Why had the believers in Samaria not received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8)?

The book of Acts provides insight into why the believers in Samaria had not received the Holy Spirit in Acts 8. To understand this, we need to look at the background, the passage itself, and the significance.

Background

In Acts 1:8, Jesus told his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The gospel was first preached in Jerusalem in Acts 2-7. Then in Acts 8, the gospel began to spread to Samaria.

Samaritans and Jews generally did not get along or associate with one another (John 4:9). Samaria was between Judea and Galilee, the region where Jesus spent much of his ministry. The Samaritans were a mixed race with Jewish and pagan ancestry. They accepted the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament) but had their own temple and worship on Mount Gerizim rather than in Jerusalem.

This background helps explain the significance of the gospel coming to Samaria and the need for the Holy Spirit to come upon these new Samaritan believers to unite them with the Jewish Christians.

The Passage: Acts 8:4-17

Acts 8:4-8 describes how Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve widows in Acts 6, went to Samaria and preached Christ to them. The people heard Philip and believed his message about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus, and many were baptized.

Word got back to the apostles in Jerusalem that Samaria had received the word of God. So they sent Peter and John to them (Acts 8:14). When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for the Samaritan believers to receive the Holy Spirit. Before this, the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them but they had simply been baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 8:16).

After Peter and John laid their hands on them and prayed, the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17). Simon the sorcerer offered money to receive the same authority Peter and John had to bestow the Spirit, but Peter rebuked him (Acts 8:18-24).

Significance

There are a few important reasons why the believers in Samaria had not received the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came:

1. To show the unity of the church between Samaritans and Jews. The apostles needed to come from Jerusalem to pray for them to receive the Spirit to demonstrate acceptance and common faith between the groups.
2. To show apostolic authority and approval of the Samaritan conversions by having the apostles come and pray for the Spirit to fall upon them.
3. As a sign that salvation requires conversion and receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, not just faith and baptism. The baptism of the Spirit was a subsequent and distinct experience.
4. To show the Spirit is a gift received from God at His initiative. The apostles did not baptize the Samaritans in water, Philip did, but they still needed prayer and laying on of hands by the apostles to receive the Spirit.
5. To display the Spirit’s empowering of believers for ministry and witness.Receiving the Spirit equipped them for service and testimony in spreading the gospel.

In summary, this passage highlights some key principles: The expansion of the gospel to Samaria, the unity of believers regardless of ethnicity, the role of the apostles, the importance of receiving the Holy Spirit after conversion, and the Spirit empowering believers. God reconciled Samaritans and Jews, former enemies, into one body united by the Holy Spirit.

Further Explanation and Theological Points

To provide more context, here are some additional theological points on this topic:

• This passage shows the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise about the gospel spreading beyond Jerusalem to Samaria (Acts 1:8). The conversions of the Samaritans verified the expansion of the church.
• While believers today receive the Holy Spirit at conversion (Romans 8:9), this passage describes a transitional period in the early church before the normative pattern was established.
• The delay between conversion and receiving the Spirit served an important purpose then to demonstrate church unity. This distinction does not exist today.
• The apostles were establishing their authority as the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). Their direct role showed the Samaritan conversions were divinely ordained.
• This passage shows the ceremonial and confirmatory nature of laying on of hands, rather than as a sacrament that automatically confers the Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit’s coming in power marked a new phase in the church’s mission. Expansion required Spirit empowerment.
• Simon the sorcerer misunderstood the free gift of the Spirit as something that could be bought or sold. Peter strongly corrected him.
• Reception of the Spirit is linked with water baptism, showing the connection between Spirit baptism and water baptism.
• The unity of the apostles with the Samaritans showed that cultural barriers were superseded by the gospel.

In summary, this was a pivotal passage showing the Holy Spirit incorporating Samaritan converts into the church. The Spirit unified them with the Jewish Christians, empowered their witness, and demonstrated apostolic authority.

Applying This Passage Today

For believers today, while we receive the Spirit at conversion, there are still important lessons to learn from this passage:

• No cultural, ethnic, or social differences should divide believers. The Holy Spirit brings unity.
• Leaders play a vital role in affirming the authenticity of conversions, especially cross-culturally.
• The free gift of the Spirit cannot be earned or bought, only graciously received through faith.
• Water baptism and Spirit baptism, though distinct, are closely connected in the Christian life.
• The Spirit empowers and equips believers for Christian life and ministry.
• We should pray for new believers to keep being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
• The church expands through Spirit-led evangelism, even to unlikely places.
• There is diversity in the way the Spirit works in different situations, not just a cookie-cutter approach.

As at the early church’s beginnings, the Holy Spirit continues to incorporate believers into the church today across cultures and draw people to faith in Jesus. This passage remains an important model for unity and the Spirit’s work.

Exegetical Commentary

Examining this passage verse-by-verse provides additional exegetical insights:

Acts 8:4-8 – Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Philip was one of the seven chosen in Acts 6 to serve the church in Jerusalem. After persecution scattered believers from Jerusalem, Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ there, with signs and healings accompanying his message. Despite the cultural divide between Jews and Samaritans, Philip crossed that barrier to proclaim the gospel in Samaria per Jesus’ commission in Acts 1:8. The Samaritans responded positively with joy.

Acts 8:14-17 – When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The apostles heard the Samaritans had “accepted the word of God,” meaning they believed the gospel. But the apostles knew something was lacking – the Samaritans had not received the Holy Spirit. The apostles went to investigate and pray for them to receive the Spirit. This showed the apostles’ approval of the Samaritan conversions and demonstrated unity between the Jewish and Samaritan believers through the Holy Spirit coming upon them.

Acts 8:18-19 – When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Simon the sorcerer misunderstood the Spirit as something that could be bought or sold. He saw the visible, external manifestations of the Spirit’s coming. But the Spirit’s work is a sovereign, God-given gift, not something humans can manipulate or control. Simon tried to turn the free gift of the Spirit into a transaction.

Acts 8:20-24 – Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

Peter strongly rebuked Simon and called him to repent. He had no part in the apostles’ ministry because of the sinful attitude of his heart. Simon asked Peter to pray for God’s mercy on him, showing he realized the seriousness of his sin.

This passage-by-passage examination enriches our understanding of why the Holy Spirit had not come upon the Samaritan believers until the apostles prayed for them. It highlights important principles from this transitional period of the early church.

Objections and Alternative Views

Some challenge the view that this passage shows the Holy Spirit coming subsequently after conversion. But there are good responses to these objections:

• Objection: The Holy Spirit regenerates a person at conversion based on passages like Romans 8:9. So He must have indwelt the Samaritan believers initially.
• Response: This passage describes a unique, transitional period in the early church before the consistent pattern seen throughout Acts was established. Other examples are seen in Acts 19:1-7 with the Ephesian disciples.
• Objection: Doesn’t this passage teach a “two-step” conversion process of first faith/baptism, then receiving the Spirit?
• Response: This passage shows the reception of the Spirit as confirmatory and empowering, not required for justification which is by faith alone. It was a special circumstance to establish church unity.
• Objection: Doesn’t this mean baptism of the Spirit always comes after water baptism?
• Response: The order in Acts is variable – sometimes Spirit baptism precedes water baptism (Acts 10:44-48). The normal pattern later in Acts is the Spirit is received at conversion/regeneration.

So while objections can be raised, there are reasonable explanations that maintain the Spirit’s coming upon the Samaritans as subsequent and confirmatory, for a special purpose during the apostolic era. This passage does not contradict other clear Scripture on receiving the Spirit at conversion.

Insights from Bible Scholars

Bible scholars provide helpful analysis of this passage:

“That the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon the Samaritan Christians did not imply they were unsaved (…) Rather, this phenomenon indicated that they had not been incorporated into the church.” (John MacArthur)

“The delay between conversion and the gift of the Spirit served the purpose of connecting the Samaritan church to the mother-church in Jerusalem.” (F.F. Bruce)

“Proof positive that the Holy Spirit is a gift is seen in the fact that the Samaritans had believed the preaching of Philip (…) but had not yet received the Spirit.” (John Polhill)

“In this transitional period, God did not automatically grant the Spirit to each believer at conversion. Instead, God sovereignly dispensed the Spirit as He deemed necessary.” (David Peterson)

These insights help explain the purpose of the delay in the Samaritans receiving the Spirit – to unite them to the Jerusalem church and demonstrate the Spirit is a divine gift, not an automatic possession.

Conclusions

In summary, the believers in Samaria did not initially receive the Holy Spirit because this was a transitional period in the early church requiring apostolic approval, confirmation, and symbolic unity through the Spirit’s coming. Key points include:

• The apostles prayed for the Spirit to sanction the Samaritan conversions and unite them with the Jewish church.
• The Holy Spirit’s descent was confirmatory, not required for justification which is by faith.
• This circumstance does not contradict the Spirit’s regeneration of believers at conversion.
• The apostles established their authority by their direct role in imparting the Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit incorporates believers across ethnic and cultural lines into the one body of Christ.

This important passage shows the Spirit’s work in fulfilling Christ’s promise to empower witnesses from Jerusalem to Samaria. The Spirit unified divided groups and equipped the early church for ministry and mission.