“…Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
-Acts 5:3-5, NIV
Cheaters, lying to God is serious business!
This is a story from the Early Church. As it goes, Ananias and Sapphira are a couple who decide to sell some of their property. They then give a portion of the proceeds to the church.
The problem is that they did not give all the proceeds but instead lied saying that they had.
God struck both spouses dead for this lie.
I recount this story NOT to say God will necessarily strike a cheater dead for cheating–thereby lying to God as well as to other humans.
My point is to remind us that lying to God is a serious offense.
Do you really think God takes lying in committing adultery less serious than lying about one’s giving?
In the United States, we seem to believe to think God takes sin in stride. It is a land of cheap grace where Christians treat sin flippantly as if God is expected to let it all “slide.”
To those who think God changed in His stance towards sin from the Old Testament to the New Testament, this story about Ananias and Sapphira reminds us that God still takes holiness very seriously!
When one lies in cheating on one’s spouse, one is poking a “bear.” Only a truly foolish person is surprised if–or when–the “bear” bites back.
