Did God kill Ananias and Sapphira?

Quick Answer: Did God kill Ananias and Sapphira? While many claim God killed Ananias and Sapphira, there’s no evidence they were true believers, and there’s no evidence that God actually killed them.

Diving Deeper: Many point to the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in order to argue that God exerts wrath on His children. They say God struck down Ananias and Sapphira, because they lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3, 9).

First, there’s no evidence in the text that Ananias and Sapphira were believers. In fact, it states that Satan entered their hearts (Acts 5:3). We know from other passages that Satan cannot enter the hearts of believers (1 John 5:18). We have new hearts, we are sealed by God’s Spirit, and the evil one cannot touch us. So, Ananias and Sapphira were not true believers.

There is also no convincing evidence that God killed Ananias and Sapphira. The text simply states that Peter confronted them and that they “fell dead” (Acts 5:3, 9). Scripture is silent as to precisely why they died. There have been many cases of those who were caught in a lie and died of a heart attack, for example, from the shock of being discovered.

In conclusion, we need to be careful when we interpret the Acts 5 event. If Scripture leaves something unspoken, it is likely best to let it remain mysterious. The account of Ananias and Sapphira is one of these mysteries.

Even if God did kill Ananias and Sapphira, it would be yet another case of God punishing the sin of unbelievers and yet another case of the book of Acts being a time of transition. Today, our message is not that God wants to kill you, but that God “was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them” and “we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).

The bottom line is that we can know for certain that God does not relate to His children on the basis of their sins (John 3:18; Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 9:28). So, whatever happened with Ananias and Sapphira, we do not need to fear God striking us down because of our sins. Christ took our punishment in full on the cross, and He has made us perfectly cleansed, once for all (Hebrews 10:14).

Let’s Make It a Conversation!
1. Were you already familiar with the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5? What did you think of it?
2. React to this statement: Ananias and Sapphira were not true believers, because Satan filled their hearts.
3. React to this statement: Acts 5 does not say that God killed Ananias and Sapphira.
4. Why is it so important for us to interpret this passage in a healthy way?