Acts 8:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

NIV: because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

NASB: (For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

CSB: (They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

NLT: The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

KJV: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

NKJV: For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Philip, one of the first deacons of the church, has fled to Samaria because of Saul's persecution of the church (Acts 6:1–6; 8:1–5). He has been performing miracles and preaching the gospel, and many have responded enthusiastically. Now, Peter and John have come from Jerusalem to see what Philip's been up to (Acts 8:6–8, 14–15).

Verses 15, 16, and 17 of this chapter, when taken out of context, can lead to several false ideas about salvation and the Christian faith. This passage is not saying Jesus' name is some kind of magical word. To be "baptized in Jesus' name" means to publicly align oneself with Jesus' teaching—to accept Him as your Lord and Savior. It doesn't mean that you have to use the name Yeshua to have your prayers answered.

Nor is this section indicating people don't get the Holy Spirit until someone lays hands on them. This is a special circumstance; by waiting for Peter and John to arrive, the Holy Spirit validates the faith of the Samaritans to the apostles, and validates to the Samaritans that they are joining the official church that Jesus originated.

Nor does this passage say we should be baptized only in Jesus' name. Jesus gave clear instructions that Christ-followers should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

This situation is very similar to that of the baptism of John the Baptist. Many people received John's baptism because they accepted his message that they needed to repent of their sins. Jesus validated John's message by taking John's baptism, Himself (Matthew 3:13–17). But John's baptism didn't save (Acts 19:1–6). It prepared the people's hearts for Jesus' forgiveness (Matthew 3:11).

Philip's preaching isn't incomplete. Unlike the situation where Paul meets the men who have received John's baptism (Acts 19:1–6), Peter and John don't add anything to Philip's message. They merely lay their hands (Acts 8:17). When reading Acts, it's important to understand that some of the events and practices are things we should emulate, but others are special circumstances due to the extreme early stages of the spread of the gospel.

Acts 8:9–25 further describes the apostles' pursuit of Jesus' plan to bring salvation to those He chooses. Simon, a popular and presumably wealthy sorcerer, sees Philip's miracles. He especially notices the way the Holy Spirit comes on people when Peter and John lay their hands on them. Simon offers to buy their power. Meanwhile, Peter and John are in Samaria. The thought of Samaritans following Jesus goes against longstanding Jewish traditions. Yet the Samaritans are accepting Christ, and these messengers of the church are there to see the Holy Spirit come on them. God is not impressed by worldly popularity or wealth but on repentant, submissive hearts.

Jesus told the apostles they would spread the gospel (Acts 1:8) and persecution makes that happen. Upon the death of the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54–60), a young Pharisee named Saul builds on the momentum to arrest and, if possible, execute Jesus followers (Acts 8:1–3; 26:10). The apostles mostly stay in Jerusalem, but the church members flee, spreading the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. Important encounters in this passage include a magician named Simon and the conversion of an Ethiopian court official.

Acts 1:8 gives the outline of the book of Acts; Acts 1—7 describes the spread of the gospel through Jerusalem; Acts 8:1—11:18 shows the gospel spreading in Judea and Samaria; Acts 11:19—28:31 sees the gospel spread to the ''end of the earth,'' finalizing in Rome. Ironically, although Paul is the central figure in spreading Jesus' good news to the ends of the earth, his early persecution of the church in Jerusalem is instrumental in spreading the gospel through Judea and Samaria.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.