"When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. 'Give me this power as well,' he said, 'so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 8:18-19). The sale of religious instruction is rightly labeled simony. As such, it should be readily condemned. The contemporary church is saturated with this particular sin.

This episode answers several objections to calling the sale of religious instruction "simony." Those objections are:

1. Simony Refers to Buying, not Selling
2. Simony Refers to Ordinations, Not Other Religious Things
3. Simony Refers to Spiritual Things, not Teaching
4. Simony Refers to Immaterial Things, Not Material Things
5. Simony Implicates the Buyer

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