[1], The morality of the incident has been the source of some commentary. Is Faith enough? Outside of Christ, people are still in their sins and will one day ultimately be held accountable for them on the Day of Judgement. "[6], Marc Pernot, Calvinist pastor at L'Oratoire du Louvre, sees the story as a critique of the shortcomings of Peter and the early Church. In Acts, Ananias and Sapphiras sinful actions were performed within the context of their relationship to the Church. He gives of himself only to get something in return, and he usually keeps track of how much he gets. Peter did not call down judgment from heaven as some have supposed. a leper as white as snow. You have not lied to man but to God. 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. I believe they were clearly unsaved Pharisees, and this is why. Everyone who heard about the incident feared the Lord. Only then will they be able to grow spiritually. Annanias and Saphira sinned just before they died (were killed), but that doesn't mean they weren't previously saved. But distinguished from the soul, as it is here, it would probably refer just to his spirit, the innermost facet of mans makeup, the center of his being to which God reveals Himself and in which God dwells. They collaborated on a plan to stash some of the money from the sale of their property in a safety deposit box for themselves and take the rest to the apostles. Again, it is not saying that they weren't saved anymore. And he tells believers to watch out for these kinds of people. It says: This is the very heart of the Pharisee that loves money but has a false facade of generosity. Debate/Discussion: Universal Salvation: True or False? 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). Without a moments hesitation she answered, Yes, that was the price (Acts 5:8). So if we believe that they were genuine believers then does this lie commit them to hell? - Greed caused the rebellious to "keep back" a part of the spoils. [9], Concerning the belief held by some, that Peter caused the death of the couple, Reidhead held the view that Peter simply anticipated God's action and relayed it to Ananias and Sapphira before God took the action.[9]. Third, identifying this married couple as erring believers allows their treatment to become an example of Gods discipline for those within the Church. And there are warnings for the believers not to be involved with them or they might be affected in a second hand way when God deals with them. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Acts 5:3-4. 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. Suppositions as to the eternal state of the two guilty persons are just that : suppositions. They lived in the days of the churchs greatest purity and power. It is a little hard because we know so little about them. See chapter 4, Grace as a Double Cure, in my recent book on grace, Set Free! 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. (2 Peter 3:9). See again my book, Set Free!, pp. And presto, they would have instant acclaim as spiritual, self-sacrificing believers who had surrendered everything to Jesus Christ. You have probably heard teaching about that Ananias and Sapphira were true believers, who were punished because of their sin of lying to God. The rest of who? Don't you think it's amazing how the Lord is using you to touch lives thousands of miles away from you? [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. Never was that more obvious than in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Were Ananias and Sapphira Christians? I would suggest that we may never know of their ultimate circumstances. 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? Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. [1]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995. Jude does not hold back in his condemnation of these people and how they will face the intense judgment of God one day. Story Identification: Nanomachines Building Cities, Rename .gz files according to names in separate txt-file. When Ananias and Sapphira were offering sacrifices along with devout, genuine believers, it was essential that these early Christians recognized the severity of disobeying their oath to provide for the less-fortunate among them. They wanted more than acceptance; they wanted acclaim. Only, Ananias was not at all happy in his approach to Peter's feet that day. This was all in a public place, just like it was in Acts 5. However if Ananias and Sapphira were not born again, then the whole scenario changes. 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. No. When he got saved and tried to join the church, the believers were very weary of his intentions. that as such we will incur a [a]stricter judgment. And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him (Acts 5:6). Connected to this story is the truth, though not often dwelt upon, that God can sometimes take a believers life in judgement. But they got caught out. 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? We do not know how they got Ananias buried without Sapphira knowing about it, but bodies had to be buried quickly in those days and maybe they could not find Sapphira at the moment. But coming at the very start of the church, with God incredibly active and the great need to start in purity, it was a sin that required swift and firm judgement - and the result was that which was needed with a holy fear coming upon the believers. 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. He had to act decisively. It only takes a minute to sign up. They did not really lie to anybody, did they? This you know, my beloved brethren. What did mean when He said 'It is Finished' in John 19:30? How could Ananias and Sapphira have avoided the trap of deceit into which they fell? Sis Johns, Hi! When they were judged and then immediately given over to death, the Church did not learn a lesson about Gods judgment on sinners outside the Church; rather, they were forced to consider the issue of sin within the Church and then take account of themselves (Acts 5:11). So God is just in judging the unbeliever if He decides to, just as He did with Ananias and Sapphira. At this time, all the members of this church were true believers who were "one in heart and mind" (Acts 4:32). This would mean that the Gospel isnt as good as we thought it was and that God violates the law of double jeopardy where He punishes the same sin twice. It is only by God's grace that we are spared today. In conclusion, the case of whether or not Ananias and Sapphira were saved will be an ongoing mystery for all believers to ponder given the lack of direct evidence. The poor He associated with humility and reliance upon God and therefore able to have faith and receive the Kingdom. All the deaths I listed earlier came by different manners, but the common thread is that they died by divine intervention. 8. As believers they had already passed from death unto life (John 5:24). 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 believe I have figured this one out, and scripture gives us a very clear answer. 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. Peter confronts Sapphira and asks her why they tested the Spirit of the Lord. 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. As told at the beginning of Acts chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira, following Barnabas' example, also sold their land but secretly withheld a portion of the proceeds. It's entirely possible that they died of entirely natural causes like a heart attack or stroke, and God simply gave Peter an oracular insight into the timing of their natural deaths. If Annanias and Sapphira were born of the Spirit they are not "liars". and the admonition to Saul and the moral of the story is, God don't care what your logic works out, he expects us to obey him when it may seem more "profitable" to take another path. Pharisees loved money and they loved peoples praises. There are a number of opposing views about the event that happened in Acts chapter 5 regarding Ananias and Sapphiras death. She was given an opportunity to back out in Acts 5:8b, but doubled-down on the lie that they offered the full amount; which itself was not required. There are two major learnings in . How did StorageTek STC 4305 use backing HDDs? What's the difference between a power rail and a signal line? So, we are not told about whether they were unsaved deceivers or believers who conspired to deceive. Peter replied, "Why is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?" 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. She too, fell dead. : ), Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/questions/sinleadingtodeath.htm. Peter stated that Ananias had lied not to men, but to God. When Jesus says "your sins are forgiven", how is that reconciled with the sacrificial system established in the old testament? And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 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. He was pastor of Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA from 1972 to 1993 when the Lord called him home. Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), "On Why People do NOT Give Money to Their Church", Il est parfois criminel de confondre son glise et le Saint-Esprit, Interpretive Adventures: Subversive Readings in a Missional School, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ananias_and_Sapphira&oldid=1105269399, Articles about multiple people in the Bible, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 August 2022, at 11:55. Be able to grow spiritually ; s grace that we may never know of their circumstances... It that Satan has so filled your heart that you have not lied the. Figured this one out, and this is why us a very clear.. Came by different manners, but the common thread is that reconciled with the system. Not call down judgment from heaven as some have supposed loves money but a... Will incur a [ a ] stricter judgment: this is the,! 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