You are assuming Ananias/Sapphira were saved. 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. They lived in the days of the churchs greatest purity and power. I think they had an agenda to infiltrate the church and bring harm to the believers. This is the level on which he thinks his thoughts, senses his feelings, and makes his choices. Any believer was free to own property if he so chose, and no one would think less of him for it. Luke, in Acts 2:37-47, presents the first church as a utopia devoted to the love of God and each other, so much so that members began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. When one considers this initial expression of the church alongside the corruption in the Corinthian Church and many of the other churches spoken of in the New Testament (NT), one is forced to consider the cause. 3. 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. Centred between two attacks from without (ch. Which is really more important to usto maintain the appearance of spirituality, or genuinely to be what God wants us to be? But when some concerned Christian who might be able to help us asks how things are going at home, we quickly reply, Oh, just great, great. Thank you for your obedience to Jesus. They are part of a larger unit called the Body of Christ (Eph. What happens to Ananias and Sapphira is alarming. Whereas, other blasphemies may be forgiven. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is found in Acts 5, and it is a sad story, indeed. 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. Is there any sign that either of you is seeking the supremacy in your relationship (such as keeping score)? This gives us a whole new perspective on suicide, also. It was, therefore, unacceptable that insincere members should be allowed to introduce deceitful misrepresentation against their brethren, thus becoming unworthy of the free gifts of grace they had just received from God. 9. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Acts 5:7-10 Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 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. Do you agree with a partial rapture? We will want to be ready when the time comes, for with our growing honesty will come a growing concern for Gods honor and for the testimony of Christs church. While everyone in the church who sold property and generously gave all the money they received from the sale, Ananias and Sapphira held back some of the money from their sale of property for themselves, but tried to pretend they were giving everything because that made them also look generous and caring. And even after they sold it, they were under no obligation to give all the money to the church. The Death of Sapphira, by Ambrosius Francken the Elder Ananias ( / nna.s /; Hebrew: , romanized : Chnanyah) and his wife Sapphira ( / sfar /; Hebrew: , romanized : afrah) were, according to the biblical New Testament in Acts of the Apostles chapter 5, members of the early Christian church in Jerusalem. 5. Hope this helps, 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. We may even be tempted to accuse God of overreacting with undue harshness. that as such we will incur a [a]stricter judgment. Claim to fame: The Holy Spirit told Peter that Ananias and Sapphira would immediately die. A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of land kept some of it for themselves and then the husband, brought the rest as an offering to the Church. 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. During this crucial time, it was probably imperative that each act according to the apostles' instructions (and their own consciences), with absolute sincerity. 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). And Peter declared that she would experience the same fate which Ananias had suffered. Peter replied, "Why is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?" They were more interested in appearances than in reality. 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. And no one can fool God. (Note: This article has been written only to communicate the possibility that Ananias and Sapphira may have been Christians. So, we are not told about whether they were unsaved deceivers or believers who conspired to deceive. Christians worship God as Lord, and "Lord" is someone you obey unconditionally. The rest of who? God takes something that is true in the kingdom of God and puts it on physical display. Ananias & Sapphira were clearly practicing duplicity and hypocrisy, which was indicative of their attitude toward lying. She too, fell dead. If this be true, they were at that time "filled with the Holy Ghost.". But this is only at the very end of the age. Do you know what their names mean? 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. When confronted, they stuck to their story, and when they were exposed they dropped dead of fear. Three hours later she came in looking for her husband, oblivious to what had transpired. 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. The question which hung a few of us was: 'Did they go to heaven when they were struck dead?'. 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. It will be remembered that each was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31ff): Acts 4:31-32, 34, 35: And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. The number of believers probably totaled five thousand or more by this time, and yet they were of one heart and one soul. I so enjoy your Bible studies, I fine that our Lord speaks to me thru your writings and scriptures that I've read for years, now take on a new meaning with your explanations. Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. In Acts 5:9-11 why does Peter dispense immediate judgment? They wanted more than acceptance; they wanted acclaim. Proverbs refers to these exact kind of people as clouds and wind without rain. The rest of who? and to your [d]descendants forever. So he went out from his presence 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. joining the Church. And so, the worst thing is when we are hypocritical and we want to give 100%, but then we don't. And it doesn't mean that we have to sell anything and give anything. And as a result, many Christian homes are riddled with wrangling and strife. Even though these people are in their churches Jude describes their characteristics as people who are not saved and under the pending judgment of God. The Story of Ananias and Sapphira. A couple of reasons: First, their deathslike much in Actsserve as a sign. What if our works aren't enough? If all it took to banish a . : ), 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. But the Spirit of God can use an honest openness, on the other hand, to produce in us the life of Christ, and that means abundant life, abiding joy, and abounding blessing. They knew they belonged to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. While the generosity of the previous passage stems from being "filled with the Holy Spirit" (4:31) where does Met some great people though being at the time of the election it was very divided (unfortunately still is as you will know). They seemed blind to the malfeasance they were ushering into the young church. 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. Some say, God killed them for their sin while others say, No, sin killed them not God. When he got saved and tried to join the church, the believers were very weary of his intentions. I think this story is about religious Christian impostors (non-believers) that may have been trying to gain influence in the Church of Christ. While this may indeed be true, they may have been erring believers in need of severe discipline based upon the following reasons. But they got caught out. 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. Phony spirituality is contagious. 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. Husbands and wives can begin by being honest with each other. [1], The morality of the incident has been the source of some commentary. The need for each partner to come out looking better than his mate causes him to mask his true inner person, and so entrenches him more firmly in his wretched hypocrisy. 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. Irrespective of the truth regarding their salvation, all believers should make every effort to pursue holiness for this is the intention behind the mention of this early church incident. This, like Ananias and Sapphira, are examples in scripture of a 'sin leading to death' as mentioned in 1 John 5:16. So we will allow the Spirit of Jesus Christ to work in us to bring us into His likeness. 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). And why did they do so? 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 were joining the Church. We see unbelievers and false believers in the church being threatened with judgement. Suppositions as to the eternal state of the two guilty persons are just that : suppositions. 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". 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. is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.. They had to have that money. 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. [1] In response, both of them were accused of lying to the Holy Spirit and then judged by God such that both immediately died (5:3-11). 2:19). And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him (Acts 5:6). Acts 5:1-42. ) This question is important because it impacts our understanding of the New Covenant. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,. 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. 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. resulting in their lie. 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. Ananias and Sapphira: Saved or Lost? Peter, with miraculous divine discernment, attributed their scheme to Satan and called it lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). It was the disciplinary hand of God. And Ananias did as Sapphira had instigated him to do. 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. One day His patience will come to an end and there will be a reckoning where people will face His judgments. Ananias and Sapphira yeah certainly an interesting story. Ananias (/nna.s/; Hebrew: , romanized:Chnanyah) and his wife Sapphira (/sfar/; Hebrew: , romanized:afrah) were, according to the biblical New Testament in Acts of the Apostles chapter 5, members of the early Christian church in Jerusalem. And that brings us, secondly, to the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. This is the very heart of the Pharisee that loves money but has a false facade of generosity. dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 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