Acts Chapter 8

From The Open Bible Project

8:1 Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.

• (1) Christ uses the rage of his enemies in the spreading forth and enlarging of his kingdom.

8:2 Devout men buried Stephen, and lamented greatly over him.

• (2) The godly mourn for Steven after his death, and bury him, showing in this an example of singular faith and charity: but no man prays to him.
• (a) Amongst all the duties of charity which the godly perform, there is no mention made of enshrining relics.

8:3 But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house, and dragged both men and women off to prison.

• (3) The dispersion or scattering abroad of the faithful is the gathering together of churches.

8:4 Therefore those who were scattered abroad went around preaching the word.

8:5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.

• (4) Philip, who was before a deacon in Jerusalem, is made an evangelist by God in an extraordinary way.

8:6 The multitudes listened with one accord to the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs which he did.

8:7 For unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

8:8 There was great joy in that city.

8:9 But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one,

• (5) Christ overcomes Satan as often as he desires, and carries him about as it were in triumph, in the sight of those whom Satan deceived and bewitched.
• (b) The word which is used in this place was at first used of good things, and is borrowed from the language of the Persians, who call their wise men by that name; but afterwards it was used of evil things.
• (c) He had so allured the Samaritans with his witchcraft that as blind and mad idiots they were wholly addicted to him.

8:10 to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is that great power of God."

8:11 They listened to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.

8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching good news concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

8:13 Simon himself also believed. Being baptized, he continued with Philip. Seeing signs and great miracles occurring, he was amazed.

• (6) The wicked and the highly reprobate are often forced to taste the good gift of God, but they immediately spit it out again.

8:14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

• (7) Peter, not chief but as an ambassador sent from the whole company of the apostles, and John his companion, according to the authority which was committed unto them, strengthen, encourage, and build up the churches of Samaria, whose foundation had been laid before by Philip.

8:15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit;

• (d) Those excellent gifts which are necessary, especially for those that were to be appointed rulers and governors of the Church.

8:16 for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.

8:17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

8:18 Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,

• (8) Covetousness and the seeking of glory at length remove the hypocrites from their dens.

8:19 saying, "Give me also this power, that whoever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit."

8:20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

• (9) They are the successors of Simon Magus, and not Simon Peter, who either buy or sell holy things.

8:21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart isn't right before God.

• (e) In this doctrine which I preach.
• (f) Is not upright indeed and without the concealing of hypocritical motives.

8:22 Repent therefore of this, your wickedness, and ask God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

• (10) We must hope well even for the vilest sinners, as long as and as much as we can.

8:23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity."

• (g) He calls the inward malice of the heart and the venomous and demonic wickedness with which the magician was wholly filled with the gall of bitterness: and he is said to be in the gall, as though he were wholly overwhelmed with gall, and buried in it.
• (h) Entangled in the bonds of iniquity.

8:24 Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me."

8:25 They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Good News to many villages of the Samaritans.

8:26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert."

• (11) Christ, who calls freely whom he wishes, now uses Philip, who was not thinking about any such thing, to unexpectedly instruct and baptize the eunuch, and by this means extends the limits of his kingdom even into Ethiopia.

8:27 He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.

• (i) A man of great wealth and authority with Candace. Now this word "Candace" is a common name of all the Queens of Ethiopia.

8:28 He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

8:29 The Spirit said to Philip, "Go near, and join yourself to this chariot."

8:30 Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

8:31 He said, "How can I, unless someone explains it to me?" He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

• (k) To show me the way to understand it.

8:32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn't open his mouth.

• (12) Those things which seem to come most by chance or fortune (as men term it) are governed by the secret providence of God.

8:33 In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth."[29]

• (l) The Hebrew text reads it in this way, "out of a narrow strait, and out of judgment was he taken": and by the "narrow strait" he means the grave and the very bonds of death, and by "judgment" he means the punishment which was laid upon him, and the miserable state which Christ took upon himself for our sakes, in bearing his Father�s wrath.
• (m) How long he will endure: for Christ, having once risen from the dead, dies no more; (Romans 6:9).

8:34 The eunuch answered Philip, "Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?"

8:35 Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him Jesus.

8:36 As they went on the way, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?"

8:37 [30]

• (13) Profession of faith is required of those being baptized, and therefore it is evident that we are not first ingrafted into Christ when we are baptized, but are already ingrafted, and then are baptized. (Ed.)
• (n) The sum of the confession which is necessary for baptism.

8:38 He commanded the chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn't see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.

8:40 But Philip was found at Azotus. Passing through, he preached the Good News to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.