Lying to God

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?”

Just as soon as the church is established, people started giving all their possessions to the church after understanding God’s kingdom. But this was not compulsory as peter explains in verse 4. But lying was not pardoned easily in the church and during the early days. These people have heard only a few sermons and it has been only a few days or months since Pentecost. In chapter 8, we read an even bigger sin of Simon the sorcerer but that did not end in death. But lying did. In proverbs 6:16-19 we read that lying is something hated by God to the core. But out of practice, we keep the habit of innocent lies as we reap money out of it. We also read this in Proverbs 12:22.

Peter says that to lie to the church happens when Satan has filled a heart. In 4:31, we clearly read that all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. But in a few moments, we can read that Satan can fill a person’s heart. In 5:17, we read how the high priest was filled with jealousy. But in 6:8, we read Stephen being full of grace and wonders. A combination of good and evil cannot be present as Jesus said one cannot serve two masters. Every time we lie, we allow the devil to fill our heart and submit our lives to him. We may not submit to the person in front of us, but we submit to the devil whenever we speak a lie.  

As per proverbs 6:16-19, lies can be both spoken and breathed. This is included because we may think that we did not lie technically but the other person had understood it wrong. God is very clear here that He hates both.

When Jesus promises about the Holy Spirit, He uses the term “Spirit of truth” in John 14:17 which explains why this whole earth is a lie and illusion. Even the arrival of Christ has given us two wonderful gifts as in John 1:17. The verse says that the arrival of Christ has two important purposes, Salvation and Revelation of the truth. The truth is that the world is all an illusion and temporary. But we can live with God eternally if we hang on to Christ. If God could give us His own son for us to know the truth, we come to God and His church with lies and deceit in our hearts.  After speaking about the truth in John 8:32, when the Jews restrained by telling that they are Abraham’s children, Jesus mentions that because they did not believe the truth, Satan is their father as he is the father of lies. So, if we produce more lies, we become an agent of Satan himself as he has filled us. If just believing in lies can be so ridiculous, how pathetic is manufacturing lies.

In Acts 5:11, we read that this incident had brought great fear in people’s minds. Fear in the church is necessary as otherwise, without fear people will consider sin lightly. Since it was a short moment when they had lied and immediately lost their lives it was not digestible to everybody. We take salvation without fear but that is not God’s eternal plan of a Church. A church which does not fear the Lord is a wife who does not honor her husband. Lying is the most hated thing for God but which is still live in many churches.

This incident has happened after God has given them boldness as in Chapter 4. A first fruit of boldness is being able to speak the truth. The apostles could have manipulated the truth a little bit and so avoided being jailed. But they had boldness and so spoke which led the enemies fear them. In the end of chapter 5 we read how God had sent an angel to the prison only to create fear in them. If Gamaliel had spoken in defense the previous day, it would not have been effective. But if we speak lies, we start fearing the reputation which we never had. An honest person has absolutely no fear. A church needs that identity or else it becomes just an another entertainment center.

As in James 3:4-6, the tongue is the entry point for all evil in our body and it is very hard for any person to tame it. A tongue that lies and also praises is like a fountain that brings forth both fresh and salt water. One another area where we lose our authority over sin is to show off our false gifts and talents. Verse 13-14 explains who with meekness of our wisdom we should show our works using good conduct and not the mouth. If we boast we are against the truth which is Christ. If we boast we are against heaven but are earthly and demonic.

According to Luke 11:27,28 God is pleased only when we hear the word and keep it or precisely receive Christ and safely keep Him in our hearts. If we fail to keep Him, we fail His purpose and are not blessed even though we have contributed or ministered or even spent all our lives for the Lord. Unless we honor what His words say, we have no place in His kingdom.

Amen.