Question 1

Why were Ananias and Sapphira judged so severely for keeping back part of the money?

Accepted Answer

Their sin was not that they kept some money, but that they lied about it. The land was theirs, and even after it was sold the money was in their power. They chose to pretend they were giving all while secretly holding back part, wanting a reputation for generosity without the reality. Peter says they lied to the Holy Spirit and tempted the Lord, not just to people. Their sudden deaths show how seriously God treats hypocrisy and deceit in the church and warn believers to be honest with God and one another.

Question 2

What does it mean that Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost and not unto men but unto God?

Accepted Answer

Peter explains that Ananias’s lie was directed at God himself. The Holy Spirit had guided the church and revealed the truth to Peter. By acting as if he was fully devoted while secretly deceiving, Ananias treated the Spirit as if he could be fooled. Peter’s words show that the Holy Spirit is truly God. To lie to the Spirit in the life of the church is to lie to God. This reminds us that God is present in his people and sees not only what we do but why we do it.

Question 3

Why did great fear come upon all the church after Ananias and Sapphira died?

Accepted Answer

When both Ananias and Sapphira fell dead right after being confronted, everyone saw that this was not a normal event but God’s judgment. The church realized that God is holy and will not ignore deliberate hypocrisy. Those who heard about it understood that pretending to be more devoted than you are, especially in public acts of giving, is no small matter. This fear was not just terror, but a deep respect and awe that led people to take God, sin, and honesty in the church very seriously. It protected the community from casual, fake devotion.

Question 4

What does this passage teach about obeying God rather than people?

Accepted Answer

When the council ordered the apostles not to teach in Jesus’ name, Peter and the others answered, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” They had been freed from prison by an angel and told to preach “all the words of this life.” So when human commands clashed with God’s clear will, they chose God, even though it meant threats, beating, and shame. This teaches that respect for rulers does not come before obedience to God. When forced to choose, believers are called to stay faithful to God’s word, trusting him with the consequences.

Question 5

Who was Gamaliel and why is his advice about the apostles important?

Accepted Answer

Gamaliel was a respected Pharisee and teacher of the law, well regarded by the people. When the council wanted to kill the apostles, he stepped in and told them to be careful. He reminded them of past leaders like Theudas and Judas of Galilee, whose movements fell apart when they died. He then said that if the apostles’ work was from people, it would fail, but if it was from God, they could not stop it and would find themselves fighting against God. His advice led them to hold back from killing the apostles, showing that God can raise up restraint even among opponents.

Question 6

Why did people hope that even Peter’s shadow might heal the sick?

Accepted Answer

So many signs and wonders were done by the apostles that people started bringing the sick into the streets, hoping that as Peter passed by, his shadow might fall on some of them. This shows how strongly they believed God was working through the apostles. The passage says many were healed and people were freed from unclean spirits, but it does not explain how the healings happened in detail. The focus is that God was powerfully confirming the message about Jesus, and people saw that help and mercy were found where his name was preached.

Question 7

What does this passage show about the work of the Holy Spirit in the early church?

Accepted Answer

The Holy Spirit is active throughout this story. He reveals Ananias’s deceit to Peter, showing that nothing is hidden from God. Lying to the Spirit is treated as lying to God. The Spirit is also a witness with the apostles that God raised and exalted Jesus as Prince and Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. God gives the Spirit to those who obey him. Through the Spirit, the apostles perform signs and wonders, speak boldly under pressure, and keep teaching Jesus daily, even after being beaten and threatened.

Question 8

How can believers today apply the story of Ananias and Sapphira to their own lives?

Accepted Answer

This story invites believers to examine their hearts. It warns against doing good things mainly to be seen or praised, while hiding selfish motives. Instead of pretending to be more generous or devoted than we are, we should be honest before God and people. It also encourages a healthy fear of God, remembering that he knows our thoughts and intentions. At the same time, the rest of the chapter shows God’s grace in giving repentance, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit, so we can ask him to make our faith sincere and our actions match our words.

Question 9

Why did the apostles rejoice that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name?

Accepted Answer

After the council beat the apostles and ordered them not to speak in Jesus’ name, they left rejoicing. They saw suffering for Jesus as a sign that they truly belonged to him and were sharing a little in his own rejection. Their joy did not come from pain itself, but from knowing they were standing with their Lord and being trusted to bear witness, even when it cost them. This shows a very different way of looking at hardship: instead of quitting, they kept teaching every day in the temple and in homes, glad to be known as Jesus’ servants.

Question 10

What does this passage teach about God’s judgment and mercy together?

Accepted Answer

In one part, God’s judgment is seen in the sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. Their deception is exposed, and the whole church learns to fear God’s holiness. Yet the same passage shows mercy and grace: God heals many who are sick, frees the apostles from prison, and offers repentance and forgiveness of sins through Jesus, whom he raised and exalted. Even Sapphira is given a clear chance to tell the truth. Judgment comes when people stubbornly hold to deceit, but God also opens a way for honest repentance and new life in Christ.

Acts 5:1

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

Ananias and Sapphira

The Apostles Heal Many

The Apostles Arrested and Freed

The Apostles before the Sanhedrin

Gamaliel’s Advice

Ananias and Sapphira

Cross References

Acts 5:1

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

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Ananias and Sapphira

The Apostles Heal Many

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The Apostles before the Sanhedrin

Gamaliel’s Advice

Ananias and Sapphira

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