Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. - Acts 4: 32-37 (ESV)
"Now the full number of those who believed" is how this section starts. It then proceeds to tell how they all sacrificed what they owned personally for the common good of all believers. Luke then gives a comparison of believers. One is Barnabas who sold a field and brought the money to the apostles. How do we know it is a comparison? Because of the word BUT, starting chapter five and the account of Ananias and Sapphira. There is no question they were part of the full number who believed because they are discussed within the same train of thought. There is no question Luke uses a comparison of an honest believer giving the proceeds of a sale and a dishonest one. Barnabas contrasted with Ananias and Sapphira. If Luke wanted to make a point about unbelievers infiltrating the new church and pretending to be in Christ he certainly would not have included this story attached to such a vivid description of obvious believers! But there is more evidence.
Peter says to Ananias - how is it that Satan has so filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit. Who has the Holy Spirit? Believers of course! Unbelievers do not lie to the Holy Spirit. They do not believe in the Holy Spirit. Then there is the moment of death. The text reads that Ananias fell down and died when he "heard these words." What words? The immediately proceedings words were - "You have not lied to man but to God." Once again, an unbeliever does not lie to God because he does not even believe in the one true God to begin with! Yet he hears these words, is confronted by his egregious sin, and dies instantly. Some say that this seems extreme or harsh but the truth is that it is just. It is what Ananias deserved. The real miracle is that God does not step in every time we lie to Him and render judgment right there and then. But the writer Luke does not leave it there. He shows us why he made the contrast to begin with when he concludes the story:
And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. - Acts 5: 11 (ESV)
I know fearing the Lord does not fit well into hyper-grace teaching where everything is puppies and rainbows. But that only serves as another reminder to the dangers of this teaching. It is not always puppies and rainbows. God takes this very seriously. The message He was sending through these events was that the people need to take Him very seriously. The Bible says to work out our salvation with fear and trembling not kittens and unicorns. The real problem with hyper grace is it takes a core element of our faith, the awesome grace of God and it cheapens it. It reduces it to propping man up at the expense of God's glory. Prince gave himself away in his sermon however. When he was mocking a traveling preacher who was warning people that the days of Ananias and Sapphira would come back one day he laughingly said this:
"That's some way to grow a church...come to our church - you just might drop dead."
This is the point lost on the seeker friendly, purpose driven, hyper grace heresies. It is not about building a church. It is about building the Kingdom. It is not about you - it is about God. In all of His grace and in all of His wrath. What Prince reveals here is not so much that there is a problem with the true Gospel because there is none. The problem is that he can't sell it. What he fails to realize is that he does not have to sell it. He just has to preach it. All of it. Even the parts where a just God acts justly. Even the parts that may make people take a serious look at themselves and what they are holding back from God.
Because the story of Ananias is rich with theology for the believer. It is a reminder of the awesome power of God. It is a hard lesson teaching us that we cannot always put off repentance. That sometimes, our life will be required of us and we will give an account. I personally have written before how I believe Ananias and Sapphira were the first true religious spirits in the church. Always wanting to appear more pious than they really were. Always wanting to appear super-spiritual. It is easy to see that the religious spirits of Ananias and Sapphira are still quite active today in the church. When you consider their story and go back into Acts 4, there's no doubt that'll preach! But you cannot approach this story or any part of the Bible looking for confirmation bias to support your pre-determined opinions or pet theologies. Because not only do you change what God is saying but you prevent your listeners from hearing what God intended. I wouldn't want to answer for that.
