One passage that is rather hard to reconcile is the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11, during the infant stages of the Jerusalem church as the apostles were leading the body. Desiring to impress other church members, Ananias and Sapphira sold property they owned and donated a portion of the proceeds. While this was a noble move, they lied in saying they were sharing the entire amount. For their sin, God struck them dead amid corporate worship. 

In such Scripture passages, God’s justice is so swift it seems arbitrary and maybe even a bit harsh. The sons of Aaron who offered strange fire in Leviticus 10 and Uzzah, who touched the ark in 2 Samuel 6 were also instantly killed for their sins.  Was God truly fair in taking these actions? 

Here are three things to keep in mind as you survey such accounts from holy Scripture. First, consider the pretense of public piety. Ananias and Sapphira lied to make themselves look godly before the infant church. This was not merely a bad decision or on-the-spot descent into sin, but rather a coldblooded, premeditated, conspired effort to position themselves as devoted Christians. In response to this sheer hypocrisy, God chose to be swift in His judgment. Let us beware of presenting a pretense of piety in our own congregations. 

Second, remember that God’s glory cannot be shared in the church. We must restore one of the five pillars of the Protestant Reformation: Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone). This is not to say that in every era, God is going to strike dead people who seek preeminence. On the contrary, many false teachers, prima donnas, and self-centered men and women have stripped away the glory Christ deserves in His church free of earthly judgment. But in His sovereignty, God chose to establish in His eternal Word a few clear indications of how church should be conducted. 

A third lesson for the church: God was unmistakably establishing His holiness. Twice in Acts 5:1-11, we are told that great fear came upon the church. I would say so! Yet, instilling such reverence is one reason for church discipline, as Paul indicates in 1 Timothy 5:20, when he writes that sinning elders should be rebuked “in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.” The encounter in Acts 5 was God sovereignly working in His church to purify it the way He desired, and the people saw it in living color. There was no debate about the holiness of God on that day. 

RC Sproul once stated that God is so merciful to us that when we see Him flex his muscle of holiness and justice, it seems unfair to us. God desires us to allow passages such as Acts 5 to help shape our understanding of who He is. Let us feel the full weight of such passages before we run away saying, “Wow! I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that because I am a Christian.” 

Christ will not share His glory with another, and out of fear and reverence, we must remain genuine and authentic in His church instead of puffed up and pretentious toward others. 

Soli Deo Gloria!