Bad Guys of the Bible: Ananias and Sapphira, Deceptive and Unrepentant
by David Chadwick
This next story speaks of two bad guys whose bad behavior was full of deceit. Ananias and Sapphira are our next two characters – whose story is found in Acts 5:1-11.
In this part of God’s story, the early church was growing. Booming even. There were miracles happening everywhere. God’s Word was being proclaimed with power and might. New believers were coming to faith everywhere.
A donation was given to the growing church by Barnabas. True to his name, as the consummate encourager, his gift was evidently quite large and generous. He received a great deal of thanks and acclaim from those around him. Two people in the church, Ananias and his wife Sapphira, must have been jealous of Barnabas and all the recognition he was given. So they, too, pretended to give a large gift. They lied. They postured as something they weren’t in order to gain something they didn’t have. I like to refer to this as rank hypocrisy.
Peter called them out individually. When they were confronted with their sins, they both died. Immediately. Do you think it was a heart attack? A stroke? Could they have been overcome by the reality of their sins? We don’t know what caused it. But they died on the spot.
God hates duplicity. He despises hypocrisy. There is no place for these things in his church. Let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matthew 5:37). Choose to be people of conviction. Stand for what’s true and honorable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). To put it bluntly, be real. Check your heart on a regular basis to see if there is anything grievous in you (Psalm 139:23-24).
With Ananias and Sapphira, God would not have been concerned if they gave a small gift because that was all that they had. It was the lying that was the problem. The twisting, the manipulation, the discrepancy between who they were in public and private lacked the integrity God calls his people to walk in. The desire for acclaim. The Holy Spirit of truth, who was moving so powerfully in the church, would not put up with these sinful ways. It may feel harsh to say, but the God of the Bible will also not put up with our sinful ways!
We must live in a continual posture of repentance so that the God of all truth can cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). Confessing our need for Jesus at the moment of salvation is just the first step in a lifetime of continual confession as we become refined more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Seek truth above all else! Jesus is THE way, THE truth, THE life (John 14:6). If he lives in us, then his truth should ooze from our innermost being. And hypocrisy melts away.