The Tangled Web of Deceit in Our Hearts

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife's consent, he kept the rest. Acts 5: 1-2 (NLT)

Now this may appear to be about money but dig a little deeper it really is not. Ananias and Sapphira were already well off considering they had property to sell at all. The money from the sale of the property was already theirs. Acts Chapter Four does not say that the new church forced anyone to share what they had it was done voluntarily. So Ananias and Sapphira were not obligated to provide the new church with any of the proceeds from the sale of the property.

Yet they still wanted to appear as if they were sharing it all. Why? Perhaps they wanted to be able to brag about the generous donation. Perhaps they wanted to be noticed by Peter and the Apostles. Recognition, power, pride, fame, status these are all things that we may pursue and desire that we can try to get through deceitful means. We are faced every day with taking the easy way out in business decisions, personal relationships, and family conflicts. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to appear more benevolent than they were willing to be! They wanted to appear more righteous than they were willing to live. They wanted to appear more Christ-like than their hearts were willing to be. We all face similar challenges in our walk with God. We want to be more Christ like. We want to be more benevolent and righteous. But often times our heart is not where our desires are. Our heart is still as Jeremiah described it:

"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17: 9 (NLT)

But ultimately who was Ananias and Sapphira trying to deceive? They thought they were merely trying to deceive the Apostles! They operated without a fear of God in their transaction. God provide the increase in their lives! God provide the land they owned and the buyer to whom they sold. Yet God was not considered when they tried to deceive their way into a status they did not deserve. The Apostle Peter explains it to him:

Then Peter said, "Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God!" Acts 5: 3-44 (NLT)

This principle can be applied to any area of our life where we might be tempted to act deceitfully. Thinking about taking credit for something that you did not really do? You are only trying to lie to God. Thinking about cutting up someone else so that you can look better to someone? You are only trying to lie to God. Thinking about using underhanded methods to resolve a problem, even a problem you think you might be righteous about? You are only trying to lie to God. That last one is an important distinction to make. You may be in the "right" about a particular situation but that does not mean that we excuse unrighteous means to achieve the righteous end we might seek. Philosopher Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli proffered the notion that the ends justifies the means. That as long as the end result is righteous, it matters not that unrighteous means were used to get there. God disagrees with Machiavelli and as such, so should we. God is infinitely concerned with how you live, not just where you end up. The following verse from Jeremiah above highlights this: