I’m sure you have heard some people say “the church is full of hypocrites” or “they are all hypocrites in that church”. I know I have heard it but it is rarely if ever true. The truth is that there is always the likelihood of a few bad apples and this should not be seen as indicative of the whole.

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was not that they had sold their property and had given only a part to the church. Peter makes clear (See 5:4) that it would not have been a sin for them to have sold their property and not given anything to the church. Their sin was that was that they conspired together to deceive the apostles and the church into thinking that they were giving the entire amount, when in fact they kept back a portion for themselves. In other words, they were trying to impress everyone with a higher level of spirituality and commitment than they really had.

They were hypocrites trying to create a false impression and it warns us of the danger of the sin of hypocrisy. It was literally deadly for this couple. When a prominent Christian is shown to be a hypocrite, the world heaves a sigh of relief and think that “Christians are really no different from anyone else. If they’re phonies then Christianity must not be true.” It is a sin that affects men and women.

Hypocrisy is foolish and futile. See Luke 12:1,2. Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven. The life of the hypocritical person looks good on the outside but gradually becomes bad on the inside. Your life eventually becomes a hollow shell as your spiritual life withers and dies. The fear of God came upon everyone as they realise that God is not fooled by hypocrites – ever!

There are often a few bad apples but God’s people in the Church who are followers of Jesus are to be a light in the predominant darkness, to add salt to a tasteless world and the evidence is that most are genuine as they have the fear of God.

Categories: Acts