Many events happen in Acts chapter 5 but they are all interrelated. They give us a snapshot of several important Christian principles which we can apply to our lives today.
The chapter begins with the well-known account of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. The people of the church were all in one accord at the time, selling what they had and giving all to the ministry. Ananias and his wife sold some property and gave a part of it to the church, while telling the congregation that they were giving all. Paul advises them that they had lied to the Holy Ghost and Ananias and Sapphira die.
To be clear, Ananias and Sapphira didn’t die because they only gave part of the money. They died because they had lied to the Holy Ghost. God warns us in His Word that a lie is nothing to take lightly. In fact, we read in Proverbs 6:17 that lying is among the things which God hates (hate is a strong word) and is an abomination to Him.
Proverbs 6:16-19: “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
In fact, we see in that passage that he mentions lying twice, and that three of the seven directly involve the wrongful use of the tongue.
It occurred to me while reading this that Ananias and Sapphira fell prey to one of the most common sins, one that is prevalent throughout the world today: the love of money.
I Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Their first sin was that they loved their money too much. So many times one sin will “beget” another one. In this case, their love of money brought about their sin of lying.
In Acts 4, we discovered that while the disciples preached, many people in high places resisted them. We find that also in chapter 5, that the high priest was “filled with indignation.” The Greek word for indignation here is zelos, meaning jealousy and envy. He wanted the praise for himself and was jealous when the disciples had a large following. He then acted on that zelos and imprisoned the disciples. However, he should have remembered the passage in Romans chapter 8.
Romans 8:28,31: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
The question “who can be against us” is rhetorical. The obvious answer is that no one can be against us if God is for us.
We see this unfold as the chapter continues. In spite of being imprisoned, God sent an angel (vs. 19) and let them out. God told the disciples to go preach, and in verse 29, they do. Finally, we see in verse 42 how God worked it out for them.
Acts 5:42: “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
Follow the Word of God, and God will take care of you!
To learn more about Acts chapter 5, follow this link.
