This was the first church established in a locality (see note Acts 5:11^1b) within the jurisdiction of a city, the city of Jerusalem. It was a local church in its locality, as indicated by the Lord in Matt. 18:17. It was not the universal church, as revealed by the Lord in Matt. 16:18, but only a part of the universal church, which is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). The record concerning this matter (the establishing of the church in its locality) is consistent throughout the New Testament (Acts 13:1; 14:23; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:4, 11).

It was sovereign of God that the scattering of the believers from Jerusalem to other localities through the persecution should carry out the spreading of the gospel for the fulfillment of the Lord's word in Acts 1:8 (Acts 11:19).

This was not the Philip among the apostles (Acts 1:13) but the Philip among the seven appointed by the apostles to serve tables (Acts 6:5). Through his ministry in preaching the gospel, as recorded in this chapter, he was manifested to be an evangelist (Acts 21:8).

This was a further step in the Lord's evangelistic move. By this He spread Himself as the seed of the kingdom of God from the racially pure Jews to the racially mixed Samaritans for the fulfillment of His prophecy in Acts 1:8.

Philip announced the kingdom of God as the gospel just as the Lord had done (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43 and note Luke 4:43^1a).

See note Acts 2:43¹.

See note Acts 2:38⁷, par. 2.

This does not mean that the believers in Samaria did not receive the Holy Spirit within them essentially when they believed in the Lord. According to the teaching of the New Testament in Eph. 1:13 and Gal. 3:2, they must have received the Holy Spirit essentially when they believed for their regeneration (John 3:6, 36). But they had not yet received the Spirit economically to identify them with the Body of Christ. The reason the Holy Spirit did not fall upon them outwardly and economically was so that the apostles, through whom the practical establishing of the church had been initiated in Jerusalem, might come to bring them into identification with the Body of Christ. This case is different from that of the ones in the house of Cornelius, who, when they believed in the Lord, received the Holy Spirit both essentially within them for regeneration and economically upon them for baptism into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) and identification with the Body of Christ. That was because the gospel was preached then directly by Peter, who played the main role in the initiation of the practical establishing of the church.

Not in the name but into the name. The name denotes the person. To be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus is to be baptized into the person of the Lord, to be identified with the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ, to be put into an organic union with the living Lord. See note Acts 2:38³ and note Matt. 28:19⁴.

In Matt. 28:19 the Lord charged the disciples to baptize the believers into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. But later, in practice, the believers were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, here and in 19:5, and into Christ, in Rom. 6:3 and Gal. 3:27. This indicates that:
1) to be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus is equivalent to being baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, because the Lord Jesus is the Triune God, the embodiment of God Himself (Col. 2:9),
2) to be baptized into the name of the Triune God or into the name of the Lord Jesus is equivalent to being baptized into the person of Christ.

Since the Samaritan believers had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, that is, into the Lord Himself, they surely must have received the Spirit of life essentially within them that they might be not only born of the Lord but also joined to the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17), although they had not received the Spirit of power outwardly and economically.

See note 1 Tim. 4:14^4c. Peter and John were sent to Samaria not only to confirm the preaching of the gospel by Philip, one of the seven appointed to serve tables, but also to bring the church in Samaria, composed of Samaritans, with whom the Jews had no dealings, into identification with the Body of Christ by laying their hands on them. The Holy Spirit honored this laying on of hands and fell upon the Samaritans, signifying their identification with the Body of Christ. In this way the Samaritan believers received the Holy Spirit economically in addition to their having received the Holy Spirit essentially when they believed in the Lord Jesus.

See note Acts 2:4² and note Acts 2:17^2c.

Some MSS add, Holy.

This indicates that Simon's practice of magic, which amazed people, was for money.

Not eternal perdition but a punishment, as in Heb. 10:39 (see note Heb. 10:39²) and Matt. 7:13 (see note Matt. 7:13^3b). Simon had believed in the gospel and had been baptized (v. 13); hence, he must have experienced salvation in its initial stage, but he had not been saved from his wicked thought and act concerning money. Therefore, he needed to repent of this wickedness that he might receive the Lord's forgiveness; otherwise, he would go with his silver into punishment.

The gift of God (v. 20).

To testify the word of the Lord is to witness according to personal experience of the Lord, and to speak the word of the Lord is to preach and teach according to the revelation of the Lord. See note Acts 2:40^1a.

Ethiopia is Cush (Isa. 18:1), the land of the descendants of Cush, the son of Ham (Gen. 10:6). The gospel had spread from the racially pure Jews to the racially mixed Samaritans through Philip and Peter and John (vv. 5-25). Now the angel of the Lord directed Philip to contact an utter Gentile from Ethiopia. Through this the gospel spread southward to Africa.

Proving that the Ethiopian eunuch was seeking God (cf. Acts 17:26-27).

The mentioning of the Spirit here, as in v. 39; 10:19; 13:2 and Acts 16:6-7, indicates that in this book the Lord's move in spreading His kingdom through the preaching of the gospel was by the Spirit's leading and directing, not by man's device and schedule. Hence, this move was not the act of man but the act of the Spirit. This is altogether different from today's degraded practice.

Referring to Christ the Redeemer. It must have been sovereignly of the Spirit's leading that the eunuch opened to the passage concerning Christ as the sinners' redeeming Lamb, a passage good for gospel preaching.

This indicates that Philip preached water baptism to the eunuch. In this gospel case, water baptism was particularly emphasized, but no mention was made of Spirit baptism. This should give us strong instruction that we must pay attention to water baptism, which signifies the believers' identification with Christ's death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5; Col. 2:12), as well as to Spirit baptism. Spirit baptism produces the reality of the believers' union with Christ in life essentially and in power economically, whereas water baptism is the believers' affirmation of the Spirit's reality. Both are needed (cf. Acts 10:47), and neither can replace the other. All believers in Christ should properly have both, just as the children of Israel were baptized in the cloud (signifying the Spirit) and in the sea (signifying water) — 1 Cor. 10:2. See note Mark 1:8^1a, note John 3:5², and note 1 John 5:6¹.

Many ancient MSS omit this verse.