Lying to the Church is Lying to God-Acts 5:1-17

Acts of the Apostles, Sermons

  • Recording, Nov 6, 22. Link: Bible Study Questions. The sin in the world happens in church.
  • Does God have a right to kill Christians (1 Cor 11:30-32; 1 Jn 5:16; 1 Pet 4:17)? Why (Mt 5:8; 2 Cor 11:2-3; Rev 2:16; 3:19)?
  • Are you tempted to put on a mask of spiritual hypocrisy [lying] that is not who you are (Mt 23:5, 25; 2 Cor 5:12)?
  • Why was their hypocrisy dealt with publicly and harshly (Ac 5:5, 10)? How long can one live with it?
  • Do you fear your sin being found out (Num 32:23)? Can anyone deceive God (Ac 5:3, 4)?
  • If this happened today, would the church try to cover it up? Are people dropping dead a strange church growth strategy (Ac 5:14)?

So far Acts records the 1st Pentecost (Ac 2:1), the 1st Christian sermon (Ac 2:14, 22), the 1st church (Ac 2:42), the 1st persecution (Ac 4:1) and the 1st sinful event in the church (Ac 5:1-2, 11); it involved money and led to dishonesty, deceit and death. [Hypocrisy: A pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc, that one does not really possess. Hypocrisy and dishonesty destroys unity.]

  • Sinful pretense (Ac 5:1-2) of Ananias and Sapphira.
  • Spiritual perception (Ac 5:3-4) of Peter.
  • Swift punishment (Ac 5:5-10), which was shockingly sudden, swift and severe.
  • Solemn purging (Ac 5:5, 11; Mt 18:15ff) causing holy terror, holy fear.

The devil‘s tactics: 1st, destroy the church by force from without. 2nd, destroy it by falsehood from within. The devil loves those who profess but do not practice, and those who sin but do not repent. If the devil doesn’t succed to destroy the church from without [through persecution], he will corrupt the church from within [through hypocrisy]. 

A persucuted church is a purified church, and a purified church is a powerful church and a growing church. Purity is critical to the church; it is critical to the power and testimony of the church. We are not perfect people, but we do not want to hide hypocrites or be hypocrites.

God hates lying and hypocrisy. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to be honored, appreciated, elevated and exalted before the eyes of the church. They wanted to be thought of as godly and great and generous and spiritual and sacrificial. But they were not willing to give up everything. They just wanted to appear to be giving up everything. So they made a pretense of giving it all. They were not so much money-lovers, or greedy, or liars [which they were], but they really were glory seekers, which is ugly and which God hates. Why? They sought the applause of man, not of God. Honor and glory seekers pollutes the whole church. God hates the sins of the saints.

Deceived and filled with Satan (Ac 5:3). They were trying to create the impression of something they were not. Sinning saints feign holiness, feign virture and pretend to be virtuous, ethical, pure, holy and godly. The sin of hypocrisy is a grievous sin. They dishonored God and resembled Satan. A Christian cannot be demon-possessed [where the demon takes possession of them], but we can be demon-influenced. Thus, Paul says to “put on the full armor of God” (Eph 6:11-18). 

The double sin of dishonesty and deceit leads to death, for it is lying to God (Ac 5:3, 5, 8-9). In contrast to the church’s positive communal life (Ac 2:42-47; 4:32-37), this 2nd example is negative in character; it was a disaster. Ananias means “God is gracious,” and Sapphira means “beautiful.” They are sadly the polar opposite of their names. What does the story of the deceit and death of this married couple teach? The sin wasn’t in the selling or giving but in the lying. A secret sin on earth is an open scandal in heaven because nothing is hidden in heaven.

  1. The honesty of Luke, who did not suppress or hide this sordid episode. Would your church share this in a news bulletin or on your church website or in the story of your church?
  2. This Spirit filled church was not all great works of God and not all romance and righteousness.
  3. The strategy of Satan. It is similar to Achan who stole money and clothing after the destruction of Jericho. The sin of Archan and of Ananias were similar in that it happened at the beginning of the churches of the OT and NT. The story of Ananias is to the book of Acts what the story of Achan is to the book of Joshua. In both narratives an act of deceit interrupts the victorious progress of the pe ople of God.

Dangerous holiness. Regarding God’s swift and sudden judgment [whether we like it or not which many of course don’t], Luke tells us that the early Christian church was like the Temple, a place of holiness, a holiness so dramatic and acute that every blemish was magnified. To the earliest Christians, to name the name of Jesus, and to invoke the Holy Spirit, is to claim to be the Temple of the living God, the God who is “holy, holy, holy” (Isa 6:3). The Temple itself contained warnings against anyone approaching who was unfit to do so.

  • Gentiles were kept well out of it (Ac 21:28-29);
  • Jewish women could only go in as far as a certain point;
  • only the priests could go into the inner court;
  • and only the high priest himself could go into the “holy of holies,” the most holy place, the central shrine, and then only once a year, taking all kinds of precautions.

Holiness is not an optional extra but required by all of God’s people (Lev 11:44; 19:2; 20:7; 1 Pet 1:16; 1 Th 4:7). Thus, the consequences of violating it are very severe, even fatal: the death 2 of Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1-3); Achan’s sin (Jos 7:1, 11-12, 19-26); Uzzah struck dead (2 Sam 6:6-7); King Uzziah struck with leprosy for infringing the sanctuary (2 Chron 26:16-21).

Peter, acting as a prophet, asks 6 questions:

  1. “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart?” (Ac 5:3a)
  2. Why have you “lied to the Holy Spirit?” (Ac 5:3b)
  3. Why did you “keep for yourselves some of the money?” (Ac 5:3c)
  4. “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?” (Ac 5:4a)
  5. “Wasn’t the money at your disposal?” (Ac 5:4b)
  6. “What made you think of doing such a thing?” (Ac 5:4c) [Literally: “What got into your heart?”]

Offended by the severity of God‘s judgment. Some say it’s just a legend, a made up story to scare Christians. Some blame Peter’s harshness that caused them undue psychological pressure and distress resulting in their death. But Luke clearly intends for us to understand that it was a work of divine judgment. What then can we learn from this?

  1. The gravity of their sin. Their sin was not just against Peter or the church, but against the Holy Spirit (Ac 5:3), i.e. against God (Ac 5:4). Lying to, blaspheming the Holy Spirit [in deliberate defiance of known truth] will not be forgiven (Lk 12:10). Falsehood ruins fellowship in “the whole church [ekklesia]” (Ac 5:11). The Christian ideal is of always of an open fellowship.
  2. The importance, even the sacredness, of the human conscience. Paul’s claim before Felix is that he always strove to keep his “conscience clear before God and man” (Ac 24:16). It is to walk in the light (1 Jn 1:7a). It is to live a transparent life before God and man [HOT: honest, open, transparent], without guile or subterfuge, which enables “fellowship with one another” (1 Jn 1:7b). It is to “live in a house without ceiling or walls,” i.e. to permit nothing to come between them and God and others.
  3. The necessity of church discipline. The church has tended to oscillate between extreme severity [discipline for the most trivial matters] and extreme laxity [no discipline at all even for serious offences]. A good general rule is that secret sins should be dealt with secretly, private sins privately and only public sins publicly. Also follow the succesive stages taught by Jesus (Mt 18:15ff). 

2 opposite responses (Ac 5:12-14) with many healed (Ac 5:15-16). The regular public Christian meetings took place in Solomon’s Colonade/portico (Ac 5:12; 2:46; 3:1, 11). The Christians called themselves “the Way” from Isa 40:3 (Ac 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). So it was natural for them to go regularly to the temple not just to evangelize other Jews [Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes] but also to pray and worship together as Christians.

Those who love sin would not want to join a pure church (Ac 5:13). God designed a church in such a way that unbelievers would not want to belong to because it is pursuing virtue, purity, holiness and godliness. The church is where we confront sin, judge sin and remove sin, corruption and hypocrisy. It would NOT be a place where non-believers and sin lovers would feel comfortable (Jn 3:19). God wants a church that would frighten, challenge, confront and even offend non-believers … and believers as well. So, “no one else dared join them” (Ac 5:13a). Their fear of associating with the believers could also be due to the opposition by the Sanhedrin and Jewish officials, or to the “great fear” caused by God’s wrath at the death of Ananias and Sapphira (Ac 5:5, 11), or a combination of both. Still, they “highly regarded” the Christians (Ac 5:13b), for they respected their purity, morality, unity, courage, boldness, generosity and their virtue. It attracts those who hate sin, which is what is necessary to become a believer. The church must be both a testimony to virtue (Ac 5:13b) and a testimony to judgment (Ac 5:13a). The church will be wonderfully welcoming, and at the same time, frightening.

And “more and more … believed” (Ac 5:14), and “all of them were healed” (Ac 5:16). On the one hand an awestruck reserve and on the other great missionary successes. The power of God both heals and frees human beings, and also judges them as he did Annas and Sapphira.

References:

  1. Wright, N.T. Acts for Everyone, Part 1. Chapters 1-12. 2008.
  2. Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. 1998.
  3. Stott, John. The Message of Acts. 1990. Through the Bible through the year, Daily reflections from Genesis to Revelation. 2006.
  4. Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar NT commentary. 2009.
  5. Osborne, Grant. Acts. Verse by Verse. 2019.
  6. Marshall, I. Howard. Acts. Tyndale NT commentaries (TNTC). 1980.
  7. Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. The Daily Study Bible Series. 1976. 
  8. Fernando, Ajith. The Message of Jesus in Action. 2010.

Prayer, Possessions, Persecution and Proclamation (4:23-8:3).

  1. Prayer and power (4:23-31). The disciples pray for further boldness.
  2. The community of goods (4:32-37). A further summary of the life of the early church.
  3. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11).
  4. The sum of the matter (5:12-16). The apostles heal many. The continued growth of the church.
  5. Portents and persecutions (5:17-42). The 2nd arrest of the apostles. Conflict with the authorities again.
    1. The apostles are re-arrested (5:17-33).
    2. The moderating influence of Gamaliel (5:34-40).
    3. The ministry of the apostles continues (5:41-42).
  6. The 7 servants (6:1-7). The appointment of Stephen. Resolution of a significant conflict in the Jerusalem church.
  7. The trial, testimony and termination of Stephen (6:8-8:3).
    1. The controversy over Stephen (6:8-15). The prophetic ministry of Stephen.
    2. Stephen’s speech in court (7:1-53). Stephen’s “defence.”
      1. The foundational promises to Abraham (7:2-8).
      2. Joseph was blessed with grace and wisdom for the salvation of God’s people (7:9-16).
      3. Moses was blessed with wisdom and power, in words and deeds, for the salvation of God’s people (7:17-38).
      4. Jesus was rejected as part of a continuing pattern of disobedience to God (7:39-53).
      5. Jesus as the glorified Son of Man (7:54-56).
    3. The death of Stephen (7:57-8:1a). Stephen’s martyrdom.
    4. The sequel to Stephen’s death (8:1b-3). Persecution leads to expansion.
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