Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. 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. "Slow to anger" does Not mean God never becomes angry. Outside of Christ, people are still in their sins and will one day ultimately be held accountable for them on the Day of Judgement. 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. 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. Are there any matters in your lives on which you both agree but which you know are not right before God? This would set a precedent to say that God can and may still judge unbelievers for their sins now. (Also in this book, see pp. Do Paul and James contradict each other about faith? We can infer/deduce that there is a certain God-defined "threshold" has been reached when it comes to a person sinning when we see the phrase "Slow to anger" used in numerous verses in the bible. Matthew 6:1,2) Iain. Why they were killed for that only God knows. Fourth, the presumed inclusion of Ananias and Sapphira in the Acts 2 Church offers strong proof that they were indeed saved. Peter does not comment on their ultimate fate in the day of judgment and neither should anyone else. While the generosity of the previous passage stems from being "filled with the Holy Spirit" (4:31) where does In Acts, Ananias and Sapphiras sinful actions were performed within the context of their relationship to the Church. It was the disciplinary hand of God. Ive never disciplined any of my kids by killing them! But they were to find that it can never be so. In Acts 15 we see that they were eventually successful in this. Ananias and Sapphira yeah certainly an interesting story. If all it took to banish a . Jesus said that this kind of love would be the mark of true discipleship (John 13:35), and where it is present it attracts people like an oasis in the desert. How approachable are you? It was certainly their privilege to continue in the Spirit. 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. needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. I guess you could say then that people would be well within their rights to use this story to threaten believers now. 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). believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything This is most amazing. I think they were much more sinister than that. Thereafter, remains the final judgment upon resurrection. Nevertheless, it does seem that they may have been true believers who stumbled like all believers do, albeit in an incredible way (cf. The Holy Spirit, God or both? Sapphiras name means beautiful or pleasant, the same name given to that precious stone of deep purple blue, the sapphire. How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? The story of Ananias and Sapphira is to the book of Acts what the story of Achan is to the book of Joshua. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Here, Sapphira followed her husband's lead in giving the rehearsed account to the apostles (Acts 5:2, Acts 5:8-9). Even though the Bible says they believed it is clear that they did not understand justification by faith and therefore could not have been saved. Later, when Peter and John arrived, they refused to bestow upon him the Holy Spirit through the laying on of [their] hands for Simon remained unredeemed (8:17-23). This Q is opening up an ages old [unresolved] debate - (some might say a. Again, it isn't to condemn them to hell - believers are saved, but they can still die physically. The Story of Ananias and Sapphira. Their sin was trying to deceive people and God to believing they were giving more than what they were really giving. Second, Ananias and Sapphira are charged with lying to the Holy Spirit and putting Him to the test (5:3, 9). It is only by God's grace that we are spared today. Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34? Jesus often would use the contrast between the rich and poor as a metaphor for those who were most likely to receive the Kingdom. They are evil and have a sinister agenda. 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. Rather, John is saying that a continuing confession of the fact that we ARE SINNERS (i.e., a repentant heart) is part of what keeps us within the grace of God. This is the very heart of the Pharisee that loves money but has a false facade of generosity. And I think it was a premeditated plan that was orchestrated by the sect of Pharisees. "[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. More specifically on the second point, Reidhead commented that the introduction of sin would destroy the unity that the early believers had in the Holy Spirit, and would thus remove God's blessing on the body. It spreads. 5. 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. 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. I would suggest that we may never know of their ultimate circumstances. he saved some. 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). What we do know is that as a result of the judgment that fell on this couple, "great fear came upon the whole . If Annanias and Sapphira were born of the Spirit they are not "liars". She falls and breathes her last breath. Yes, God is the judge. 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). We look bac But that becomes even more obvious to us when we learn that their confidence for the future was in their bank account rather than in the Lord. Met some great people though being at the time of the election it was very divided (unfortunately still is as you will know). Ananias presented his donation to Peter. 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. You will see some famous names including Moses that committed the sin unto death. Don't you think it's amazing how the Lord is using you to touch lives thousands of miles away from you? After hearing these words from Peter, Ananias falls down and dies. They would not necessarily say they were giving all of the money they received from the sale; they would just let everyone assume that. 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. 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. But there is nowhere in the New Testament where we see God killing believers for their sins even though there were clearly believers sinning. 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. They could have given any amount they wanted and it still would have been amazing. Hypocrisy is the most dangerous spiritual virus to infect the church. Those early Christians sensed a spiritual bond at the deepest level of their lives. great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. We find in the time of Peter, when men and women were receiving the power of the Holy Ghost, the counterfeit appeared in Ananias and Sapphira. It only takes a minute to sign up. There was no coercion involved. Their spirits were knit together in the cords of Christs life and Christs love. Personally I think its quite obviously referring to the party of the Pharisees. A caring congregation is a strong congregation, for there is dynamic energy in the genuine expression of Gods love. In any case, lying or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is one sin that cannot be forgiven. Consider, first of all, the state of the church in that exciting apostolic era, 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 (Acts 4:32). And these two expressions of fleshliness, their desire for praise, and their confidence in material things, presented them with a difficult dilemma. We see this most often through the healing miracles, but it is equally true of this judgment. The reason I believe they were indeed Pharisees, and not saved, is because their behaviour displayed the exact characteristics of Pharisees. And as a result, many Christian homes are riddled with wrangling and strife. See again my book, Set Free!, pp. Once in Christ, then again in us. Hope this helps, feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. B. Thanks for the email and the encouragement. When we admit our true feelings and motives to someone else, when we acknowledge our faults for what they are and ask someone to pray for us, it provides a helpful incentive to claim Gods power to change. Or even in the Mass? 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. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? Jude also calls these kinds of people waterless clouds, swept along by the winds. 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? A penetrating question lingers in our minds after we have drawn the curtain on the life of Ananias and Sapphira. Why or why not? There was no trace of fleshly pride in it whatsoever. Sapphira chose to perpetuate the same false front her husband had initiated. Gods family is much broader than any single family unit, and we soon learn that our relationship to this larger spiritual family affects our relationship with each other as husbands and wives. This form of hypocrisy has become a way of life in the church of Jesus Christ today, and may be the reason we are not making any greater impact on our godless society. 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. While they demonstrated a marvelous togetherness in their deceptive scheme, their hypocrisy could not help but have affected their marriage. 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. This gives us a whole new perspective on suicide, also. Ananias and Sapphira lied to God and are killed on the spot. Everyone who heard about the incident feared the Lord. 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. 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. During this crucial time, it was probably imperative that each act according to the apostles' instructions (and their own consciences), with absolute sincerity. 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. 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. He had to act decisively. 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. They are evil and have a sinister agenda. 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. 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