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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | confusion with Acts 5:1 | Heb 13:8 | dshallenberger | 88199 | ||
I have a question about Acts 5:1. I'm a relatively new Christian, and I am working my way through the Bible. I found the Old Testament to be somewhat violent...people being killed immediately for sins, stoned to death, falling over dead. I sure am glad for Jesus even more after reading the OT. But, in the NT, in Acts 5:1, Paul is accepting gifts from those who sold their property to give the money away. There is a couple that lied about how much money they got, and they were instantly killed for that. Being new to reading the Bible, please forgive my ignorance, but that seems a little over the top for being post-Jesus. Am I way off base here? I'm just not sure what to think. Seems like they should have been given a chance to repent and ask for forgiveness before being immediately stricken with death. I'm sorry to sound negative, and I love Jesus with all my heart. I just wondered what others' opinions were. Thanks, Dan |
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2 | confusion with Acts 5:1 | Heb 13:8 | nivlac5 | 88200 | ||
Great question Dan.I have had the same question before. But the more I study the scriptures and the God of the bible the more I see His holiness and our depravity. The couple you are referring to are Aninias and Saphira who lied about how much money they were going to dedicate to the lord after selling a piece of land. We have to remember that God is immutable, He does not change. The scriptures say Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His attributes are fixed and He has the freedom to excersise them according to His good will and purpose. It is only by God's mercy that we all are not struct down. But that event in the NT is a stark reminder that God is HOLY and we are not. The God of the OT is the same as the NT. As Christians we should be greatfull that we can stand before a HOLY God, not with the filthy rags of our own self righteousness, but with the righteousness of Christ(Phillipians 3). | ||||||
3 | confusion with Acts 5:1 | Heb 13:8 | Emmaus | 88212 | ||
Dan, Acts 5:1-11 is a little scary isn't it? Ol' Barnabus must have been felling pretty glad he hadn't skimmed the proceeds of his transaction in Acts 4 just before Aninias and Saphira. One of the interesting features of this passage is that it makes clear the personhood and divinity of the Holy Spirit as opposed to the false notion held by some that the Holy Spirit is just an impersonal force. Note in verse 5:3 and 9 that they "lied to the holy Spirit." One does not lie to impersonal forces, only to persons. (Just a small point in passing: it was Peter who was accepting the gifts and exercising authority in this case, not Paul.)Kinda makes some consider the authority delegated in Matt 16:18-19 in a different light. Emmaus |
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