Sins against the Holy Spirit are extremely grievous. Is all mankind free from their sins or only those in Christ? 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. Evidently they could. 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. Thats why its not God sending the Tsunamis and storms and earthquakes. We can probably deduce/infer that Gehazi being a servant to a Godly prophet should have known better because Gehazi is someone who is part of God's ministry. As believers they had already passed from death unto life (John 5:24). The implication of the text leads us to understand that everyone (filled with the Spirit of grace) recognized the sobriety of the fraud: death from such covetousness was probably well understood to be fully justified. This is the realm of experience. [1]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995. The reason I believe they. Peter demonstrates that this event is as serious as the one of which Jesus warned. This you know, my beloved brethren. Was the gift of the Holy Spirit promised only for the first-century Church, according to Acts 2:38-39? Three hours later, his wife comes in, not knowing of her husband's death. It then follows with the two examples (1 good and 1 not good) of people selling their property to give to the church. Acts 4:32-35 And the congregation of those who It is also shown on a 1590s painting by Ambrosius Francken the Elder. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. I guess you could say then that people would be well within their rights to use this story to threaten believers now. 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. and to your [d]descendants forever. So he went out from his presence 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. Richard, was a 1954 graduate of Wheaton College, and received his Th.M. But this is not what 1 John 1:9 means. 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. Thank you for your obedience to Jesus. 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. It was the disciplinary hand of God. They would not necessarily say they were giving all of the money they received from the sale; they would just let everyone assume that. We will be real! joining the Church. We know that someday that person will ask us how things are going and we will have to tell him honestly. There are a number of opposing views about the event that happened in Acts chapter 5 regarding Ananias and Sapphiras death. Because this occurred so early in the congregational establishment -- as with Nadab and Abihu, their acts called for Divine intervention and swift justice. Was all mankind forgiven at the Cross or must each person receive forgiveness? 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. 2021 New Nature Ministries All rights reserved. She was given an opportunity to back out in Acts 5:8b, but doubled-down on the lie that they offered the full amount; which itself was not required. Why they were killed for that only God knows. 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. Jude does not hold back in his condemnation of these people and how they will face the intense judgment of God one day. It says: All the deaths I listed earlier came by different manners, but the common thread is that they died by divine intervention. 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. The church needs to be strict at that critical time of beginning and growth. Why such a radical and drastic punishment on the spot? 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. the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. Everyone who heard about the incident feared the Lord. a leper as white as snow. 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. We cringe at this extreme illustration of divine discipline. Again, it is not saying that they weren't saved anymore. 6. them and bring the proceeds of the sales (35) and lay them at the apostles' Hope this helps, Nevertheless, it does seem that they may have been true believers who stumbled like all believers do, albeit in an incredible way (cf. dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Reminds me of Saul, when rather than obedience. It attracted a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. Never was that more obvious than in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. (2 Peter 3:9). This new covenant truth is very valuable. They lived in the days of the churchs greatest purity and power. Can we infer anything about the ultimate eternal fate of Ananias and Sapphira? 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. Here, Sapphira followed her husband's lead in giving the rehearsed account to the apostles (Acts 5:2, Acts 5:8-9). 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. 1:22, 23), the household of faith (Gal. 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? (Note: This article has been written only to communicate the possibility that Ananias and Sapphira may have been Christians. Evidently, Ananias and Sapphira had sold a piece of property for a certain sum and agreed between them to say they had sold it for a lesser sum while keeping the difference for their own use. So what *is* the Latin word for chocolate? The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also. And at once she fell down at his feet and died, Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletterto get your free e-copy. Have you ever wondered what kind of relationship Ananias and Sapphira had with each other? 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. Havelaar, H. 1997. So, we are not told about whether they were unsaved deceivers or believers who conspired to deceive. Sis Johns, Hi! And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostle's feet". Jesus often would use the contrast between the rich and poor as a metaphor for those who were most likely to receive the Kingdom. I think Sapphira did have a second chance. The Story of Ananias and Sapphira. [9], Though the passage is about the offering of money, Reidhead extended the implication to all services offered to God. This isnt far fetched as the Pharisees hated the Church, persecuted it and were desperately trying to destroy it. Peter said, You have not lied to men, but to God (Acts 5:4). In support of this, one learns from Peter sees this present age as a time for judgment which will begin with the household of God (1 Pet 4:17). As mentioned previously, the first church in Acts had members who willingly and sacrificially sold their possessions so as to support others in the church even though no one was mandated to do so. For example, Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a plot of land and donated the proceeds to the apostles. 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. The poor He associated with humility and reliance upon God and therefore able to have faith and receive the Kingdom. Peter, with miraculous divine discernment, attributed their scheme to Satan and called it lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). 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. What does put at the apostles feet mean in Acts 4:32-5:2? [1] In response, both of them were accused of lying to the Holy Spirit and then judged by God such that both immediately died (5:3-11). Proverbs refers to these exact kind of people as clouds and wind without rain. Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price? he asked, quoting the amount which Ananias had brought to him. A couple of reasons: First, their deathslike much in Actsserve as a sign. 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. 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. Unlike Barnabas, they didn't live up to their names (Ananias- God is gracious; Sapphira- beautiful). "Slow to anger" does Not mean God never becomes angry. The fourth-century archbishop John Chrysostom alludes to and then dismisses the idea that Peter could be held responsible for the couple's death. Debate/Discussion: Universal Salvation: True or False? Well the reality is that, while Christ paid the price for everyones sins, its only those who are in Christ that receive the benefit of that and are therefore safe from Gods judgment. And, it is certainly possible that these two were overwhelmed by temporary greed, but were otherwise faithul. To this end, they sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price while giving the rest to the Apostles (Acts 5:1-2). No Christian husband and wife can be an island to themselves. We understand hypocrisy to be a deliberate and calculated effort to deceive, as it was with Ananias and Sapphira, and we may not be consciously doing that. It only takes a minute to sign up. We don't know if they were given a second chance. (Luke 16:19-31, Luke 18:18-30). Is it overcoming sin that saves us? Why were Ananias and Sapphira not given a second chance? (34) For there was not a It only says that they conspired to deceive. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Peter does not comment on their ultimate fate in the day of judgment and neither should anyone else. These two shocking deaths served as an example to the body of Christ that God hates hypocrisy. 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. Suppositions as to the eternal state of the two guilty persons are just that : suppositions. Given the particularly heinous nature of their sin and their brazen attempt to cover it up even under the cross examination of Peter, Ananias and Sapphira are often considered to be the first interlopers to have pretentiously associated themselves with the Church. And Ananias did as Sapphira had instigated him to do. In the fourth chapter of Acts, the apostles were praying for more boldness and miracles. Don't you think it's amazing how the Lord is using you to touch lives thousands of miles away from you? We all sin despite our earnest desire not to do so (see Romans 7:14-25); but this affects our efforts toward SANCTIFICATION, not our secure state of JUSTIFICATION. Why did He do it? 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. Are good deeds required for Heaven? 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. Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And we can be grateful for that! 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. Ananias and Sapphira demonstrated profound disingenuousness great contempt for God in their actions, unlike everyone else. He states that, "The story aims for gallows humor, but we read Acts in a different place today. B. There was no coercion involved. 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. 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. 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