were ananias and sapphira saved
You are assuming Ananias/Sapphira were saved. Most of us felt, assuming they were born again believers, they did. c. How to serve with purity: Remember that God looks at your heart rather than your service. However they lied and said they had donated all the proceeds. Third, identifying this married couple as erring believers allows their treatment to become an example of Gods discipline for those within the Church. Reidhead noted that God does not punish everyone who makes the same mistake as Ananias and Sapphira; nevertheless, the passage illustrates God's unambiguous attitude on this matter. But the Spirit of God can use an honest openness, on the other hand, to produce in us the life of Christ, and that means abundant life, abiding joy, and abounding blessing. Are there any matters in your lives on which you both agree but which you know are not right before God? 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. Perhaps they had previously - the whole story is not recorded. They collaborated on a plan to stash some of the money from the sale of their property in a safety deposit box for themselves and take the rest to the apostles. And he tells believers to watch out for these kinds of people. Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price? he asked, quoting the amount which Ananias had brought to him. They were numbered among that powerful, caring community of believers. Pharisees loved money and they loved peoples praises. It causes each partner to vie selfishly for supremacy and seek more for himself from the relationship. Again, it isn't to condemn them to hell - believers are saved, but they can still die physically. 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. Somehow or other, Ananias could not summon up that gladness and that singleness of heart with which all the other contributors came up that day. They wanted more than acceptance; they wanted acclaim. But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. We do however see another situation in Acts 12:21-23 where God kills an unbeliever, King Herod, for claiming to be divine. Chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira ( Acts 5:1-42) Chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira (. So from this I would assume that Ananias and Sapphira were genuine believers who wanted to be seen giving everything (like Barnabas in Acts 4:36) but still wanted to keep some money resulting in their lie. Many scholars have noted parallels with the story of Achan (Joshua 7), and Havelaar (1997) notes various parallel events in pagan literature, in particular one close parallel in an event recounted by Herodotus about a certain Glaucus who tried to tempt the gods at Delphi by lying about money he had kept dishonestly, and was subsequently deprived of descendants. 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. When confronted, they stuck to their story, and when they were exposed they dropped dead of fear. If all it took to banish a . PS - I spent about 6 weeks in the US for the first time late last year. 6:10), the household of God (Eph. I guess you could say then that people would be well within their rights to use this story to threaten believers now. It was no grandstand play with him. Another common fallacy affecting our perception of what happens if we sin at the moment of death is a faulty understanding of 1 John 1:9. When they were judged and then immediately given over to death, the Church did not learn a lesson about Gods judgment on sinners outside the Church; rather, they were forced to consider the issue of sin within the Church and then take account of themselves (Acts 5:11). So if we believe that they were genuine believers then does this lie commit them to hell? New International Version Ananias and Sapphira 5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. If they are spiritually-minded people they are not motivated by the desire for the accolades and applause of men, but they may get them anyway. When a husband and wife become partners in pretense, it eventually destroys them. That is the only way to break out of this devilish trap. Might be someone from the States like yourself or a believer in Asia or a Pastor in Rwanda (like one who recently left a message in the JPN guestbook) so always encouraging. I t is reasonable to believe that both Ananias and Sapphira were present in the prayer meeting described in Acts 4:31. You seem? But when some concerned Christian who might be able to help us asks how things are going at home, we quickly reply, Oh, just great, great. It is saying that because of sin God has removed them from this life down here. Represent the twelve foundations of the new spiritual Israel (the church of Jesus) Describe Jesus' ascension to heaven. on falling from grace.). How do I fit an e-hub motor axle that is too big? Peter, with miraculous divine discernment, attributed their scheme to Satan and called it lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). I would suggest that we may never know of their ultimate circumstances. But that becomes even more obvious to us when we learn that their confidence for the future was in their bank account rather than in the Lord. The people in the early church who sold their possessions and gave the money to the church probably received the enthusiastic appreciation of the entire congregation. Of course the technology involved is a whole other amazing subject. However if Ananias and Sapphira were not born again, then the whole scenario changes. To be clear, nowhere does Acts 5 say that Ananias and Sapphira were not believers. We do not know how they got Ananias buried without Sapphira knowing about it, but bodies had to be buried quickly in those days and maybe they could not find Sapphira at the moment. What does God want you to do about them? How can you avoid this tendency? The account records their sudden deaths after lying to the Holy Spirit about money. Is there a more recent similar source? In conclusion, the case of whether or not Ananias and Sapphira were saved will be an ongoing mystery for all believers to ponder given the lack of direct evidence. Discipline yes, but not judgment like this. "Can we infer anything about the ultimate eternal fate of Ananias and Sapphira? 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. This is the realm of experience. But everyone must be 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Thank you for your obedience to Jesus. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Unbelievers are spiritually 'dead' and cannot believe the gospel or make any moves towards God. This sin, therefore, was rooted in their relationship to their local church, and once again by extension, it was a trespass against their personal relationship with the Spirit of God. (33) Even though these people are in their churches Jude describes their characteristics as people who are not saved and under the pending judgment of God. This gives us a whole new perspective on suicide, also. For argument's sake, let's say that Ananias and Sapphira were not true believers. Those early Christians were not only one because of their position in Christ, but they were one in experience also. Is variance swap long volatility of volatility? 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. Discipline yes, to correct their course because theyre heading into unbelief, but not judgement, and nothing like Ananias and Sapphira. Nevertheless, it does seem that they may have been true believers who stumbled like all believers do, albeit in an incredible way (cf. 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. Is imputed righteousness a lie? The Biblical tale of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a strange one that leaves us with more questions than answers. Peter replied, "Why is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?" To see this, one must consider the case of Simon the magician. [1]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995. But we dont see individual believers being threatened with judgment. We see Jesus threatening to close churches down because theyve become such a perversion of the Gospel that they are doing more harm than good. 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? Jesus often would use the contrast between the rich and poor as a metaphor for those who were most likely to receive the Kingdom. Is it possible that Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they received? Acts 4:32-35 And the congregation of those who Iain. [8], According to the missionary and author Paris Reidhead, the passage is intended to illustrate two key points: the seriousness of lying to the Holy Spirit and the importance of keeping integrity in the believers fellowship with Christ, i.e., keeping the fellowship free of sin. The Story of Ananias and Sapphira. But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wifes full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles feet (Acts 5:1, 2). Over and over, NT writers point not to pressure from sinners outside the church but to believers relapsing back into sin within the church. 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). Acts 5:1-42. ) They had to have that money. Peter confronts Sapphira and asks her why they tested the Spirit of the Lord. 5 Ananias and Sapphira were still saved despite the exemplary punishment they?! Not believers to receive the Kingdom being threatened with judgment they can still die physically must be 11 great... Despite the exemplary punishment they received are at the top of the new spiritual Israel ( the church sold land. Condemn them to hell - believers are saved, but they can still die.. Whole church and upon all who heard of these things Satan has so filled your heart that have. Judgement, and nothing like Ananias and Sapphira were present in the prayer meeting described in Acts 4:31, this. I guess you could say then that people would be well within rights. 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