No Mercy?!
In Acts 5, we know the legendary story of Ananias and Sapphira. A couple, husband and wife, suddenly die because of lying about the money to Peter.
If you read in a modern context, imagine you have a business and some of the profit you want to give to the church. It's none of the pastor business of how people manage their money or how many percent they want to give to the church. Pastor is not the tax collector. If you make a fraud tax, then you will be doomed.
But here, in this story, Peter gets insider information from heaven that they lied about the number. And he asked and confronted them! What got into their mind and heart to pull a trick to God? How could someone plot such a thing in their heart?
The true sin was more than simply telling a lie to Peter but lying to the Holy Spirit. They didn't lie to men but to God.
Did they plan to lie to the Holy Spirit? Did they know the consequences of lying in front of the man of God is dead? Maybe not intentionally. But as Peter said, it all begins from a plot in their heart. And yes, they agree to do this scheme. They both give the same answer to Peter. As a result, they both get sudden dead.
God demonstrated His power through Peter by revealing their secret to him and punishing them with sudden death. No mercy, no second chance, die! Boom, Adios!
Okay, wait for a second. No mercy?!! No second chance at all. That is cruel! Something that you don't want to mess up.
Imagine if God had been doing this more often until now. I think half of the world will be wiped out, like when Thanos swiped his finger. God did one time. He wipes the earth with a flood and only saves Noah's family. But, He promises not to do it again.
The Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful. So, by nature, we are as humans; somewhere in our journey, we make mistakes even to the Holy Spirit.
But, yet as we know, things like this didn't happen often. So, yes, we can see some 'righteous people' or the people I called 'smooth criminal' didn't get those kinds of punishment when they did something wrong. Maybe, even you wish that why that some guy didn't die?! Yet, they are still alive, and it feels like no terrible things happen to them.
I didn't imply that we can go on sinning. Of course not! Neither suggests a loophole with the Holy Spirit because the punishment is not happening all the time. Like a Russian Roulette. Maybe you are lucky with your sin, and perhaps you are not. Because yes, perhaps you didn't directly die from your sin, but the business of sin is death.
As long as I know is that our God is famous with His mercy and forgiveness. He forgives our sins. His grace frees us. Why He does this? I think that's His prerogative right as Lord. That's He is compassionate, merciful, but yet at the same time, He can show justice. This story is one of His showcases.
Yes, the entire church was blown away by these things. As a result, they became more respectful of God and seized by the fear of God. But, luckily God didn't use this method often. He doesn't want to build a relationship not based on fear but based on faith and trust.
How many of us got the second chance? You get an alternate version of life—a possibility to choose to live by the grace of God.
'Don't you realize that grace frees you to choose your own master? But choose carefully, for you surrender yourself to become a servant—bound to the one you choose to obey. If you choose to love sin, it will become your master, and it will own you and reward you with death. But if you choose to love and obey God, he will lead you into perfect righteousness.' Romans 6:16 https://my.bible.com/bible/1849/ROM.6.16v
This story is not about no mercy and life by fear. Instead, this is a reminder that God can bring just to us for our sin, yet He shows His mercy for us. So, if you ever make a mistake and get a second chance, please don't take it for granted.
This post is my personal notes from the Westmark Bible Study assignment. So, every week we read two chapters together and share what we learned or found from them. Let’s learn and grow together.
About the writer