RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-12-04	Why Did God Kill Ananias and Sapphira (Ac.5:1-11)
		The context for the story begins in Acts 4 where the church was of one heart and one mind Ac.4:32). The people were so knit together that they held all possessions loosely and willingly shared them with one another out of love. Those who sold land and houses gave their profits to the apostles, who distributed the gifts to those in need. That brings us to Acts 5 and our story of Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of land a 'certain unknown amount'. And they gave a smaller 'portion' of that 'certain amount' to the apostles with the impression it was the total profit made for the sale. This was a lie so they could keep to themselves some of the profit. Their hypocrisy probably fooled some, but not Peter. Peter said it was their property so they could sell it and keep all the profit if they wanted, but they wanted to give everyone a good impression of themselves. The fact that believers had the right to keep their money shows that this was not Christian socialism. The Bible says they lied not only to Peter, and the church, but also to the Holy Spirit (Ac.5:4). Then Sapphira showed up, and she lied too, saying they gave all the profit to the apostles. Obviously they agreed together ahead of time what price they were going to tell the church. They both were killed, Ananias first, then Sapphira a little later. The question is why. Why would God kill two people for lying? God is holy and He hates sin. Their deaths provide a lesson to the young church then and for us today. God dealt with this sin swiftly and decisively. It is too easy for us to gloss over the holiness of God. Were Ananias and Sapphira saved? There is no reason to believe they were not believers. The context concerns the church and the unity they shared. This is best seen as God discipling them even to their death. Heb 12:8  But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. The story of Ananias and Sapphira illustrates that even believers can be led into flagrant sin. It was Satan that had filled their hearts to lie in this way (Ac.5:3). The context of the story is that the church was filled with the Holy Spirit. The contrast is noteworthy. Act 5:3  But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? Peter called their lie testing “the Spirit of the Lord” (Ac.5:9). To test the Spirit is to see how much one can get away with before God judges them. They presumed upon the Lord. Covetousness, hypocrisy, and a desire for the praise of men all played a part in their demise. The sudden, dramatic deaths of Ananias and Sapphira served to purify and warn the church. “Great fear came upon all the church” (Acts 5:11). We suppose their judgment helped the church against future pretense. This also served to help establish the apostle's authority. They died at Peter's feet. Think of it. If they got away with this secret sin it could have damaged the apostle's authority. For us today the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira is a reminder that God sees our heart (1Sm.16:7). Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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