Ananias & Sapphira

I was terrified the first time I read the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11.  There is still some fear in me as a read and reflect on this story today.  I hear myself saying, “I’m in good company” because the people and the church at that time were seized with great fear (Acts 5:5, 11).  I also hear myself saying that this fear is normal and healthy.

I mean, don’t you think it’s normal to be afraid of someone who has the power of life and death?  Besides death, God has shown that He has power over sickness, demons, and nature.  Jesus also said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

It’s a healthy fear because we are told that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Psalms 111:10, Proverbs 1:7).  It’s healthy because the fear of God is the starting point, but we are not to stay there.  We know this because Peter starts off his second letter with “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2) and ends with “Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

How do we know we’re growing?  Scriptures tell us, “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear” (I John 4:18) and Paul ends the 13^th chapter of I Corinthians with, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”