1. Acts 8:25 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How did the conversion of the Samaritans influence believers from elsewhere?

Acts 8:25 (ESV)

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.

In Acts 15 we read: the believers in Phoenicia and Samaria hear Paul and Barnabas describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and it brought great joy (Acts 15:3) (“chara megalé”). This common joy and acceptance are in contrast with the critical opinion of some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. A serious disagreement about the entry conditions (into the people of God) forms the reason for the meeting in Acts 15.