When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
Acts 5:5 (NIV)
We don't usually get to see death as a direct result of sin, but it does happen. Death first entered the world because of original sin. Scripture has many examples of immediate death as a result of sin. Ananias and Sapphira is one such example. Ananias realized he had been caught in his sin and fell down and died. Scripture doesn't mention what was going through his head in between when he gave the money and when Peter called him his misrepresentation of how much he was giving. Was he smug in thinking that he got away with it? When Peter started to speak was Ananias thinking "Oh rats, he figured it out"? Was he cocky? Was he fearful? Did he even realize that he had been found out before he dropped dead?
The weight of carrying sin around can be heavy. The fear of being found out can be paralyzing. Rather than fearing being found out, it is far better to remember 1 John 1:9.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
No comments:
Post a Comment