What is the Problem with Ananias & Sapphira?
Pastor Leslie Chua
“When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.”
Do the names, Ananias and Sapphira, ring a bell? Certainly, for most Christians. They were the infamous couple who lied to the Holy Spirit and consequently, God struck them dead.
Ananias and Sapphira’s misadventure took place in the nascent stage of the early church. They sold a piece of land, kept some of the money for themselves, and gave the rest to the church. But they gave the impression that they had given the entire proceeds from the sale to the church. While they were generous in a sense, their motive was impure. They craved to be recognised for giving sacrificially. To attain their goal, they resorted to lying. It was a sin. God was displeased with their action. Divine judgement was swift. They were summarily struck dead with no second chance. Strike one and they were out of the game. The apostle, Peter, said that they lied to the Holy Spirit.
The Problem: Presumptuousness
What was the problem with Ananias and Sapphira?
In a nutshell, they had committed the sin of presumptuousness. Presumptuousness is the failure to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate.
Ananias and Sapphira presumed that they could do as they pleased, lie blatantly, and get away with it. The fledgling church had just been inaugurated recently and the Spirit of God was moving in an exceptionally powerful way. They failed to recognise that it was an extraordinary time and presumptuousness has no place in such a time as this. Their presumptuous attitude and action incurred the wrath of God and cost them their lives.
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Ananias and Sapphira presumed that they could do as they pleased, lie blatantly, and get away with it… Their presumptuous attitude and action incurred the wrath of God and cost them their lives.
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The Root Problem: A Lack of the Fear of God
Why did Ananias and Sapphira do what they did?
The answer is simple. Ananias and Sapphira did not have the fear of God. That is the root problem. Presumptuousness is the symptom while the deeper issue is a lack of the fear of God.
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Ananias and Sapphira did not have the fear of God. That is the root problem. Presumptuousness is the symptom while the deeper issue is a lack of the fear of God.
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God made sure that the early church understood the importance of fearing Him. Living in the New Covenant era and the emphasis on salvation by grace do not mean that God and His holiness can be taken for granted. The swift judgement against Ananias and Sapphira sent a clear message to the church as well as the public. The people were gripped with the fear of the Lord. Twice, we are told that great fear came upon them – “And great fear came upon all who heard of it” (Acts 5:5); “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things” (Acts 5:11).
The Fear of God
Most believers are taught that the fear of God means reverence. That is correct, but only partially. The fear of God also means to be afraid of Him. Unfortunately, this second idea is often dismissed as incompatible with the New Covenant understanding of God.
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Most believers are taught that the fear of God means reverence.
That is correct, but only partially. The fear of God also means to be afraid of Him.
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However, I contend that fear is fear. Fear means reverence, and fear also means to be afraid. Jesus said that Himself - “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5).
Clearly, what Jesus said here about fearing God means more than reverence. It means to be very afraid of God.
The Fear of God is Not Just an Old Testament Concept
Some very famous and popular preachers teach that the fear of God is an Old Testament concept. They argue that New Covenant saints do not have to fear God. While God was angry and wrathful in the past, He is full of love and grace in the New Testament era because of what Jesus had done on the cross. As you would expect, such kind of teaching is extremely popular.
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While it is true that we can now draw near to God’s presence unlike in the Old Testament times, it does not mean that we do so with a cavalier attitude and a careless manner.
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They would quote Scriptures such as this one to back their position - Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
While it is true that we can now draw near to God’s presence unlike in the Old Testament times, it does not mean that we do so with a cavalier attitude and a careless manner.
Remember that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is still holy, and those who approach Him must do so with an attitude of reverence. We must be careful not to get too familiar and casual with the Lord for our own sake. Fear Him. Then, we will not fall into the sin of presumptuousness like Ananias and Sapphira.
The Necessity of the Fear of God
Read what happened in the aftermath of the judgement against Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:12-16). You will notice two things. First, the fear of God produced an interesting evangelistic outcome. Second, it had a powerful effect on the church.
We are told in Acts 5:12-16 – Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
First, notice that the summary judgement caused the public to hold the church in high esteem. They saw the power, holiness and awesomeness of God. There was no doubt in their minds that God was certainly among those Jesus’ followers. It was a powerful testimony.
Many Jews believed but they feared joining the church because they were not prepared to live a holy life. They did not want to end up like Ananias and Sapphira.
However, “more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women…’ (Acts 5:14). That God judged those who sinned did not deter them from joining the church. They wanted to be where God was present and actively working.
These are the authentic believers. They truly believed. Their belief is not merely a mental assent. They were willing to obey God.
So, we observe that the fear of God has the effect of bringing true believers into the church and also separating true believers from mere professing ones.
The contemporary church needs a large dose of the fear of God. I suspect there are more professing believers than true believers, more tares than wheat in the Kingdom of God.
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But have you wondered if God had not removed Ananias and Sapphira from the church, would the church be able to continue to minister powerfully in the might of the Holy Spirit?
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Second, I cannot help noticing from the flow of the story the connection between the fear of God and the mighty exploits of the church. Immediately after the Ananias and Sapphira incident, Dr Luke continued with a short account of the apostles performing miracles and signs and wonders.
The apostles had already been doing many mighty healings and miracles before that time. But have you wondered if God had not removed Ananias and Sapphira from the church, would the church be able to continue to minister powerfully in the might of the Holy Spirit?
I seriously doubt so because Ananias and Sapphira’s sin would provide an open door for the devil to work against the church. Their sin would also prevent the Holy Spirit from working mightily through the church.
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One man’s sin caused the defeat of a nation. An individual’s sin can have serious consequences on the larger community. That is the potency of sin. It can also hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
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There is such precedence in the Bible. When Israel entered the promised land, they took the first city, Jericho, easily though it was a heavily fortified city. However, they were roundly beaten in the next battle at Ai, which was a much smaller and weaker city. The reason for their defeat is due to the hidden sin of one man, Achan. God did not permit Israel to keep any of the spoils taken from Jericho. But Achan disobeyed.
One man’s sin caused the defeat of a nation. An individual’s sin can have serious consequences on the larger community. That is the potency of sin. It can also hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
I believe that this is another reason why God’s judgement against Ananias and Sapphira was so swift and severe. The Holy Spirit was moving very powerfully in the early church, and God did not want the momentum to be broken by Ananias and Sapphira’s sin.