Peter asked her, Tell me whether you sold your land for so much? And she said, Yes, for so much. Then Peter said to her, How could you two have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? from Ananias and Sapphira in the Acts of the Apostles is that they pretended to give 100%, but they were really holding back. Ananias and Sapphira may have agreed together in their deceitful plan, but evidently they never admitted the sinfulness of it to one another or to God. I t is reasonable to believe that both Ananias and Sapphira were present in the prayer meeting described in Acts 4:31. quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules The point Im making is that this shows us it was not uncommon to have Pharisees trying to come into the church and that is was not unlikely that Ananias and Sapphira could not have been Pharisees. Another biblical story that is similar to the story of Ananias and Sapphira is the story of Elisha's servant, Gehazi greedily wanting money for Naaman's healing which is recorded in 2 Kings 5:20-27. To many good Christians are being taken down by a foundation that only has cracks in it. Their loving concern for one another went so far as to touch their wallets, and that is real care! Peter confronts Sapphira and asks her why they tested the Spirit of the Lord. Any believer was free to own property if he so chose, and no one would think less of him for it. Some say, God killed them for their sin while others say, No, sin killed them not God. Somehow or other, Ananias could not summon up that gladness and that singleness of heart with which all the other contributors came up that day. See chapter 4, Grace as a Double Cure, in my recent book on grace, Set Free! Perhaps we should recall how God once reacted to two very foolish young men, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu as they offered "strange fire": Leviticus 10:1-2: "Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. Will God extend his mercy on them? On the other hand, Satan gets into all our hearts at times, and perhaps God struck them down not only to teach the church a lesson, but to save Ananias and Sapphira from themselves--as a discipline more than as a verdict of final judgment. Dealing with hard questions during a software developer interview. Second, contrary to a widespread fallacy, an individual sin (except for the sin of unbelief) does not necessarily separate us from the grace of God. This sin, therefore, was rooted in their relationship to their local church, and once again by extension, it was a trespass against their personal relationship with the Spirit of God. (Ephesians 6:5,6) Do not seek for any selfish gain out of your service: Put away all pretence and hypocrisy. I think Sapphira did have a second chance. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 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. 4. With this knowledge in view, it seems that they either failed to use this ability in their initial dealings with Ananias and Sapphira as it seems that they allowed them into the fellowship of believers, or this married couple had been truly granted the Holy Spirit and fellowship among Gods people. 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.. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Worst betrayal: Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Spirit and the Church about their generous giving. I believe they were clearly unsaved Pharisees, and this is why. I think God recognised their strategy and brought it to an abrupt end. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. It only says that they conspired to deceive. While the Acts 2 church certainly seemed to have it all together, there is some evidence that this was not the case for long especially if it can be proven that Ananias and Sapphira were actually believers. If their attitudes are wrong, even if they both share them alike, they must acknowledge them openly to the Lord and refuse to go on excusing them. Those early Christians sensed a spiritual bond at the deepest level of their lives. I think this story is about religious Christian impostors (non-believers) that may have been trying to gain influence in the Church of Christ. See again my book, Set Free!, pp. Ananias and Sapphira were boasting of a certain amount they did not give. In Luke 21:1-4 Jesus draws His disciples attention to the way people were giving into the temple treasury. So if we believe that they were genuine believers then does this lie commit them to hell? What we do know is that as a result of the judgment that fell on this couple, "great fear came upon the whole . But the acclaim was there. Sis Johns, Hi! Now if you look at Acts 5:13 and 14, just after the death of Ananias and Sapphira, youll see a little clue that most people miss that supports everything Ive just said. Peter said, You have not lied to men, but to God (Acts 5:4). Ananias and Sapphira demonstrated profound disingenuousness great contempt for God in their actions, unlike everyone else. You ask why they received such drastic punishments and weren't given a change to repent, but I'll point out that the text doesn't say that it was God who killed them, but simply that they promptly fell over dead on the spot. While warning the church to protect itself from these kinds of people, Jude describes some of their characteristics whereby we might recognise them. At this time, all the members of this church were true believers who were "one in heart and mind" (Acts 4:32). Sins against the Holy Spirit are extremely grievous. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; ; 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, Jude calls these sinister people who are infiltrating the church, is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. [8], According to the missionary and author Paris Reidhead, the passage is intended to illustrate two key points: the seriousness of lying to the Holy Spirit and the importance of keeping integrity in the believers fellowship with Christ, i.e., keeping the fellowship free of sin. Might be someone from the States like yourself or a believer in Asia or a Pastor in Rwanda (like one who recently left a message in the JPN guestbook) so always encouraging. Evidently, Ananias and Sapphira had sold a piece of property for a certain sum and agreed between them to say they had sold it for a lesser sum while keeping the difference for their own use. It says: 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). 5/8), here the church is attacked from within. Who were the rest that didnt dare join the Church? We don't know how old they were, or what their general health condition was like. The result of this unselfish spirit was great power and blessing on the entire church. Thus, to sin against the Holy Spirit in such a manner as to negate His Person, leaves one with no means of access to Deity at all. To consider this further, this article will offer some argumentation that supports the contention that these two people were actually saved. 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? They can admit to one another what is going on inside them, then encourage one another and pray about each others weaknesses. What are Christians generally most prone to mask from each other? Was the 100 denarii owed by the second servant in Jesus's parable supposed to be a substantial amount of money? a leper as white as snow. 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. But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wifes full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles feet (Acts 5:1, 2). Husbands and wives can begin by being honest with each other. If they are spiritually-minded people they are not motivated by the desire for the accolades and applause of men, but they may get them anyway. 2:19). I think they had an agenda to infiltrate the church and bring harm to the believers. The Greek phrase in Joshua 7:1 of the Septuagint is identical to that which Luke uses here in Acts. he saved some. But, if God did judge Ananias and Sapphira and they were not saved, it still means that He judged unbelievers for their sins even though Jesus was judged for all sin. Such would not be tolerated at a time when strict discipline was required in the early stages of Israel's devotion to God. Look finally at the significance of their discipline. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Richard, was a 1954 graduate of Wheaton College, and received his Th.M. Ananias and Sapphira yeah certainly an interesting story. The Story of Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5:1-11. Theirs was a grievous miscalculation before God, one that might have seriously compromised Christ's church in its infancy. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. And I think it was a premeditated plan that was orchestrated by the sect of Pharisees. Each partner is keeping score of who gives in the most, who gets the most attention, who shows the most appreciation, who has the most faults, or some other trivial area of contention. 314-316, for a fuller explanation of why this is the correct understanding of this verse. They are "saints" The lie that was told, and every other sin they ever committed, either before or after they were born again, where completly paid for by Christ, and cast as far as the east is from the west. [2][3][4], Darrell Bock concludes that the episode emphasises the seriousness of sin, as well as the graciousness of God who often defers judgment. them and bring the proceeds of the sales (35) and lay them at the apostles' Is all mankind free from their sins or only those in Christ? the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. There is nothing in the story that indicates that they went to hell and this was not a sin that Jesus didn't pay for when He died. God takes something that is true in the kingdom of God and puts it on physical display. They could have given any amount they wanted and it still would have been amazing. The Biblical tale of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a strange one that leaves us with more questions than answers. (34) For there was not a And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of It attracted a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. Connected to this story is the truth, though not often dwelt upon, that God can sometimes take a believers life in judgement. "When men want to impose unity, there are problems. Should faith and works be separated in salvation? Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. The account records their sudden deaths after lying to the Holy Spirit about money. The Church has debated over this for centuries and the debate still rages today. By pretending to give the whole amount they could appear generous without having to actually give it all away. After hearing these words from Peter, Ananias falls down and dies. Look! So who then could this group of the rest be that didnt dare join? So what *is* the Latin word for chocolate? When confronted, they stuck to their story, and when they were exposed they dropped dead of fear. Well the reality is that, while Christ paid the price for everyones sins, its only those who are in Christ that receive the benefit of that and are therefore safe from Gods judgment. Ive never disciplined any of my kids by killing them! He gives of himself only to get something in return, and he usually keeps track of how much he gets. 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. Ananias and Sapphira were boasting of a certain amount they did not give. How could they get the congratulations they craved from the congregation without laying everything on the altar of sacrifice? feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. And presto, they would have instant acclaim as spiritual, self-sacrificing believers who had surrendered everything to Jesus Christ. Not lied to men, but to God, or what their health. 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