And presto, they would have instant acclaim as spiritual, self-sacrificing believers who had surrendered everything to Jesus Christ. Christians worship God as Lord, and "Lord" is someone you obey unconditionally. Never was that more obvious than in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. The profound charity among the believers seemed especially reverential. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Living in Love: Secrets from Bible Marriages. The soul is the conscious life force in man, his personality, consisting of his mind, emotions, and will. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is found in Acts 5, and it is a sad story, indeed. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. The rich He associated with pride and reliance on self righteous works thereby unable to receive the Kingdom by faith. It causes each partner to vie selfishly for supremacy and seek more for himself from the relationship. Personally I think its quite obviously referring to the party of the Pharisees. We have the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and the death of Herod in Acts 12 for his wickedness. In any case, lying or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is one sin that cannot be forgiven. Because of his actions Ananias died on the spot and was carried out. To conclude, God has a certain God-defined "threshold" for every situation involving a person's sin, and once she/he crosses that threshold then consequences of God's Anger to uphold justice will be brought forth. 6. Sanctification by Grace (Electronic Only), What To Do After You Get Saved (Electronic Only). 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.. Their sin wasnt that they didnt give everything. 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". 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. The Story of Ananias and Sapphira. In Peter's words, Ananias and Sapphira agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord (v9), which appears to be a terrible sin in the eyes of God, so terrible that it even warranted having the couple killed on the spot, without even being given the chance to confess and repent. Some are adamant they were believers while others insist they were not. 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, like the rich and like the Pharisees, made a show of how much they were giving but under the surface what was really going on was that they loved money and loved peoples praises. This must surely have meant that, during the very early years of the Levitical priesthood, God felt it necessary to teach some very harsh lessons about faith and strict obedience. We may even be tempted to accuse God of overreacting with undue harshness. That is the only way to break out of this devilish trap. So what *is* the Latin word for chocolate? Thats why God doesnt just wipe out the whole planet even though there is so much sin and evil. 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. How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? (SUBSCRIBE HERE). And he tells believers to watch out for these kinds of people. The fourth-century archbishop John Chrysostom alludes to and then dismisses the idea that Peter could be held responsible for the couple's death. Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? 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. Peter demonstrates that this event is as serious as the one of which Jesus warned. What does a search warrant actually look like? 5. 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. 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 was pastor of Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA from 1972 to 1993 when the Lord called him home. Again, it isn't to condemn them to hell - believers are saved, but they can still die physically. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Our familiarity with religiously sanctioned violence makes it difficult to laugh, even if we understand that this scene may not be offered as serious, definitive theology. We can probably deduce/infer that Gehazi being a servant to a Godly prophet should have known better because Gehazi is someone who is part of God's ministry. Three hours later she came in looking for her husband, oblivious to what had transpired. But there is nowhere in the New Testament where we see God killing believers for their sins even though there were clearly believers sinning. Everyone who heard about the incident feared the Lord. Fake it! Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? Why such a radical and drastic punishment on the spot? Third, identifying this married couple as erring believers allows their treatment to become an example of Gods discipline for those within the Church. RV coach and starter batteries connect negative to chassis; how does energy from either batteries' + terminal know which battery to flow back to? [1]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995. We see this most often through the healing miracles, but it is equally true of this judgment. So who then could this group of the rest be that didnt dare join? Three hours after Ananias' death his wife arrived, unaware of what had happened. They did not really lie to anybody, did they? They were more interested in appearances than in reality. : ), 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. We also see in the book of Revelation, before Christs return and before the dead are judged, God pouring out judgement upon unbelievers (not believers) with the trumpet and bowl judgments. We don't know how old they were, or what their general health condition was like. [5], The Lutheran New Testament Professor Matthew L. Skinner claims the story is meant to be gallows humour. 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. 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. Second, Ananias and Sapphira are charged with lying to the Holy Spirit and putting Him to the test (5:3, 9). If this be true, they were at that time "filled with the Holy Ghost.". There are a number of opposing views about the event that happened in Acts chapter 5 regarding Ananias and Sapphiras death. How can I recognize one? All very exciting and interesting. Of course the technology involved is a whole other amazing subject. What did mean when He said 'It is Finished' in John 19:30? Unlike Barnabas, they didn't live up to their names (Ananias- God is gracious; Sapphira- beautiful). In Acts 15 we see that they were eventually successful in this. Sapphira chose to perpetuate the same false front her husband had initiated. 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. In Acts, Ananias and Sapphiras sinful actions were performed within the context of their relationship to the Church. Why do you not agree with Soul Salvation? Is Salvation only in the Mass? Out of the foxhole and into the the line of fire. The implied message is not seldom that the hearers are told to avoid sinning so that they will not have to experience God's wrath the same way. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. To see this, one must consider the case of Simon the magician. He states that, "The story aims for gallows humor, but we read Acts in a different place today. Ananias means Jehovah is gracious, and God certainly had been gracious to him. 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. But they were obligated to be honest (Acts 5:4). And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all (Acts 4:33). Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. a leper as white as snow. It was no grandstand play with him. (Romans 3 and 5). Is there any sign that either of you is seeking the supremacy in your relationship (such as keeping score)? They were the formative days of the church. And for every member who operates in the power of the flesh rather than the Spirit, for every one who lives for the praise of men rather than for the glory of God, the effectiveness of Christs church is reduced so much the more. But this is only at the very end of the age. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Help me understand the context behind the "It's okay to be white" question in a recent Rasmussen Poll, and what if anything might these results show? Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Is there a more recent similar source? What was so wrong with their plan? Havelaar, H. 1997. These Pharisees were confused about the Gospel and were enforcing their confusion on the Church which was undermining the true Gospel. But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. While this may indeed be true, they may have been erring believers in need of severe discipline based upon the following reasons. 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. Those early Christians were not only one because of their position in Christ, but they were one in experience also. They finally came up with a solution. Sins against the Holy Spirit are extremely grievous. 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). Look! (33) But right now there is mercy in hope that people will turn to Christ. Should faith and works be separated in salvation? Perhaps we might wish to contemplate the end of the previous chapter (Acts 4). 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. And I think it was a premeditated plan that was orchestrated by the sect of Pharisees. 3. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Acts 5:7-10 Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. (Luke 16:19-31, Luke 18:18-30). I think Sapphira did have a second chance. When one Christian sees another Christian getting away with it, he finds it easier to try it himself. Again, it is not saying that they weren't saved anymore. We do however see another situation in Acts 12:21-23 where God kills an. Three hours later, his wife comes in, not knowing of her husband's death. Annanias and Saphira sinned just before they died (were killed), but that doesn't mean they weren't previously saved. Depression, fear, insecurity, condemnation, low self esteem, insignificance, and powerless tendencies all attack the child of God that does not have the revelation of salvation by grace through faith in the completed work of the cross of Calvary that Jesus has accomplished. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. Hypocrisy is the most dangerous spiritual virus to infect 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. There was no trace of fleshly pride in it whatsoever. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! 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. Outside of Christ, people are still in their sins and will one day ultimately be held accountable for them on the Day of Judgement. 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. Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price? he asked, quoting the amount which Ananias had brought to him. Can we infer anything about the ultimate eternal fate of Ananias and Sapphira? But this is not what 1 John 1:9 means. But Ananias did want more, and so did Sapphira. 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. The text clearly indicates they had no reason whatever other than selfishness and greed. The Bible is brutally honest in its recording of redemptive history. Is Water Baptism necessary for Salvation? Acts 5 (Part 1) -Ananias and Sapphira. 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