Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
June 2025
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (Acts 5:1-11 NIV)
Today, we come, not to a positive, uplifting story but to a disturbing story, a tragic story. It is the story of Ananias and Sapphire, the first hypocrites in the church. This chapter is a warning for every Christian. It contains shocking sin. It contains sudden death. It contains severe judgment. And it results in special fear.
Shocking Sin
So far in Acts, we have seen a model church. The first church was the church at its best. It was united. The church was one heart and mind. It was powerful. Incredible miracles were taking place. It was on fire. It was biblical. They were devoted to the apostles’ doctrine.
This was a loving church. They were also devoted to one another. They took care of the needs of the congregation. There was no needy person among them, but we find that it wasn’t perfect. In Acts 5, sin enters the church.
In the book of Genesis, sin enters the world. In the Book of Acts, sin enters the church. This passage does not deal with the sins of the world but sins of the church. It deals with the sins of the saints.
Some people in the Bible committed the same sin they did. They committed the sin of lying. Abraham did. He lied about his wife. He was saved.
The first sin was a secret sin. No one knew about it. There were no eyewitnesses to the sin. There was no confession of the sin. No one knew about it, except Peter. How did he know about it?
We don’t know. The text doesn’t say. Did he have the gift of discerning of spirits or the gift of knowledge? We don’t know but somehow this sin was supernaturally revealed to the Apostle Peter. He was given a revelation of Ananias’ sin.
How would you like it if your sin was revealed to someone else and they confronted you about it? How would you respond to that? Would you deny it or rationalize it or confess it?
How would you like it if a real apostle confronted and rebuked you about your lifestyle? It might be uncomfortable, but it is better to take the rebuke and repent than to suddenly drop dead.
What was this secret sin? It was not anything like the scandals of churches today. It was not a sex scandal. It was not an affair. They did not leave their spouse and run off with the church secretary or worship leader.
They did not do what Jimmy Swaggart did. They did not hire a prostitute. The first sin did not involve any type of addiction to drugs or alcohol. It did not involve pornography. As far as we can tell, both Ananias and Sapphira were faithful to one another.
The first sin involved hypocrisy. It involved deception. It involved lying. One preacher said, “There is no story in the Bible that conveys this message: “Never lie to God” better than the story of Ananias and Sapphira.”[1]
This was a bold lie. It was shameless. Ananias was a member of the first church. He did not just lie; he lied right to the face of the apostles. In fact, he did not just lie to the apostles; he lied to God.
Peter said, “You have not just lied to man but to God” (Acts 5:4). He says that they lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3), which proves that the Holy Spirit is God. It is one of the strongest proofs that the Holy Spirit is God.
This was not just a secret lie, but a bold lie. It was also a group lie. Ananias got an accomplice to lie as well. He got others to lie with him. Ananias did not hide what he was doing from his wife.
Acts 5:2 says that he did this “with his wife’s full knowledge.” He got her involved with him. She participated in the lie. She was his co-conspirator (Acts 5:9). The name Sapphira means “beautiful.”
The movie title Pretty Little Liars could be based on the life of Sapphira. She was beautiful on the outside but was not too beautiful on the inside.
This lie was not only bold and coordinated; it was satanic. Peter went back to the source of the lie. He said, “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?” (Acts 5:3 NIV).
This was not just a good business decision that benefited Ananias financially. It was a blatant lie, and it came right from Satan. Now, Satan did NOT force Ananias to sin. He chose to sin. Satan just gave Ananias the idea and he was a believer.
Satan can put thoughts into the minds of believers. It is our job to resist those and reject those thoughts, not to entertain them and obey them but he can put the thoughts into your head.
Peter knew what this was like. Satan put thoughts into his head. He told Jesus that he should not go to the cross and die (Matthew 16:21-23). Ananias and Peter were not possessed but they were tempted by Satan and influenced by Satan. Can Satan fill our hearts to sin?
We believe that lying is wrong but not a big deal. We live in a world in which lying is so common. Everyone does it, especially politicians. We do not think of it as that bad. If it is a sin, it is a little sin. It is not like rape or murder.
The problem is that we do not think like God thinks. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. God HATES lying. He calls it an ABOMINATION. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 12:22 KJV).
The word “abomination” is used of the worst possible sins. It is used of idolatry. Worshipping another god is called an abomination (Deuteronomy. 12:29–31; 13:13–14 KJV). Child sacrifice is an abomination (Leviticus 18:21, 29 KJV).
Sex with animals is an abomination (Leviticus 18:23, 29 KJV). Occult practices like witchcraft are abominations. Trying to communicate with the dead is an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:9-13 KJV).
Lying is also something that God hates. In fact, God has a list of seven things that He hates. Two of the sins on the list involve lying. These might not be on our list of things we especially hate but it is on God’s list. It is a big deal to Him.
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. (Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV)
Sudden Death
This is a little shocking. Two first century Christians suddenly dropped dead in church. This was not the death of two unbelievers but of two believers. They were members of the first church.
Peter shows up with the money from the sale of the house. He says, “Here it is. I brought to you, just like I said I would.”
Peter does not say, “Thank you very much. God bless you for your generosity.” Instead, he confronts him. He rebukes him to his face. That is strange. He asked him four questions. I will paraphrase them.
He said, “Why did you allow Satan to fill your heart? Did anyone force you to sell your land? You could have sold it or not sold it.
Weren’t you free to use your money any way you wanted to after you sold it? You could have given any amount you wanted or no amount to the church. Why did you lie about the amount you gave to the church?”
Then, he dropped dead and was buried before his wife even knew he died. Three hours later, his wife showed up. Where was she for three hours? We don’t know but we can speculate.
She might have been shopping, spending the money she just acquired. Girls love to shop. She may have gone to get her hair done. Her name means beautiful.
She may have showed up to church with fancy new clothes on. She finally showed up. Her husband had just been buried. Peter did not even tell her that her husband had died.
The first thing he does is to ask her a question about the sale of the land. Sapphira was given a test. Peter asked her one simple question. “What was the sale price for your land? How much did you get for it?”
She gave the wrong answer and dropped dead. A whole family is now wiped out. It was not a hard test. It just required an honest answer. She knew the answer. Ananias and Sapphira lied about the price. Why?
They wanted to give some of it to the church and keep some of it for themselves. They figured that they were the only ones who knew how much they sold the land for. They could give some of it and keep some of it for themselves.
Peter did not rebuke them for how much they gave to the church. He didn’t say that they had to give more. This was not about giving. It was about honesty. It was about transparency.
There was nothing wrong with giving the amount they gave to the church. The problem was that they said that they were giving everything to the church from the sale of the land, but they were only giving part of the sale.
Severe Judgment
You often hear people say that God is not mad at you. Joyce Meyer wrote a book entitled God is Not Mad at You. He was certainly mad at this couple, and they were believers. They had been baptized. They were members of the first church.
They died but they did NOT die of natural causes. God killed them. Peter didn’t kill them. Ananias fell down at Peter’s feet, but Peter did not kill him. He did not inflict the punishment. God did.
Did Peter know that Ananias was going to die? We don’t know. The text doesn’t say. All it said is that Peter confronted him about his sin and he suddenly dropped dead.
He did predict the death of Sapphira. He said, “The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” Peter gave a prophetic word.
The judgment seems a little severe. He lied and died. He told one lie and he dropped dead. Have you ever told a lie? Did you die? If everyone who told a lie died, there would be no people on the planet.
If it happened every day, churches would be empty. You wouldn’t have a pastor. There would be corpses all over the place.
This was rare, even in Bible times. Why did it happen here? No one knows for sure. Perhaps to set an example when the apostles were still on the earth ministering.
God doesn’t do this every day. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by fire. There are plenty of cities today that are dens of iniquity. They are full of sin and yet they are not destroyed.
We do know that after the Mosaic Law was given and the Tabernacle was built, two people dropped dead. They dropped dead in church. They died in the Tabernacle.
They were not pagans. They were Israelites. They were two of Aaron’s sons. They were not just Jews; they were priests. They were leaders. You can read about it in Leviticus 10.
Their names were Nadab and Abihu. Now, right after the church begins, two people drop dead, only this time it is not two brothers but a husband and a wife. They were not siblings but spouses. They died right after the first church began.
Does God take the life of believers today? Could God strike any of us dead? Yes. The Bible teaches that there is a sin unto death.
If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. (I John 5:16 NIV)
There are many different interpretations of this verse but apparently, there are certain type of sins that lead to physical death of a believer. What those sins are, John does not tell us.
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. (I Corinthians 11:27-30 NIV)
Paul mentions one example of a sin unto death. He mentions the sin of eating and drinking communion in an unworthy manner.
Special Fear
The final thing we see in this story is fear and not just fear, but GREAT FEAR. There was not just fear among those in the church but among everyone in those days who heard what happened.
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (Acts 5:11 NIV)
Jerry Vines called this “a church too dangerous to join.” The church can be a dangerous place, especially an apostolic church. In Acts 3 we see a miracle of healing. This was a miracle of judgment, and it caused fear among people. They were worried that they too might drop dead.
Should Christians be afraid? Many think the answer is No. This is one of the biggest misconceptions in the church today. How many times have you been told by preachers that the Bible says “fear not” 365 times.
That may or may not be true, but many verses are often taken out of context by Christians.
Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32 KJV). John said that perfect love casts out fear” (I John 4:18 NKJV). The assumption is that we should have love, not fear.
That is true but we need to read the whole Bible and not just certain verses. The same chapter that says “fear not little flock” says that there are some things that we should fear.[2]
““I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. (Luke 12:4-5 NIV)
Our problem is that we only read half of the Bible. The Bible also says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 10:9 NIV).
This is a big problem in the church today. There is no fear of God in many churches. Christians who attend church today do not have any fear.
Some come to church living out of the will of God. They live in sin, rebellion and disobedience and have no fear. There is a proper fear and reverence that we should have in church.
Applications for Today
1) There is no perfect church.
The very first church had problems. The Jerusalem Church was a good church. It was an apostolic church. The Twelve Apostles went to this church, but it was not a perfect church. Even apostolic churches were not perfect. They were made up of sinners.
2) Genuine believers can fall into sin.
Ananias and Sapphira were genuine believers. They had been baptized. They may have been charter members of the church. They not only lied; they tried to deceive the apostles. Satan filled their hearts. He can fill our hearts.
3) Church Leaders sometimes need to confront people.
That is one of the jobs of leaders. Some are good at this and some avoid it. Today when church members fall into sin, leaders often try to cover them up, rather than try and confront them. Confronting people is too unpleasant.
4) God judges believers who sin and sometimes they even die.
The Bible talks about a “sin unto death”. Now he does not do this every day. Can you imagine how big our church would be if God took out every single person in the church who told a lie the last week? He does do this. We see it in the OT and in the NT.
6) God wants honesty and transparency in His people.
Barnabas was honest and transparent. He told the church he was going to sell his land and make a donation. He sold it and brought every penny to the feet of the apostles.
The other did not. They could have sold the property for $50,000 but said they only sold it for $30,000 and made a $30,000 donation to the church. One told the truth. The other lied. Are you honest or dishonest?
7) God wants transparency, not hypocrisy
Barnabas lived a life of integrity. Ananias and Sapphira were complete hypocrites. They wanted to appear better than they were. They wanted to appear more righteous than they really were. They wanted reputations as big givers.
Some of Jesus’ strongest language was reserved for hypocrites, especially religious hypocrites. There are some hypocrites in the church. There are more hypocrites in the world but there are some in the church. The question is, Are you one of them?
[1] https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/600830-the-dangers-of-looking-good-acts-4:32-5:11
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUz7J4-O9HU
