Quote:
Originally Posted by Raptor
all believers will appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ for reward or loss, to receive back according to the good or evil done
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I believe as well that all true believers will appear before the Judgment seat of Christ. However, in Acts 8 we have an example of a
false believer, Simon the Magician.
Acts 8:13
Even Simon himself
believed, and after being
baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
So Simon believed and was baptized but was he a truly born again believer?
Acts 8:18-24
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “
May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter,
for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the
bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
First, all Simon did was ask Peter a single question, yet many other self professed believers have done far worse evil throughout human history.
Someone who is truly saved will have eternal life but Peter said Simon would
perish. Peter also said Simon's heart was not right which means he was not given a new heart per Ezekiel 36:26. He also confirmed that Simon was still
in the bond of iniquity. The Greek word for iniquity here is
adikias and is the same word Jesus used in Luke 13:27 "away from me all you who do evil (adikias)".
There are many scripture that confirms the idea that someone who is still a slave to sin is not saved. I will share some here but there are many more you can find.
Romans 6:16
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of
sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
1 John 3:4-10
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Interestingly Simon feels sorry and goes on to ask Peter to pray for him in Acts 8:24. However, saying sorry is not necessarily enough for true repentance because Judas felt sorry for betraying Jesus and Saul felt sorry for persecuting David, yet neither one's hearts were right before God. Godly sorrow produces true repentance as in the case of Peter denying Jesus but worldly sorrow leads to death as in the case of Judas.
The early church fathers went on to write what happened to Simon the Magician. According to Iranaeus, disciple of Polycarp, disciple of the Apostle John in "Against Heresies (Book I, Chapter 23)" titled "Doctrines and practices of Simon Magus and Menander.", Simon became a promoter of gnosticism and did not repent. You can read about it here:
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103123.htm