Philip and the Samaritans

We find the first of these four accounts in Acts 8. Philip had been sent to the city of Samaria to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the gospel was declared, the whole city experienced revival. The lame were healed, unclean spirits were driven out, and many received the great news of God’s salvation.

But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. (Acts 8:12-13 NIV)

When the Samaritans believed the good news of Jesus Christ, were they born again? Absolutely. When a person believes the gospel, he or she receives Jesus Christ and becomes a child of God. These new believers were then baptized in water as a sign of their faith in Christ. Yet as we see in the verses that follow, the leaders of the early Church knew there was something else—in addition to conversion and water baptism, the new believers needed to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God [salvation], 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 [water baptism]. (Acts 8:14-16 NIV)

Upon hearing that Samaria had received the gospel, the apostles decided to send Peter and John to the new believers there. Why did the apostles send two of their most respected members to pray with the Samaritans? After all, the Samaritans had already received salvation and been water baptized. Peter and John were sent specifically to pray “that they might receive the Holy Spirit” (verse 15). Keep in mind that Jerusalem was over thirty-five miles away from Samaria.3 This distance may not seem like much today, but the apostles did not have cars or access to modern public transportation. They had to travel these thirty-five miles by foot or on the back of an animal, a journey that would have taken at least one or two days. This was no quick trip down the street.

Again, it is important to note that the new believers had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. They were now children of God. However, there was an element of the gift of salvation that they had not yet experienced. You might be thinking, Wait a second, John, I thought that the Spirit of Jesus Christ makes our hearts His home as soon as we receive the gift of salvation. Indeed, this is the case. First Corinthians 12:3 clearly states, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” We cannot confess the lordship of Jesus outside of the Holy Spirit’s influence, yet this is different from being filled with Him.