Acts 5:5

And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it.

'FELL DOWN AND GAVE UP THE GHOST'-'fell down dead' (Wey); 'collapsed and died' (Phi); 'fell down and breathed his last' (NASB).

Points to Note:

Now some commentators claim that nothing miraculous happened here. Rather, Ananias, simply died of shock (realizing he had been found out), or from. heart-attack, because Peter was so severe in what he said. This interpretation we must deny: (a) Peter knew that God had struck him dead, for he told Sapphira what was going to happen to her (Acts 5:9-10). (b) 'the view that Ananias had died overcome by shame and grief..But no such explanation could account for the death of Sapphira which Peter foretells as about to follow without delay.' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 142)

Others accuse Peter of being too harsh, and they claim that Peter handled this situation in. way that the Lord would never have handled with more "love". And that he put undue psychological pressure upon them. But such. view must be rejected for: (a) Peter was speaking the words of the Lord (Hebrews 1:2; 1 Corinthians 14:37). (b) Jesus spoke very harsh things, especially to hypocrites (Matthew 23:1). (c) Such. view underestimates the true evil involved in sinning.

To understand why this sin was so swiftly punished: (a) It challenged the authority and inspiration of the Apostles-which was challengingly God's authority (Matthew 10:40). (b) The modern cry, 'there are so many hypocrites in the church', reveals why God strongly dealt with it. (c) Hypocrisy destroys fellowship. (d) People had entered the Church from unworthy motives--and such could only weaken the body of Christ. (e) It manifested unbelief in the knowledge and holiness of God--thinking that God either was ignorant, or He would just overlook it. (f) It was hypocrisy of the worse kind--the same type that had infested the Pharisees, i.e. doing religious things to be seen of men (Matthew 6:1; Matthew 23:5).

McGarvey notes, 'The lie told by Ananias consisted in representing his gift as being more liberal in proportion to his ability than it really was. Every time. member of the church at the present day makes exaggerated statements of the amount he is giving, or understates the amount of his wealth, in order to make out. degree of liberality beyond what is real, he is guilty of the sin of Ananias and Sapphira...' (pp. 87-88)

We should also be impressed than many popular theories are dismantled by this event. This chapter contradicts: (a) The God of the N.T. would never punish. (b) Grace automatically covers all sins. (c) Once saved, always saved. (d) God always looks at Jesus when. sin, and hence doesn't see my sin. (e) God gives you credit every time you do something religious. (f) Situation ethics, or "the end justifies the means". (g) God isn't concerned with motive, just as long as we try. (h) God approves us good deeds done to support religious error.

Be impressed that Ananias wasn't. false teacher, he wasn't involved in adultery or fornication, he wasn't. member of some human denomination, he wasn't lax in attendance, and yet God still struck him dead. If this manifests God's feelings towards hypocrisy in the Church-then how does God feel about the above groups?

'we have now seen that, if the devil's first tactic was to destroy the church by force from without, his second was to destroy it by falsehood from within. He has not given up the attempt, whether by the hypocrisy of those who profess but do not practise, or by the stubbornness of those who sin but do not repent. The church must preserve its vigilance.' (Stott p. 112)

'GREAT FEAR CAME UPON ALL THAT HEARD'-This is further clarified in Acts 5:11.