The Fear of God is the Health of the Church Text: Acts 5:1-11
Introduction: A Holy Terror
We live in a sentimental age. Our generation wants a God who is a celestial grandfather, a divine therapist, a cosmic buddy who exists to affirm our choices and validate our feelings. We want a church that is a comfortable, therapeutic gathering, a safe space where we are never challenged, never confronted, and certainly never, ever frightened. The modern church has, by and large, traded the fear of God for the applause of men, and the result has been a flabby, anemic, and worldly Christianity that is impotent to confront the idols of our day.
Into this treacly and sentimental landscape, the story of Ananias and Sapphira lands like a thunderclap from a clear blue sky. It is a terrifying story. It is a severe story. And it is a story that is absolutely essential for the health and purity of the Church. Luke places this account here for a very specific reason. The previous chapter ends with the glorious picture of the church's unity and sacrificial generosity, exemplified by Barnabas. The church was overflowing with grace and power. But whenever God's work advances, you can be sure that Satan will attempt to infiltrate and corrupt it from within. The greatest threat to the church is not persecution from the outside, but corruption on the inside.
This is not a story about the sin of withholding money. It is a story about hypocrisy, about lying to the Holy Spirit, about desiring the reputation of holiness without the reality of it. It is a story about the absolute necessity of integrity in the covenant community. God established His church at Pentecost with a glorious outpouring of His Spirit. Here, in its infancy, He purifies His church with a holy display of His wrath. This event was a foundational act of divine sanitation. God was setting a precedent. He was teaching His newborn church a lesson it must never forget: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is the only atmosphere in which true holiness can grow.
If we read this and are merely shocked, we have missed the point. If we try to explain it away or soften the edges, we are siding with Ananias. The point is for us to be sobered. The point is for us to tremble. The point is for great fear to come upon us, just as it did upon the whole church then. Because a church that does not fear God will soon fear everything else.
The Text
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge. And bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why is it that you laid this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard. And the young men rose up and wrapped him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Now there was an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you were paid this much for the land?” And she said, “Yes, that much.” Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard these things.
(Acts 5:1-11 LSB)
The Pious Fraud (vv. 1-2)
We begin with the setup of this tragic play.
"But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge. And bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet." (Acts 5:1-2)
The first word, "But," is crucial. It sets this story in sharp contrast to the preceding account of Barnabas, the "Son of Encouragement," who sold a field and laid all the money at the apostles' feet. Barnabas acted from a heart full of grace and generosity. Ananias and Sapphira act from a heart full of pride and greed. They saw the reputation Barnabas gained, and they wanted it. They wanted the glory of sacrifice without the cost of it.
Notice the conspiracy. This was not a spur of the moment decision by Ananias alone. He did this "with his wife's full knowledge." They planned this deception together. This was a premeditated act of hypocrisy. They wanted to appear as generous as Barnabas, so they bring a portion of the money and lay it at the apostles' feet, giving the impression that it was the whole amount. Their sin was not in keeping some of the money. As Peter will make clear, the property was theirs to do with as they pleased. Their sin was the lie. It was the pretense. They were attempting to purchase a spiritual reputation with counterfeit currency.
This is a profound warning against the love of praise from men. They were more concerned with their image in the church than their standing before God. They wanted to be seen as spiritual giants, and they were willing to lie to the Holy Spirit to get there. This is the essence of Pharisaism, which Jesus condemned so fiercely. It is the sin of the whitewashed tomb, beautiful on the outside, but full of death and corruption within.
The Divine Confrontation (vv. 3-6)
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, immediately confronts the deception. The Spirit who fills the church also protects the church.
"But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why is it that you laid this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.'" (Acts 5:3-4)
Peter's questions cut to the very heart of the matter. First, he identifies the ultimate source of the temptation: "Why has Satan filled your heart?" Ananias had opened a door in his heart through pride and greed, and Satan rushed in to fill the space. We must never underestimate the reality of our spiritual adversary who seeks to devour us. But Peter does not absolve Ananias of responsibility. Ananias "laid this deed" in his own heart. He conceived of the sin, he nurtured it, and he carried it out.
Second, Peter clarifies the nature of the sin. It was not a failure of generosity. The giving was voluntary. The property was his. The money was his. There was no compulsion. The sin was the lie. And who was the lie told to? "You have not lied to men but to God." To lie to the apostles, the Spirit-appointed leaders of the church, was to lie to the Holy Spirit who indwelt them and the church. This elevates the sin to an infinite degree. This was not a social faux pas; it was high treason against the King of heaven in His own throne room, the church.
The judgment is swift and terrifying. "And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last." This was a direct act of God. Peter did not pronounce a sentence; he exposed a sin, and God executed the judgment. This is a New Testament parallel to the judgment on Achan in the Old Testament, who also kept back what was devoted to God and brought disaster on the community. God was making it clear from the very beginning that He is a holy God and His church is to be a holy people. The result was immediate and profound: "great fear came over all who heard." This was not a servile, cowering fear, but a holy, reverential awe. It was the healthy fear that purifies.
The Unholy Agreement (vv. 7-10)
The scene becomes even more chilling three hours later when Sapphira arrives, completely unaware of her husband's fate.
"And Peter responded to her, 'Tell me whether you were paid this much for the land?' And she said, 'Yes, that much.' Then Peter said to her, 'Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?'" (Acts 5:8-9)
Peter, in a moment of severe mercy, gives Sapphira an opportunity to tell the truth. He doesn't accuse her; he asks her a direct question. This was her chance to repent, to break the unholy pact she had made with her husband. But she doubles down on the lie. "Yes, that much." She confirms her part in the conspiracy. Her loyalty to her husband's sin was greater than her loyalty to God.
Peter's response reveals the deeper dimension of their sin. They had "agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test." They were testing God, seeing if they could get away with their pious fraud. They were treating the Holy Spirit as though He were a blind, deaf idol who could be fooled by outward shows of piety. This is a direct challenge to the omniscience and holiness of God Himself. It is an act of profound contempt.
The judgment is just as swift as it was for her husband. "Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well." And immediately, she too fell dead. The same young men who had just returned from burying Ananias carry his wife out to be buried beside him. The wages of this sin was death, paid in full, and on the same day.
The Healthy Result (v. 11)
Luke concludes this sobering account by summarizing its effect on the entire community.
"And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard these things." (Acts 5:11)
This is the intended result. This is the lesson God was teaching. The health of the church requires the fear of God. This event purified the church from hypocrisy. It weeded out those who were there for the wrong reasons. It taught the believers that you cannot play games with a holy God. It established a culture of integrity and authenticity. Church is not a place for posturing or performance. It is the house of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth, and it is to be a place of holiness.
This great fear was not a detriment to the church's growth; it was the foundation for it. The very next verses tell us that "more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women" (Acts 5:14). A holy church is an attractive church. A church that takes God seriously is a church that the world will take seriously. When the church is pure, its witness is powerful. This divine judgment was an act of profound grace, protecting the church from the cancer of hypocrisy so that it could be a pure and powerful vessel for the gospel.
Conclusion: Don't Lie to the Spirit
What is the lesson for us today? Has God changed? Is He any less holy? Is sin within the church any less offensive to Him? By no means. While God does not always judge sin so immediately and dramatically today, the principle remains unchanged. God hates hypocrisy. He despises religious games. He demands truth in the inward parts.
This story forces us to ask ourselves some hard questions. Are we living a lie? Are we cultivating a public persona of piety that does not match the private reality of our hearts? Are we giving God a portion of our lives, our money, our devotion, while pretending it is the whole thing? Are we more concerned with our reputation in the church than our integrity before God?
The Holy Spirit dwells within the church, and He dwells within every true believer. To sin knowingly and presumptuously, to harbor deceit in our hearts, is to lie to the Holy Spirit who lives in us. It is to test the Lord. It is to grieve the Spirit by whom we were sealed for the day of redemption.
The solution is not to be terrified that God will strike us dead for every stumble. The solution is to cultivate that "great fear" which is holy awe and reverence. It is to walk in the light, as He is in the light. It is to confess our sins, knowing that He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Ananias and Sapphira were judged not for sinning, but for covering their sin with a lie. The way of life is the way of repentance and confession. Let us, therefore, put away all falsehood and speak the truth with our neighbor, for we are members of one another. Let us serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire.