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Acts 5:1-11
“Peter said to [Sapphira], ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out’” (v. 9).
Barnabas sold some of his land and gave the proceeds to the Apostles so that they could use the funds to care for needy people in the church (Acts 4:36–37). Not long after that, we see in today’s passage, a married couple sold a piece of property and brought the money to the Apostles.
Luke’s account of Barnabas, with its explanation that his name means “son of encouragement” (v. 36), is structured to commend him for his generosity. Ananias and Sapphira receive no such commendation in Acts 5:1–11. In fact, God struck both of them dead (vv. 5, 10). We might be tempted to think that the reason for their deaths was that they kept some of the proceeds of their sale for themselves, for that is what they did (vv. 1–2). Yet they were killed for other reasons, for lying to the Holy Spirit (vv. 3–4, 9). Essentially, Ananias and Sapphira told the Apostles that they were giving all the money earned from the sale of the property to the church, but this was not true. They were putting on a show of piety and generosity that did not match the actual facts of the case. There is no inherent sin in enjoying the fruits of one’s godly labor (Eccl. 5:19). There is sin, however, in lying to the church, which in the broad sense means lying to God. That is why John Calvin says in his commentary on Acts that Ananias and Sapphira showed contempt for God in their actions. Dr. R.C. Sproul sums up the matter of the couple’s sin in his commentary: “Their sin was not in holding back some of the funds but in the pretense, the hypocrisy.”
As we look at today’s passage, we must also note its importance for understanding the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Note how Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God Himself (Acts 5:3–4). Reflecting on this text and many others, the church came to confess the full deity of the Holy Spirit, who like the Father and the Son possesses the one divine nature. Three early church theologians known as the Cappadocian Fathers—Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa—played a key role in helping the church develop the proper terminology for articulating the biblical understanding of the Holy Trinity. Basil comments that the words of Peter “show that the sins against the Holy Spirit and against God are the same. And thus you might learn that in every operation the Spirit is closely conjoined with, and inseparable from, the Father and the Son.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira for their sin demonstrate that there can be significant consequences in this life for our transgressions. God may bring the rod of His discipline against people on earth when they sin, and this can happen even to believers (Heb. 12:3–11). Not all our suffering is discipline for sin, and practicing holiness does not guarantee an escape from all pain. Nevertheless, we can avoid certain troubles by avoiding sin.
For further study
- Leviticus 27:28
- Psalm 26:4–5
- Mark 7:1–13
- 1 Peter 2:1
The bible in a year
- Numbers 6–7
- Mark 5:1–20