Therefore, it is not true there is no evidence Ananias and Sapphira were not saved as some may claim--Peter had stated as much when he declared Satan had filled their hearts, rebuking their blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Acts 5:3-4. Can non-Muslims ride the Haramain high-speed train in Saudi Arabia? This would set a precedent to say that God can and may still judge unbelievers for their sins now. belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. "Slow to anger" does hint/suggest at some kind of gracious/compassionate period of time until a "threshold" for sin is reached. 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. 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. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. Dealing with hard questions during a software developer interview. 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. We don't know how old they were, or what their general health condition was like. The reason I believe they. [1 Corinthians 11:30]. 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. The soul is the conscious life force in man, his personality, consisting of his mind, emotions, and will. They are evil and have a sinister agenda. 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. rev2023.3.1.43269. A) Why were Ananias and Sapphira [of Acts 5:1-11] not given a second chance? However, even in the beginning, the church . Acts chapter 4:32 closes by stating that the first followers of Jesus did not consider their possessions to be their own but rather held in common, in order to use what they had on behalf of those in want. And why did they do so? Jesus and the disciples go onto the Mount of Olives. Nevertheless, it does seem that they may have been true believers who stumbled like all believers do, albeit in an incredible way (cf. 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. During this crucial time, it was probably imperative that each act according to the apostles' instructions (and their own consciences), with absolute sincerity. But this is not what 1 John 1:9 means. And Ananias did as Sapphira had instigated him to do. Outside of Christ, people are still in their sins and will one day ultimately be held accountable for them on the Day of Judgement. Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? Do you know what their names mean? Represent the twelve foundations of the new spiritual Israel (the church of Jesus) Describe Jesus' ascension to heaven. However, it is not clear at all from the terse narrative of Ananias' and Sapphira's deaths that this couple received salvation. But there is nowhere in the New Testament where we see God killing believers for their sins even though there were clearly believers sinning. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. 6. 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. The believers were truly grateful and loving towards each other as they began sharing their possessions and supporting those in need. Was the gift of the Holy Spirit promised only for the first-century Church, according to Acts 2:38-39? But this is only at the very end of the age. Outside of Christ, people are still in their sins and will one day ultimately be held accountable for them on the Day of Judgement. For example, Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a plot of land and donated the proceeds to the apostles. And yes, it may take that Related Topics: Christian Home, Finance, Marriage, Richard L. Strauss authored nine books, and served as pastor of churches in Fort Worth, TX, Huntsville, AL. Pretend! But they were obligated to be honest (Acts 5:4). What are husbands and wives most likely to conceal from each other? This, like Ananias and Sapphira, are examples in scripture of a 'sin leading to death' as mentioned in 1 John 5:16. Perhaps they had previously - the whole story is not recorded. And even after they sold it, they were under no obligation to give all the money to the church. [1]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995. Sapphiras name means beautiful or pleasant, the same name given to that precious stone of deep purple blue, the sapphire. 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. Evidently they could. dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. They could have given any amount they wanted and it still would have been amazing. He gives of himself only to get something in return, and he usually keeps track of how much he gets. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. What was so wrong with their plan? The heart is sometimes used in Scripture to refer in a wider sense to the immaterial part of mans being, including both his spirit and his soul. Based on reading Acts 5, it does Not explicitly state Nor does it hint/suggest that Ananias and Sapphira were new Christians/immature Christians. 1:22, 23), the household of faith (Gal. Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a chance to repent? 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? Look finally at the significance of their discipline. 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. So what *is* the Latin word for chocolate? It was a special time for the church. (Matthew 6:1-18, Luke 16:13-15). The holiness of God is often overlooked today, but it's important to remember that he hates sin and can't stand wrongdoing. Again, it is not saying that they weren't saved anymore. Met some great people though being at the time of the election it was very divided (unfortunately still is as you will know). Somehow or other, Ananias could not summon up that gladness and that singleness of heart with which all the other contributors came up that day. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. So who then could this group of the rest be that didnt dare join? The Book of Acts records Pharisees trying to infiltrate the church. In the first place, their physical death was a temporal punishment (severe, to be sure, but deserved under the circumstances), but it should not be tied to or equated with eternal punishment. There must not be any ulterior motives in an offering made to God, such as desiring material gain, fame, or praise of man for oneself. Is Salvation only in the Mass? You have probably heard teaching about that Ananias and Sapphira were true believers, who were punished because of their sin of lying to God. We will be real! Paul tells the Corinthians that because of their behaviour : For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. Do Paul and James contradict each other about faith? Ananias presented his donation to Peter. Ananias' name means "God is Gracious"; and his wife Sapphira's name (from which we get the word "sapphire") means "Fair . Is imputed righteousness a lie? Is all mankind free from their sins or only those in Christ? They finally came up with a solution. But, if God did judge Ananias and Sapphira and they were not saved, it still means that He judged unbelievers for their sins even though Jesus was judged for all sin. They sent Ananias and Sapphira to infiltrate the Church but when they saw what happened to them, none of the rest of them dared join the Church for fear of the same fate. 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. His only thought was the need of other Christians and the glory of God. 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.. Ananias and Sapphira were boasting of a certain amount they did not give. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. Phony spirituality is contagious. Jude does not hold back in his condemnation of these people and how they will face the intense judgment of God one day. Don't you think it's amazing how the Lord is using you to touch lives thousands of miles away from you? It says: Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? All the deaths I listed earlier came by different manners, but the common thread is that they died by divine intervention. At no point does Luke represent them as being those outside the Church; rather, they are seemingly portrayed as those being under the authority of the Apostles to the extent that Peter himself pronounces judgment over them. But Scripture goes on to say that they were of one soul as well, and that is something entirely different. Ananias means Jehovah is gracious, and God certainly had been gracious to him. Yes sir, were getting along better than we ever did. And we excuse our dishonesty by telling ourselves that what goes on in our home is a private matter, nobodys business but our own. Jesus never left and He is here via the Holy Spirit. Many people do a lot worse and God doesnt kill them. The church needs to be strict at that critical time of beginning and growth. Thanks for the email and the encouragement. Matthew 6:1,2) The poor He associated with humility and reliance upon God and therefore able to have faith and receive the Kingdom. You will see some famous names including Moses that committed the sin unto death. Three hours after Ananias' death his wife arrived, unaware of what had happened. See chapter 4, Grace as a Double Cure, in my recent book on grace, Set Free! And as a result, many Christian homes are riddled with wrangling and strife. 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. It records without hesitation the blemishes and the faults of God's people, as well as their strength and virtue. Pharisees loved money and they loved peoples praises. Were They Saved? If this be true, they were at that time "filled with the Holy Ghost.". [Acts 5:9 KJV]. Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34? How did StorageTek STC 4305 use backing HDDs? Had God permitted Ananias and Sapphira to continue their charade, it would have destroyed the witness of the early church. But the dishonesty increases our burden of guilt, and the guilt leads to further defensiveness and irritability, and the irritability produces greater dissension and discord in the home. If Annanias and Sapphira were born of the Spirit they are not "liars". Have a read of Ray Stedman's notes on this at the bottom of this Q&A http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/questions/sinleadingtodeath.htm, It will give more info on this. A man couldnt ask for much more than that. The Bible is brutally honest in its recording of redemptive history. (Heres an article I did that gives biblical evidence for this.). Some say, God killed them for their sin while others say, No, sin killed them not God. Three hours later, his wife comes in, not knowing of her husband's death. Given the lack of definitive evidence, the case for their salvation remains a matter for open speculation.). They did not sit through their worship services, then go home and forget about their brothers and sisters. 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