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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Were Ananias and Sapphira believers? | Acts 5:5 | Apollos | 181606 | ||
Edwin Are you not reading too much into the fact that Ananias and Sapphira are said to have lied to the Holy Spirit? This does not necessarily mean that they were born of the Spirit themselves. The Spirit was evidently and powerfully at work in the Jerusalem church and in the ministry of the apostles. Their deceptive and hypocritical behaviour was thus a sin against the Holy Spirit and points to them possibly being unbelievers rather than true believers. I don't think we can be dogmatic one way or the other about this since the Bible just doesn't tell us. Apollos |
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2 | Were Ananias and Sapphira believers? | Acts 5:5 | Hank | 181642 | ||
Apollos - Yes, I incline to view the passage in much the same way as you do, that we can't justify our being dogmatic about the soteriology of Ananias and Sapphira, because the Bible really doesn't tell us. In my readings of Scripture over many years I find that there are other characters in the Bible about whose eternal resting place the word of God is essentially silent. We may sometimes draw a fairly strong inference, or hazard a somewhat educated guess, that this one probably was saved or that that one probably wasn't, but we come up short of proof on which to base anything but a qualified 'perhaps.' God does not reveal all things, nor does He give us a roster of all the characters in the Bible in alphabetical order, listing beside each name whether they were saved or unsaved. But there is no doubt in my mind that the Bible makes it abundantly clear what sinners such as I must do to be saved. In lieu of guessing about the salvation of Ananias and Sapphira, might it not be better to take care to make our own calling and election sure as we spread the gospel to lost sinners? It seems to me a better use of time. Thanks, Apollo, for your contribution. Since I agree with your conclusion in this matter, I therefore believe you're quite right! :-) --Hank | ||||||