?

Acts 8:20–23 (ESV)

20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

These words make us think of what Peter told the church in Jerusalem against the lies of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11): why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? This couple was first filled with the Spirit but afterward they resisted the Holy Spirit. They died on the spot as a punishment miracle.

Think of similar words that Paul speaks to Elymas (a magician such as Simon), who tried to turn the proconsul Sergius away from the faith (Acts 13:8–12).