You Can’t Buy Grace
Scripture:
“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…’ But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!’” — Acts 8:18–20 (ESV)
Think:
Simon had spent his entire life believing that everything valuable could be acquired.
Power could be gained.
Influence could be earned.
Status could be achieved.
If you wanted something badly enough, there was always a way to get it.
Then he encountered Jesus.
And he made a mistake that millions of people are still making today.
He thought God’s gifts worked like everything else in the world.
When Simon saw the power of the Holy Spirit, his first instinct wasn’t worship.
It was acquisition.
“How do I get that?”
“What will it cost?”
“What do I need to do?”
Peter’s response feels shockingly severe.
Why?
Because Simon wasn’t simply offering money.
He was revealing his heart.
He still thought the Kingdom of God operated like the kingdoms of this world.
Earn more.
Achieve more.
Control more.
Acquire more.
But grace doesn’t work that way.
Grace cannot be purchased because grace is not a product.
It’s a gift.
And that’s where this passage suddenly becomes very personal.
Because most of us would never try to buy the Holy Spirit with money.
But we often try to buy God’s acceptance with performance.
We think:
“If I read my Bible enough…”
“If I serve enough…”
“If I pray enough…”
“If I can just get my life together…”
Then maybe God will love me.
Then maybe He’ll accept me.
Then maybe I’ll finally be enough.
The problem is that mindset turns Christianity into a transaction.
And Christianity has never been a transaction.
It is a rescue.
The gospel begins with the humbling realization that we bring nothing to the table except our need.
Isaiah says our righteousness is like filthy rags.
Paul says we were dead in our trespasses.
Dead people don’t contribute to their resurrection.
They receive it.
That is why grace is so offensive to human pride.
We want to earn our way.
We want some credit.
We want to point to something and say, “I helped.”
The cross leaves no room for that.
Jesus paid it all.
Not most.
Not some.
All.
Tim Keller often said that the gospel is this: we are more sinful than we ever dared believe, yet more loved than we ever dared hope.
Simon wanted power.
God offered grace.
Simon wanted something he could control.
God offered something he could only receive.
And the same invitation stands before us today.
Stop striving.
Stop proving.
Stop trying to earn what Jesus already purchased.
Because the greatest gift God offers is not something you achieve.
It is Himself.
And empty hands are the only way to receive Him.
Application:
Are you relating to God as a son or daughter—or as an employee trying to earn approval? Spend time thanking Jesus for what He has already accomplished rather than focusing on what you think you still need to prove.
Prayer:
Father, forgive me for the ways I try to earn what You freely give. Thank You that Your love is not based on my performance and Your grace is not something I can achieve. Teach me to rest in Christ’s finished work and live from the joy of being fully accepted in Him. Amen.
