One of the things that attracted me to the Bible as a source of truth, even as an unbeliever, was how the Word of God did not hide the faults of those men and women who professed belief in Him. I could read about their failures right alongside their victories. The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a dramatic example. This couple were members of the fledgling church in Jerusalem, and like other believers at that time who owned property, sold a portion of it and brought the entire proceeds to the apostles to be distributed to those in the church who were in need. Acts 5:1-2 indicate, however, that this couple only pretended to bring the full amount, in an attempt to impress their fellow brethren.
But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.
In the verses that follow, we read that both Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead after interviews with Peter because: Satan filled (their) heart to lie to the Holy Spirit (v. 3), and they agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test (v. 9). Like most Biblical narratives, there are so many lessons we can take away. The only one I want to mention here is how much God hates religious pretense. Over and over in the Old Testament, God reminded His people that to obey Him is better than our religious rituals. Through His prophets, He regularly denounced the hypocritical priests and Levites who exchanged the true worship of YHWH for their secret idolatries and led the people astray in the process. Then we have the words of Jesus: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mk. 7:6). Truth is, it is easy for us to commit the sin of religious pretense. Our actions, our words, and our non-verbals can be in contradiction to what is in our hearts But we must always remember that even if we fool others, we never fool God. Sincerity, transparency, and keeping short accounts are essential if we are going to experience the blessing of true intimacy that God desires in our relationship with Him, and with one another in His body. We have a personal accountability to God that is revealed in Hebrews 4:13:
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Am I hiding something from others that I know does not please God? Do I even dare to think that I am hiding it from God? Can I identify that area, speak it verbally to God, and acknowledge to Him that He knows? That is the first step to bringing the matter to His light where He can change us from the inside out, and enable us to live in the light before one another as well.