The book of Proverbs warns us to avoid pride: “Pride brings a person low” (29:23) and “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18). These are serious warnings, but this one is the most grim: “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” (16:5).

Ananias and Sapphira illustrate this truth. They were tempted to lie about the price of the land they had sold and thus the nature of their gift to the church. Why? Pride. They wanted to be praised for their generosity. They’d missed the point of the early church sharing resources and giving to those in need for the sake of the gospel (Acts 4:34–37). They’d also missed the point of giving as an act of worship to the Lord (Matt 6:1–4).

The two conspired to hold back some of the money and lie about it. Their sin was public and deliberate. Peter went so far as to say that Ananias’s heart was filled or controlled by Satan (5:3–4). The couple’s pride, dishonesty, and lack of generosity cost them their lives (vv. 5, 9). The early believers needed to learn that they were not playing a social game. The “great fear” that “seized the whole church” (vv. 5, 11) was a valid “fear of the Lord,” indicating a proper respect and reverence for His glory. Verse 11 is actually the first occurrence of ekklesia (“congregation” or “church”) in the Book of Acts.

We can try to fake generosity or worship, but God knows our hearts. When we are tempted to treat these matters lightly, the story of Ananias and Sapphira should warn us away from pride and toward proper humility before the Lord and others.

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