It records without hesitation the blemishes and the faults of God's people, as well as their strength and virtue. Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? For example, Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a plot of land and donated the proceeds to the apostles. Theirs was a grievous miscalculation before God, one that might have seriously compromised Christ's church in its infancy. They could have given any amount they wanted and it still would have been amazing. And that brings us, secondly, to the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. 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. They did dare join the Church. He merely exposed Ananias hypocrisy by the insight God gave him. 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. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostle's feet". 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. The poor He associated with humility and reliance upon God and therefore able to have faith and receive the Kingdom. The Greek phrase in Joshua 7:1 of the Septuagint is identical to that which Luke uses here in Acts. 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. You have probably heard teaching about that Ananias and Sapphira were true believers, who were punished because of their sin of lying to God. Connected to this story is the truth, though not often dwelt upon, that God can sometimes take a believers life in judgement. In any case, lying or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is one sin that cannot be forgiven. Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34? They are evil and have a sinister agenda. Pharisees loved money and they loved peoples praises. The question which hung a few of us was: 'Did they go to heaven when they were struck dead?'. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. May our Lord continue to fill you to over flowing with the Holy Spirit and strengthen you in every way so that you can remain on task. It is quite possible that in this case, Nadab and Abihu had been intoxicated as they offered their sacrifices. The bible verse James 3:1 gives support for Gehazi's disciplining: Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing rev2023.3.1.43269. 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? Acts 5:1-11. What are Christians generally most prone to mask from each other? But this is not what 1 John 1:9 means. Unlike Barnabas, they didn't live up to their names (Ananias- God is gracious; Sapphira- beautiful). Hope this helps, They can admit to one another what is going on inside them, then encourage one another and pray about each others weaknesses. Ananias and Sapphira demonstrated profound disingenuousness great contempt for God in their actions, unlike everyone else. Its one of Satans favorite traps. I believe they were clearly unsaved Pharisees, and this is why. They also need to be honest with God. This question is important because it impacts our understanding of the New Covenant. Does Acts 5:3-4 equate the Holy Spirit with God. 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). A large percent of Christianity can not see past the law and into grace and truth, particularly the older Christians, or those that are dominion based. 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 seemed blind to the malfeasance they were ushering into the young church. A) Why were Ananias and Sapphira [of Acts 5:1-11] not given a second chance? Dunn (1996) describes it as "one of the most unnerving episodes in the whole of the New Testament." 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 profound charity among the believers seemed especially reverential. In Acts 5:3-4, did Ananias "lie to", "fake", "pretend" or "perjure yourself"? The number of believers probably totaled five thousand or more by this time, and yet they were of one heart and one soul. (2 Peter 3:9). They were more interested in appearances than in reality. 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. 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, P.S. Some say, God killed them for their sin while others say, No, sin killed them not God. The reason I believe they. (Ephesians 6:5,6) Do not seek for any selfish gain out of your service: Put away all pretence and hypocrisy. It is only by God's grace that we are spared today. In Acts 15 we see that they were eventually successful in this. By committing this sinful deception in their relationship with believers, they by extension deceived the Holy Spirit. [Acts 5:9 KJV]. While they demonstrated a marvelous togetherness in their deceptive scheme, their hypocrisy could not help but have affected their marriage. Worst betrayal: Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Spirit and the Church about their generous giving. He was pastor of Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA from 1972 to 1993 when the Lord called him home. and to your [d]descendants forever. So he went out from his presence Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price? he asked, quoting the amount which Ananias had brought to him. 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. Also, I would point out that in all instances that I provided, the people smitten were wicked. But the acclaim was there. Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? 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? Havelaar, H. 1997. What shall I do if I can't believe that God is for me? 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. [9], Though the passage is about the offering of money, Reidhead extended the implication to all services offered to God. 1. So who then could this group of the rest be that didnt dare join? 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. It says: Out of the foxhole and into the the line of fire. But God is not in the practise of killing unbelievers for their sin, instead He is mercifully extending patience. Thats why God doesnt just wipe out the whole planet even though there is so much sin and evil. This isnt far fetched as the Pharisees hated the Church, persecuted it and were desperately trying to destroy it. Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? Three hours after Ananias' death his wife arrived, unaware of what had happened. And we can be grateful for that! 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. We have the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and the death of Herod in Acts 12 for his wickedness. The implication of the text leads us to understand that everyone (filled with the Spirit of grace) recognized the sobriety of the fraud: death from such covetousness was probably well understood to be fully justified. The Book of Acts records Pharisees trying to infiltrate the church. At no point does Luke represent them as being those outside the Church; rather, they are seemingly portrayed as those being under the authority of the Apostles to the extent that Peter himself pronounces judgment over 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. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. But Ananias did want more, and so did Sapphira. 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. Debate/Discussion: Universal Salvation: True or False? 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. It was the disciplinary hand of God. Thereafter, remains the final judgment upon resurrection. (Also in this book, see pp. 5. 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. I think they were much more sinister than that. Let's clear up this debate on their salvation status. Dealing with hard questions during a software developer interview. It is also shown on a 1590s painting by Ambrosius Francken the Elder. Ananias and Sapphira saw it and longed for it, and that is where their trouble began. 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 (Heres an article I did that gives biblical evidence for this.). And as a result, many Christian homes are riddled with wrangling and strife. Should faith and works be separated in salvation? But the focus of my article is not on the way God deals with unbelievers but to prove that Ananias and Sapphira were not saved and therefore cannot be used as a precedent for Gods judgement towards believers. But everyone must be by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 7:37pm, HERES AN INTERESTING QUESTION: We are working through the book of Acts in our Sunday School class, and last week discussed Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5:7-10 Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And yes, it may take that The believers were truly grateful and loving towards each other as they began sharing their possessions and supporting those in need. 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. According to Luke, he believed Philip when he was preaching the good news, and then received baptism (8:12-13). For example we don't even know if they were definitely born again believers. 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. Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? That is the only way to break out of this devilish trap. A lot of the Church today uses the story of Ananias and Sapphira as a precedent to threaten and warn other believers not to sin for fear of similar consequences. Reminds me of Saul, when rather than obedience. Since their congregation was so very large, when they all met together in the court of the Temple, they also gathered in smaller units in homes to get to know each other, to grow in their love for one another, to care about one anothers problems and minister to one anothers needs (cf. However, even in the beginning, the church . 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. I would suggest that we may never know of their ultimate circumstances. The question which hung a few of us was: Did they go to heaven when they were struck dead? Most of us felt, assuming they were born again believers, they did. So why is this event so important to the Church in the New Covenant? 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. They were numbered among that powerful, caring community of believers. needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell Yet, Ananias and Sapphira were both responsible for their own actions, and Sapphira should have obeyed the Spirit instead of obeying her husband. - Greed caused the rebellious to "keep back" a part of the spoils. great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. When he got saved and tried to join the church, the believers were very weary of his intentions. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Is variance swap long volatility of volatility? As believers they had already passed from death unto life (John 5:24). A man couldnt ask for much more than that. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of Jesus often would use the contrast between the rich and poor as a metaphor for those who were most likely to receive the Kingdom. From the very outset, He wanted it known how strongly He feels about hypocrisy, and He wanted it known for all time. Peter did not call down judgment from heaven as some have supposed. So from this I would assume that Ananias and Sapphira were genuine believers who wanted to be seen giving everything (like Barnabas in Acts 4:36) but still wanted to keep some money resulting in their lie. We may even be tempted to accuse God of overreacting with undue harshness. feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. 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. Why weren't they simply confronted and led to confession and repentance? Scriptures about Gods ultimate judgment towards unbelievers. A penetrating question lingers in our minds after we have drawn the curtain on the life of Ananias and Sapphira. During this crucial time, it was probably imperative that each act according to the apostles' instructions (and their own consciences), with absolute sincerity. The people in the early church who sold their possessions and gave the money to the church probably received the enthusiastic appreciation of the entire congregation. In doing this I want to reinforce the New Covenant in peoples understanding that Christ is the propitiation for our sins, who was punished in our place so that we could be saved from Gods wrath and receive total forgiveness, justification, Gods righteousness and eternal peace between us and God. Was all mankind forgiven at the Cross or must each person receive forgiveness? God clearly judges him. Unbelievers are spiritually 'dead' and cannot believe the gospel or make any moves towards God. These two shocking deaths served as an example to the body of Christ that God hates hypocrisy. People who you'll probably never meet, this side of heaven. That is why He put this account into his Word. So we will allow the Spirit of Jesus Christ to work in us to bring us into His likeness. Will God extend his mercy on them? The result of this unselfish spirit was great power and blessing on the entire church. 10. If Annanias and Sapphira were born of the Spirit they are not "liars". "Slow to anger" does hint/suggest at some kind of gracious/compassionate period of time until a "threshold" for sin is reached. And these two expressions of fleshliness, their desire for praise, and their confidence in material things, presented them with a difficult dilemma. Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? Their loving concern for one another went so far as to touch their wallets, and that is real care! Personally I think its quite obviously referring to the party of the Pharisees. Never was that more obvious than in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. 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? Do you think that Ananias and Sapphira went to heaven or did that one lie condemn them to hell? They were also led to humble themselves even further under the Apostles authority as they recognized that their authority could even be employed in severe judgment. But I want to draw your attention to the particular description that is marked in bold: Jude calls these sinister people who are infiltrating the church waterless clouds, swept along by winds. But they were obligated to be honest (Acts 5:4). Peter replied, "Why is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?" Any believer was free to own property if he so chose, and no one would think less of him for it. Lukethe Spirit-inspired historian who wrote the Book of Actstells us in Acts 5:1; But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession (Acts 5:1). Peter stated that Ananias had lied not to men, but to God. To see this, one must consider the case of Simon the magician. Why do you not agree with Soul Salvation? Evidently they could. Is Koestler's The Sleepwalkers still well regarded? [1]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995. They had to have that money. 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. Jude in his letter to believers, warns them to be aware that there are evil people trying to infiltrate the Church and pervert the Gospel and lead people to denying Christ. 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