Unlimited LifeSample

You Can’t Bribe God

The only thing that can make us acceptable before God is the atoning blood of Christ that was shed for us at Calvary.

The story of Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8 illustrates how Christianity was misinterpreted even in the times of the earliest church. Simon was a magician in Samaria. He liked to portray himself as having great wonder working-powers. So, he offered the apostles money so that he could receive the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:18–19).

Simon tried to bribe God. He thought that if he gave God his money, that God would give him his blessing. He was as mistaken as you can get.

Too many people relate to our religious experience as if it were some kind of reciprocal business transaction with God. “If I am good, then God will save me; if I follow the rules then God will love me; if I am faithful then God will heal me.” But God’s blessing is his own free gift to us. We shouldn’t cheapen the blood of Christ by trying to bribe God with the paltry, miserable things that we offer up to him.

You can’t bribe God (Acts 8:20). All religion that tries to offer God something in exchange for his favor is false religion. The only thing that can make us acceptable before God is the atoning blood of Christ that was shed for us at Calvary. Think carefully about your life, and about how you have tried to bribe God in the past. The truth is that we’ve all done it in some way or another. The important thing is to recognize it for what it is. Pray a prayer of repentance and ask God to help you appreciate his free gift to you.

By Dr. Eliezer Gonzalez