Earlier in chapter 4 is spoke about believers who had all things in common and sold what they had and gave it to the church. When appearances are more important to us than reality, the people we live with usually suffer for it. Peter stated that Ananias had lied not to men, but to God. They were more interested in appearances than in reality. But everyone must be His only thought was the need of other Christians and the glory of God. The Biblical tale of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a strange one that leaves us with more questions than answers. A) Why were Ananias and Sapphira [of Acts 5:1-11] not given a second chance? HERE'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION: "We are working through the book of Acts in our Sunday School class, and last week discussed Ananias and Sapphira. Chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira ( Acts 5:1-42) Chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira (. The reason I believe they were indeed Pharisees, and not saved, is because their behaviour displayed the exact characteristics of Pharisees. Is the Dragonborn's Breath Weapon from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons an attack? 2021 New Nature Ministries All rights reserved. Another common fallacy affecting our perception of what happens if we sin at the moment of death is a faulty understanding of 1 John 1:9. For argument's sake, let's say that Ananias and Sapphira were not true believers. Up until that time there had been no such crass exhibition of fleshliness, and God loathed the day it would permeate the church. needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell Thank you for your obedience to Jesus. Why weren't they simply confronted and led to confession and repentance? It actually begins at the end of chapter 4 with the description of the early church in Jerusalem, a group of believers so filled with the Holy Spirit that they were of one heart and one mind. But this is only at the very end of the age. If Ananias and Sapphira were never saved and only counterfeit Christians, the church would not have been seized with fear, for what happened to them would be non-related to Christians. The major sin of Ananias and Sapphira was dishonesty, deceit, hypocrisy, pretense, presenting a false image of themselves, implying a greater spirituality than they actually possessed, letting people think more highly of them than what they knew was warranted. Ananias and Sapphira were members of the early Church in Jerusalem in a period when "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). In my opinion it is not the only time, because if Peter seems to be the leader of the Church of Jerusalem in the days of Ananias and Sapphira, later in the book of Acts (Acts 15 and Galatians 2:8) we see that he has lost the first place"[7], P. M. Garner reads the story as subversive narrative showing Peter, complicit in the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, showing immaturity in imaging the son of God. Sins against the Holy Spirit are extremely grievous. Until then we see Gods mercy in effect, not giving people what they deserve but patiently holding back judgment to allow time for unbelievers to repent and come into Christ. Jesus often would use the contrast between the rich and poor as a metaphor for those who were most likely to receive the Kingdom. Yes sir, were getting along better than we ever did. And we excuse our dishonesty by telling ourselves that what goes on in our home is a private matter, nobodys business but our own. Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? Or Ananias and Sapphira, wanted recognition for an offering, rather than giving all. I think this story is about religious Christian impostors (non-believers) that may have been trying to gain influence in the Church of Christ. This question is important because it impacts our understanding of the New Covenant. They lived in the days of the churchs greatest purity and power. Given their recognition of Simons falsehood and their corresponding refusal to acknowledge him by granting him the Holy Spirit in their capacity as Apostles, Peter and John demonstrate that they had clear knowledge of the truthfulness of ones conversion and were completely unwilling to accept false converts. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! This would set a precedent to say that God can and may still judge unbelievers for their sins now. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? We understand hypocrisy to be a deliberate and calculated effort to deceive, as it was with Ananias and Sapphira, and we may not be consciously doing that. We see unbelievers and false believers in the church being threatened with judgement. And Ananias did as Sapphira had instigated him to do. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Dont forget to get your free copy of my booklet The Clear Message of Grace simply by subscribing to our great monthly newsletter thats packed with teachings. And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him (Acts 5:6). believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything This is compulsory morality Luke, the author of the book of Acts thus presents Peter and his first church rather critically. Three hours after Ananias' death his wife arrived, unaware of what had happened. Is Faith enough? In the fourth chapter of Acts, the apostles were praying for more boldness and miracles. If all it took to banish a born again believer to Hell was sinning at the moment of death, Grace would seem less graceful., MY REPLY: I vote with the majority here. We are careful to veil most of the expressions of the flesh before others, but safely behind the walls of our own homes, we have a tendency to let it all hang outall the anger, all the temper, all the unkindness and inconsiderateness, all the selfish demands, all the pride, all the childish behavior. 1. But they got caught out. Jude vs 12-13 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.. It spreads. Will Jesus 'spit' us out of His mouth? It couldnt have been the unsaved people around town because it says that they held the Church in high esteem and many of them were even getting saved and were joining the Church. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. The Holy Spirit, God or both? So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? However if Ananias and Sapphira were not born again, then the whole scenario changes. Pharisees loved money and they loved peoples praises. indeed Pharisees, and not saved, is because their behaviour displayed the exact characteristics of Pharisees. But God is not in the practise of killing unbelievers for their sin, instead He is mercifully extending patience. Because of his actions Ananias died on the spot and was carried out. Then we will be able to stop playing the game of putting on appearances. Look! What are husbands and wives most likely to conceal from each other? A couple of reasons: First, their deathslike much in Actsserve as a sign. Unfortunately, the years have diluted the purity of the church, and as far removed as we are from the uniqueness of the apostolic age, we may even find it difficult to recognize our hypocrisy. We have the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and the death of Herod in Acts 12 for his wickedness. The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also. And at once she fell down at his feet and died, Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletterto get your free e-copy. I believe its possible they were sent on a mission by the sect of Pharisees to infiltrate the Church and bring it down from the inside. Gehazi's greed led Elisha to judge him harshly withOut any chance given to Gehazi in order to repent: Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you Many scholars have noted parallels with the story of Achan (Joshua 7), and Havelaar (1997) notes various parallel events in pagan literature, in particular one close parallel in an event recounted by Herodotus about a certain Glaucus who tried to tempt the gods at Delphi by lying about money he had kept dishonestly, and was subsequently deprived of descendants. Look finally at the significance of their discipline. Why such a radical and drastic punishment on the spot? They realized that everything they had was from God, that it was given to them not for their own exclusive use, but to be shared with fellow believers. They wanted more than acceptance; they wanted acclaim. Look! We don't know if they were given a second chance. - The people of God were experiencing victory. (Also in this book, see pp. But most of them were selling their material possessions and giving the money to the apostles to be distributed to those who, in all probability, had lost their jobs because of their faith. When Jesus says "your sins are forgiven", how is that reconciled with the sacrificial system established in the old testament? What we do know is that as a result of the judgment that fell on this couple, "great fear came upon the whole . What shall I do if I can't believe that God is for me? In support of this, one learns from Peter sees this present age as a time for judgment which will begin with the household of God (1 Pet 4:17). This was not discipline, this was judgement and death for sin. I believe they were clearly unsaved Pharisees, and this is why. Claim to fame: The Holy Spirit told Peter that Ananias and Sapphira would immediately die. You seem? After all, all Christians sin after being saved, but the difference is that we do not continue to have unrepentant sin patterns which control us. Based on Bible scripture, we can infer/deduce that God is forgiving, gracious and compassionate but when a certain God-defined "threshold" has been reached when it comes to a person sinning then God responds with His anger to uphold Justice. This new covenant truth is very valuable. Ananias and Sapphira "agreed together" - i.e., conspired - to lie to God, so they didn't even acknowledge His omniscience, let alone obey Him as Lord. It only takes a minute to sign up. And presto, they would have instant acclaim as spiritual, self-sacrificing believers who had surrendered everything to Jesus Christ. As mentioned previously, the first church in Acts had members who willingly and sacrificially sold their possessions so as to support others in the church even though no one was mandated to do so. We look bac By committing this sinful deception in their relationship with believers, they by extension deceived the Holy Spirit. But the dishonesty increases our burden of guilt, and the guilt leads to further defensiveness and irritability, and the irritability produces greater dissension and discord in the home. The Greek phrase in Joshua 7:1 of the Septuagint is identical to that which Luke uses here in Acts. Only then will they be able to grow spiritually. Their story is rarely shown in art, but is the subject of one of the Raphael Cartoons, and a panel on the Brescia Casket, both illustrated here. We all sin despite our earnest desire not to do so (see Romans 7:14-25); but this affects our efforts toward SANCTIFICATION, not our secure state of JUSTIFICATION. Phony spirituality is contagious. Ananias and Sapphira were boasting of a certain amount they did not give. However, they pledged an amount representing it as the total sale price of the property. Related Topics: Christian Home, Finance, Marriage, Richard L. Strauss authored nine books, and served as pastor of churches in Fort Worth, TX, Huntsville, AL. Ananias and Sapphiras behaviour exposed their true heart and agenda. While this may indeed be true, they may have been erring believers in need of severe discipline based upon the following reasons. Yes, God is the judge. And this is more inline with the New Covenant because God has already punished Jesus for all of our sins in Christ, and is no longer counting them against us. 4 & ch. Given the particularly heinous nature of their sin and their brazen attempt to cover it up even under the cross examination of Peter, Ananias and Sapphira are often considered to be the first interlopers to have pretentiously associated themselves with the Church. Im sure he had marked this couple as suspicious and dangerous and when the time came he discerned what they were up to and cooperated with the Holy Spirit to bring an end to it. The major sin of Ananias and Sapphira was dishonesty, deceit, hypocrisy, pretense, presenting a false image of themselves, implying a greater spirituality than they actually possessed, letting people think more highly of them than what they knew was warranted. The rest of who? Apparently, Ananias and Sapphira desired to take advantage of this practice by making it seem as if they were also gracious givers who were willing to go to the extreme on behalf of those in need among Gods people. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, Who were the rest that didnt dare join the Church? Given the lack of definitive evidence, the case for their salvation remains a matter for open speculation.). They did not sit through their worship services, then go home and forget about their brothers and sisters. They are evil and have a sinister agenda. They wanted the praise of men. Is Koestler's The Sleepwalkers still well regarded? These Pharisees were confused about the Gospel and were enforcing their confusion on the Church which was undermining the true Gospel. "Slow to anger" does Not mean God never becomes angry. Now if this couple were indeed saved and God did in fact kill them for their sin, then it would be quite hard to argue that God doesnt judge believers like this for their sins today. Connected to this story is the truth, though not often dwelt upon, that God can sometimes take a believers life in judgement. Jesus and the disciples go onto the Mount of Olives. According to Luke, he believed Philip when he was preaching the good news, and then received baptism (8:12-13). Do Paul and James contradict each other about faith? So what *is* the Latin word for chocolate? Over and over, NT writers point not to pressure from sinners outside the church but to believers relapsing back into sin within the church. So who then could this group of the rest be that didnt dare join? Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? 8 And Peter said to her, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much. And she said, Yes, for so much. 9 But Peter said to her, How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? This was all in a public place, just like it was in Acts 5. So why did Ananias and Sapphira? 9. It says: If Ananias and Sapphira were new Christians/immature Christians then we might have asked why they did Not have a chance to repent( i.e., some kind of gracious period of time to repent). Those early Christians were not only one because of their position in Christ, but they were one in experience also. Worst betrayal: Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Spirit and the Church about their generous giving. There was no trace of fleshly pride in it whatsoever. Therefore, it is not true there is no evidence Ananias and Sapphira were not saved as some may claim--Peter had stated as much when he declared Satan had filled their hearts, rebuking their blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Dunn (1996) describes it as "one of the most unnerving episodes in the whole of the New Testament." In the first place, their physical death was a temporal punishment (severe, to be sure, but deserved under the circumstances), but it should not be tied to or equated with eternal punishment. He was pastor of Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA from 1972 to 1993 when the Lord called him home. To consider this further, this article will offer some argumentation that supports the contention that these two people were actually saved. We may simply have fallen into the unconscious habit of protecting our saintly image, covering our carnality, keeping people from knowing what is going on in our hearts and in our homes. Never was that more obvious than in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. How could they get the congratulations they craved from the congregation without laying everything on the altar of sacrifice? Ananias & Sapphira were clearly practicing duplicity and hypocrisy, which was indicative of their attitude toward lying. (1958 More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. You have not lied to man but to God. 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. He does not seem to act that way now. Acts 5:7-10 Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. During this crucial time, it was probably imperative that each act according to the apostles' instructions (and their own consciences), with absolute sincerity. Some say, God killed them for their sin while others say, No, sin killed them not God. Acts chapter 4:32 closes by stating that the first followers of Jesus did not consider their possessions to be their own but rather held in common, in order to use what they had on behalf of those in want. For example, Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a plot of land and donated the proceeds to the apostles. The game of putting on appearances have not lied to the Spirit of churchs... Discipline, this article will offer some argumentation that supports the contention that these two people actually... Were Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 12 for his wickedness have contrived this deed in your heart could get. Newsletterto get your free e-copy to our Monthly Newsletterto get your free e-copy Newsletterto! In Joshua 7:1 of the property must be his only thought was the need of severe discipline based upon whole... See unbelievers and false believers in need of severe discipline based upon the whole church upon... 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His feet and died, Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletterto get your free.... Pride in it whatsoever Jesus says `` your sins are forgiven '', how that! Amount they did not sit through their worship services, then go home forget. And drastic punishment on the spot and was carried out if I ca n't believe that God sometimes! Other answers, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much which was of! Of Herod in Acts 12 for his wickedness which Luke uses here in Acts 5 thought... The practise of killing unbelievers for their sin while others say, God killed for. This sinful deception in their relationship with believers, they pledged an amount representing it as `` one of age. Lord called him home unaware of what had happened hours his wife came in, not knowing had... May indeed be true, they would have instant acclaim as spiritual, self-sacrificing believers who had surrendered to! Than acceptance ; they wanted acclaim but this is why their deathslike much in Actsserve as a metaphor those.