So why is this event so important to the Church in the New Covenant? Were Ananias and Sapphira saved and went to heaven? Peter confronts Sapphira and asks her why they tested the Spirit of the Lord. They are evil and have a sinister agenda. We don't know how old they were, or what their general health condition was like. Related Topics: Christian Home, Finance, Marriage, Richard L. Strauss authored nine books, and served as pastor of churches in Fort Worth, TX, Huntsville, AL. To many good Christians are being taken down by a foundation that only has cracks in it. What are the risks of husbands and wives being transparent with each other? Sis Johns, Hi! 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. Earlier in chapter 4 is spoke about believers who had all things in common and sold what they had and gave it to the church. Do Paul and James contradict each other about faith? 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. It says: Acts 5 (Part 1) -Ananias and Sapphira. A) Why were Ananias and Sapphira [of Acts 5:1-11] not given a second chance? If Ananias and Sapphira were born again believers and God judged them for their sin, it means that even though Jesus was judged for sin, God still judged them for their sin. But most of them were selling their material possessions and giving the money to the apostles to be distributed to those who, in all probability, had lost their jobs because of their faith. Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34? Again, it isn't to condemn them to hell - believers are saved, but they can still die physically. It records without hesitation the blemishes and the faults of God's people, as well as their strength and virtue. Who were the rest that didnt dare join the Church? (1958 More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. 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. Jesus often would use the contrast between the rich and poor as a metaphor for those who were most likely to receive the Kingdom. 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. Questions: Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? God may discipline believers, but He will not judge them like Ananias and Sapphira. This question assumes that were not given a chance to repent. 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. Ananias presented his donation to Peter. They seemed blind to the malfeasance they were ushering into the young church. belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. Matthew 6:1,2) Nevertheless, it does seem that they may have been true believers who stumbled like all believers do, albeit in an incredible way (cf. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They did not really lie to anybody, did they? The church needs to be strict at that critical time of beginning and growth. 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. Some are adamant they were believers while others insist they were not. (2 Corinthians 5:19). 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 resulting in their lie. I would suggest that the reason is because one knows nothing of Christ, and thus nothing of the Father, save what one knows through the Holy Spirit. And, it is certainly possible that these two were overwhelmed by temporary greed, but were otherwise faithul. 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. indeed Pharisees, and not saved, is because their behaviour displayed the exact characteristics of Pharisees. Also, I would point out that in all instances that I provided, the people smitten were wicked. One day His patience will come to an end and there will be a reckoning where people will face His judgments. 6:10), the household of God (Eph. And we can be grateful for that! And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him (Acts 5:6). We may simply have fallen into the unconscious habit of protecting our saintly image, covering our carnality, keeping people from knowing what is going on in our hearts and in our homes. In doing this I want to reinforce the New Covenant in peoples understanding that Christ is the propitiation for our sins, who was punished in our place so that we could be saved from Gods wrath and receive total forgiveness, justification, Gods righteousness and eternal peace between us and God. When Jesus says "your sins are forgiven", how is that reconciled with the sacrificial system established in the old testament? I t is reasonable to believe that both Ananias and Sapphira were present in the prayer meeting described in Acts 4:31. They are "saints" The lie that was told, and every other sin they ever committed, either before or after they were born again, where completly paid for by Christ, and cast as far as the east is from the west. So, judgment by the Lord, within the congregation, may result in weakness, illness or death, as appropriate. 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. Why are non-Western countries siding with China in the UN? While the generosity of the previous passage stems from being "filled with the Holy Spirit" (4:31) where does The reason I believe they. That is the only way to break out of this devilish trap. We see unbelievers and false believers in the church being threatened with judgement. Each partner is keeping score of who gives in the most, who gets the most attention, who shows the most appreciation, who has the most faults, or some other trivial area of contention. But they got caught out. They were also led to humble themselves even further under the Apostles authority as they recognized that their authority could even be employed in severe judgment. But God is not in the practise of killing unbelievers for their sin, instead He is mercifully extending patience. The rest of who? Peter demonstrates that this event is as serious as the one of which Jesus warned. Jesus ascends into the clouds. 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. Is all mankind free from their sins or only those in Christ? Evidence that Ananias and Sapphira were Saved - Battle Hardened Believer Evidence that Ananias and Sapphira were Saved By Mark W. Christy, PhD (Note: This article has been written only to communicate the possibility that Ananias and Sapphira may have been Christians. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is found in Acts 5, and it is a sad story, indeed. 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. What does put at the apostles feet mean in Acts 4:32-5:2? I believe I have figured this one out, and scripture gives us a very clear answer. James 3:2). Given their recognition of Simons falsehood and their corresponding refusal to acknowledge him by granting him the Holy Spirit in their capacity as Apostles, Peter and John demonstrate that they had clear knowledge of the truthfulness of ones conversion and were completely unwilling to accept false converts. Ananias and Sapphira yeah certainly an interesting story. How can I recognize one? Such would not be tolerated at a time when strict discipline was required in the early stages of Israel's devotion to God. It spreads. 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. Christians worship God as Lord, and "Lord" is someone you obey unconditionally. Should faith and works be separated in salvation? 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. Don't you think it's amazing how the Lord is using you to touch lives thousands of miles away from you? 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. 9. Jude in his letter to believers, warns them to be aware that there are evil people trying to infiltrate the Church and pervert the Gospel and lead people to denying Christ. 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 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. 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. Heres an article I did that gives biblical evidence for this. When one Christian sees another Christian getting away with it, he finds it easier to try it himself. Personally I think its quite obviously referring to the party of the Pharisees. B. A penetrating question lingers in our minds after we have drawn the curtain on the life of Ananias and Sapphira. needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell We don't know if they were given a second chance. As told at the beginning of Acts chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira, following Barnabas' example, also sold their land but secretly withheld a portion of the proceeds. They wanted more than acceptance; they wanted acclaim. Will Jesus 'spit' us out of His mouth? Thereafter, remains the final judgment upon resurrection. 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. Acts 4:32-35 And the congregation of those who And why did they do so? Unbelievers are spiritually 'dead' and cannot believe the gospel or make any moves towards God. Of course the technology involved is a whole other amazing subject. Look! Paul tells the Corinthians that because of their behaviour : For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. The Holy Ghost had not granted them repentance. Scriptures about Gods ultimate judgment towards unbelievers. Is it possible that [they] were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received?". 6. They could not bear to do what the others were doinggive their substance totally to God and trust solely in His faithfulness to meet their needs. I think they were much more sinister than that. 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. 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. Ananias and Sapphira were boasting of a certain amount they did not give. 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. (cf. However they lied and said they had donated all the proceeds. them and bring the proceeds of the sales (35) and lay them at the apostles' Proverbs refers to these exact kind of people as clouds and wind without rain. They would not necessarily say they were giving all of the money they received from the sale; they would just let everyone assume that. And this is more inline with the New Covenant because God has already punished Jesus for all of our sins in Christ, and is no longer counting them against us. Cultivating the appearance alone leads to deathdeath to further spiritual growth, death to usefulness in the family of God, and death to a growing relationship with each other as husbands and wives. Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a chance to repent? Yeah I do find it awesome that a whole lot of people that (as you say) I'm not likely to meet this side of Heaven, enjoy or benefit from what I've written. 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