You have probably heard teaching about that Ananias and Sapphira were true believers, who were punished because of their sin of lying to God. Is it possible that [they] were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received?". There was no trace of fleshly pride in it whatsoever. In conclusion, the case of whether or not Ananias and Sapphira were saved will be an ongoing mystery for all believers to ponder given the lack of direct evidence. And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. 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. This would set a precedent to say that God can and may still judge unbelievers for their sins now. After all, all Christians sin after being saved, but the difference is that we do not continue to have unrepentant sin patterns which control us. Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? (Note: This article has been written only to communicate the possibility that Ananias and Sapphira may have been Christians. Yes, God is the judge. And why did they do so? They were numbered among that powerful, caring community of believers. Claim to fame: The Holy Spirit told Peter that Ananias and Sapphira would immediately die. But they were obligated to be honest (Acts 5:4). 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. 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. 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. 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. However, they pledged an amount representing it as the total sale price of the property. What happens to Ananias and Sapphira is alarming. We have the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and the death of Herod in Acts 12 for his wickedness. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is to the book of Acts what the story of Achan is to the book of Joshua. Pharisees loved money and they loved peoples praises. 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. "Hellenistic Parallels to Acts 5:111 and the Problem of Conflicting Interpretations". that as such we will incur a [a]stricter judgment. But Ananias did want more, and so did Sapphira. 6:10), the household of God (Eph. Its one of Satans favorite traps. Jesus makes it clear that there is no forgiveness for the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, in this life or the next, Matthew 12:31-32 and Mark 3:28-29. 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. I think they had an agenda to infiltrate the church and bring harm to the believers. 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. Ananias and Sapphira saw it and longed for it, and that is where their trouble began. Given the lack of definitive evidence, the case for their salvation remains a matter for open speculation.). Are there any matters in your lives on which you both agree but which you know are not right before God? This isnt far fetched as the Pharisees hated the Church, persecuted it and were desperately trying to destroy it. Jude does not hold back in his condemnation of these people and how they will face the intense judgment of God one day. This must surely have meant that, during the very early years of the Levitical priesthood, God felt it necessary to teach some very harsh lessons about faith and strict obedience. 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. Out of the foxhole and into the the line of fire. Of course the technology involved is a whole other amazing subject. Or Ananias and Sapphira, wanted recognition for an offering, rather than giving all. Have you ever wondered what kind of relationship Ananias and Sapphira had with each other? - Greed caused the rebellious to "keep back" a part of the spoils. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Havelaar, H. 1997. Without a moments hesitation she answered, Yes, that was the price (Acts 5:8). The church was growing and multiplying. 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. 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. (Luke 16:19-31, Luke 18:18-30). I believe they were clearly unsaved Pharisees, and this is why. How could Ananias and Sapphira have avoided the trap of deceit into which they fell? 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. 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 are evil and have a sinister agenda. Why weren't they simply confronted and led to confession and repentance? This is most amazing. Luke suggests that every believer is responsible to God for what he or she does. Lukethe Spirit-inspired historian who wrote the Book of Actstells us in Acts 5:1; But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession (Acts 5:1). 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. (2 Corinthians 5:19). People who you'll probably never meet, this side of heaven. 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. 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. 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. 10. There was no coercion involved. I think Peter was not naive and knew what was going on. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is found in Acts 5, and it is a sad story, indeed. Why do you not agree with Soul Salvation? Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? We cringe at this extreme illustration of divine discipline. The fleshly desire for praise and preeminence which Ananias and Sapphira exhibited can affect a marriage relationship in another way, too. 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. This gives us a whole new perspective on suicide, also. 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. 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. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Living in Love: Secrets from Bible Marriages. [1]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995. 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. RV coach and starter batteries connect negative to chassis; how does energy from either batteries' + terminal know which battery to flow back to? Had God permitted Ananias and Sapphira to continue their charade, it would have destroyed the witness of the early church. 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. Peter pointed out that Ananias was in control of the money and could give or keep it as he saw fit, but had withheld a portion of it. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? Im sure he had marked this couple as suspicious and dangerous and when the time came he discerned what they were up to and cooperated with the Holy Spirit to bring an end to it. 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. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. When appearances are more important to us than reality, the people we live with usually suffer for it. Never was that more obvious than in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Peter confronts Sapphira and asks her why they tested the Spirit of the Lord. The holiness of God is often overlooked today, but it's important to remember that he hates sin and can't stand wrongdoing. He had to act decisively. 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. Their sin was trying to deceive people and God to believing they were giving more than what they were really giving. They are evil and have a sinister agenda. If he thinks he is coming out on the short end, he quarrels and complains until he gets what he thinks he deserves. A large percent of Christianity can not see past the law and into grace and truth, particularly the older Christians, or those that are dominion based. 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. Acts 5:4 indicates that they could have sold the land and offered a portion of the proceeds to the apostles, and not present it as the full amount; which was the sin of lying. Reidhead noted that God does not punish everyone who makes the same mistake as Ananias and Sapphira; nevertheless, the passage illustrates God's unambiguous attitude on this matter. Fourth, the presumed inclusion of Ananias and Sapphira in the Acts 2 Church offers strong proof that they were indeed saved. They could not help what other people thought, could they? Only, Ananias was not at all happy in his approach to Peter's feet that day. dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. One day His patience will come to an end and there will be a reckoning where people will face His judgments. 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). "When men want to impose unity, there are problems. Yet, Ananias and Sapphira were both responsible for their own actions, and Sapphira should have obeyed the Spirit instead of obeying her husband. But distinguished from the soul, as it is here, it would probably refer just to his spirit, the innermost facet of mans makeup, the center of his being to which God reveals Himself and in which God dwells. Ive never disciplined any of my kids by killing them! resulting in their lie. 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. That is the only way to break out of this devilish trap. joining the Church. What if our works aren't enough? Ananias and Sapphira lied to God and are killed on the spot. 12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. 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. Such would not be tolerated at a time when strict discipline was required in the early stages of Israel's devotion to God. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. It records without hesitation the blemishes and the faults of God's people, as well as their strength and virtue. She too, fell dead. Thats why its not God sending the Tsunamis and storms and earthquakes. Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? Paul tells the Corinthians that because of their behaviour : For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. No. 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. Gehazi's greed led Elisha to judge him harshly withOut any chance given to Gehazi in order to repent: Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you Nevertheless, it does seem that they may have been true believers who stumbled like all believers do, albeit in an incredible way (cf. Is there any sign that either of you is seeking the supremacy in your relationship (such as keeping score)? They also need to be honest with God. But those days were different. And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last (Acts 5:5). 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). Was the 100 denarii owed by the second servant in Jesus's parable supposed to be a substantial amount of money? God used them to teach a lesson to the early church and even to believers today. 5. great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. 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. 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 then follows with the two examples (1 good and 1 not good) of people selling their property to give to the church. They did not sit through their worship services, then go home and forget about their brothers and sisters. New International Version Ananias and Sapphira 5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. (Matthew 6:1-18, Luke 16:13-15). 2. And that brings us, secondly, to the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. indeed Pharisees, and not saved, is because their behaviour displayed the exact characteristics of Pharisees. from Ananias and Sapphira in the Acts of the Apostles is that they pretended to give 100%, but they were really holding back. 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. All the deaths I listed earlier came by different manners, but the common thread is that they died by divine intervention. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. 4 & ch. Up until that time there had been no such crass exhibition of fleshliness, and God loathed the day it would permeate the church. So who then could this group of the rest be that didnt dare join? They collaborated on a plan to stash some of the money from the sale of their property in a safety deposit box for themselves and take the rest to the apostles. But we dont see individual believers being threatened with judgment. By pretending to give the whole amount they could appear generous without having to actually give it all away. The reason I believe they. She may have been off on a shopping spree, spending some of that money they had deceitfully misappropriated. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. Their story is rarely shown in art, but is the subject of one of the Raphael Cartoons, and a panel on the Brescia Casket, both illustrated here. 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. They seemed blind to the malfeasance they were ushering into the young church. This was not discipline, this was judgement and death for sin. Why weren't they simply confronted and led to confession and repentance? A lot of the Church today uses the story of Ananias and Sapphira as a precedent to threaten and warn other believers not to sin for fear of similar consequences. Hypocrisy is the most dangerous spiritual virus to infect the church. He was pastor of Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA from 1972 to 1993 when the Lord called him home. 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. [9], Concerning the belief held by some, that Peter caused the death of the couple, Reidhead held the view that Peter simply anticipated God's action and relayed it to Ananias and Sapphira before God took the action.[9]. Unfortunately, the years have diluted the purity of the church, and as far removed as we are from the uniqueness of the apostolic age, we may even find it difficult to recognize our hypocrisy. At this time, all the members of this church were true believers who were "one in heart and mind" (Acts 4:32). However if Ananias and Sapphira were not born again, then the whole scenario changes. Do you think that Ananias and Sapphira went to heaven or did that one lie condemn them to hell? Thanks for the email and the encouragement. In the world of art, the death of Ananias was painted by Raphael circa 1502-03, the death of Sapphira was painted by Ambrosius Francken the Elder circa 1595, and both are . 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. You are assuming Ananias/Sapphira were saved. Is 'The Heaven Test' presumptuous and judgmental? Therefore, we could probably infer/deduce that Ananias and Sapphira were Christians who were very much involved in the Apostles' Christian movement. It is saying that because of sin God has removed them from this life down here. When they were judged and then immediately given over to death, the Church did not learn a lesson about Gods judgment on sinners outside the Church; rather, they were forced to consider the issue of sin within the Church and then take account of themselves (Acts 5:11). by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 7:37pm, HERES AN INTERESTING QUESTION: We are working through the book of Acts in our Sunday School class, and last week discussed Ananias and Sapphira. 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. to be assuming God killed them - (punished them?). Ananias and Sapphira "agreed together" - i.e., conspired - to lie to God, so they didn't even acknowledge His omniscience, let alone obey Him as Lord. This, like Ananias and Sapphira, are examples in scripture of a 'sin leading to death' as mentioned in 1 John 5:16. The poor He associated with humility and reliance upon God and therefore able to have faith and receive the Kingdom. Story Identification: Nanomachines Building Cities, Rename .gz files according to names in separate txt-file. Perhaps we might wish to contemplate the end of the previous chapter (Acts 4). You have not lied to man but to God. 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. Peter gave her an opportunity to be honest. 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. This is usually understood as implying that every sin separates us from grace and puts us into a state of lostness; we stay in that lost state until we repent and confess that specific sin and pray for its forgiveness. 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. It is quite possible that in this case, Nadab and Abihu had been intoxicated as they offered their sacrifices. 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. Many scholars have noted parallels with the story of Achan (Joshua 7), and Havelaar (1997) notes various parallel events in pagan literature, in particular one close parallel in an event recounted by Herodotus about a certain Glaucus who tried to tempt the gods at Delphi by lying about money he had kept dishonestly, and was subsequently deprived of descendants. Connected to this story is the truth, though not often dwelt upon, that God can sometimes take a believers life in judgement. To consider this further, this article will offer some argumentation that supports the contention that these two people were actually saved. 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. Ask your mate whether or not it is easy to be honest with you. 7. It is only by God's grace that we are spared today. Ananias and Sapphiras behaviour exposed their true heart and agenda. It attracted a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. It is those God has inwardly reformed to whom He has granted repentance. Related Topics: Christian Home, Finance, Marriage, Richard L. Strauss authored nine books, and served as pastor of churches in Fort Worth, TX, Huntsville, AL. It is a little hard because we know so little about them. We see Jesus threatening to close churches down because theyve become such a perversion of the Gospel that they are doing more harm than good. Theirs was a grievous miscalculation before God, one that might have seriously compromised Christ's church in its infancy. But some of the, 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. Centred between two attacks from without (ch. Personally I think its quite obviously referring to the party of the Pharisees. Lets be honest. Dealing with hard questions during a software developer interview. I think God recognised their strategy and brought it to an abrupt end. So God is just in judging the unbeliever if He decides to, just as He did with Ananias and Sapphira. Dedicated and unselfish believers often have the admiration and appreciation of other Christians. 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. Acts 15:1-5 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. But this is only at the very end of the age. Their sin wasnt that they didnt give everything. Why did He do it? Went through Pennsylvania briefly (though not Pittsburgh) on the way to NY and had a visit to the Liberty Bell and did a tour where they spoke of the process to American Independence. Was the gift of the Holy Spirit promised only for the first-century Church, according to Acts 2:38-39? So, we are not told about whether they were unsaved deceivers or believers who conspired to deceive. That is usually easier than committing ourselves totally to Christ and letting Him live through us to make the changes He wants to make. (33) Were Ananias and Sapphira Christians? Thereafter, remains the final judgment upon resurrection. They thought alike, they had deep feelings for each other, and they made decisions that reflected their mutual care and concern. Score ) 5. great fear came upon all who heard of it naive and knew what was on... And wonders among the people held them in high esteem s feet that day is seeking supremacy! 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