Acts

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NASB	Acts 5:5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it.
AMPLIFIED 2015	Acts 5:5 And hearing these words, Ananias fell down suddenly and died; and great fear and awe gripped those who heard of it.

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Subject: Were Ananias and Sapphira believers?

Bible Note: Dear Hank,

While I certainly don't have "positive, unimpeachable, incontrovertible, irrefutable and biblically sound proof" -- far from it! -- I might try to help steer us back to a more solidly Scriptural launching point. Just know that I cannot render a dogmatic answer, so I certainly don't want to take a dogmatic stand! :-)

I do tend to think that "lying to the Spirit" is a bit more easily explained in Spirit in-dwelt persons, than in lost persons. The latter have no relation to God (except in regard to His wrath), and certainly have no relation to the Spirit. However, as has been pointed out, that is only speculative.

What we do know from the text is that all the people who engaged in the communal sharing of goods were believers (Acts 4:32). We might conclude, therefore, that Ananias and Sapphira were -- at least, up to the point of their sin -- accepted as part of the "multitude of them that believed."

We do know that there is Scriptural president for Satan working in saved persons to provoke them to sinful acts. We see this, for example, in the lives of David (1 Chronicles 21:1), Peter (Matthew 16:21-23), and Christians in general (1 Peter 5:8-9). Furthermore, we know that God will sometimes use death in order to discipline Christians (1 Corinthians 11:30-32).

On the other hand, the church has always been filled with both sheep and goats (Matthew 25:32), and the goats don't realize they are not sheep (Matthew 25:44 and Matthew 7:22-23). In addition the sin we are discussing certainly sounds a lot more like Saul's dealings with God in 1 Samuel 15. (I tend to think that Saul was not saved... but that's another topic of discussion.)

Regardless, we can be very grateful that God providentially arranged and used this event. (He is the hero of every story in the Bible!) Through His dealing with the sin of Ananias and Sapphira, the Church was purified, and God was glorified (Acts 5:11). I've no doubt that this event was crucial and essential in the building of His Church. Therefore, perhaps the important thing we come away with when we study this account is a great fear of the power and holiness of the God with whom we have to do. I am all too aware that the fundamental flaws of Ananias and Sapphira also reside in my own heart!

I hope this post is a positive (and Biblical) contribution to the discussion.

In Him, Doc