Acts 5:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

NIV: Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

NASB: And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.

CSB: Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.

NLT: Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.

KJV: And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

NKJV: So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

It is easy and common for groups of modern believers to get caught up in spiritual highs and forget the holiness of God. Until this point of the book of Acts, the church has been characterized by fellowship (Acts 2:42), miracles (Acts 2:43), and an intense unity that extends from hearts to possessions (Acts 2:44). We must be careful to ensure our joy is based not only on God's love but also on God's holiness.

News of Ananias and Sapphira affect how the non-Christians see the church as well. Until this time, the unity of the church and the miracles performed by the apostles have led the non-Christian Jews to show favor to the new sect (Acts 2:47). Now, they see that the power and authority of Jesus are tools for holiness as well as blessing. That scares them and perhaps sets the stage for Stephen's arrest and murder (Acts 6:8—7:60) and Paul's widescale persecution of the church (Acts 8:1–3). As yet, however, the public is still impressed enough by the miracles that they respect the apostles (Acts 5:12–13).

This fear does not stop people from coming to Jesus, however. "More than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women" (Acts 5:14). Proverbs 1:7 says that "fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge."

Acts 5:1–11 contains the unfortunate story of Ananias and Sapphira. While the story of Peter and John's arrest by the Sadducees shows the beginning of problems outside the church (Acts 4), the account of Ananias and Sapphira reveals issues inside the church. As people listen to the witness of the apostles and come to a saving faith in Jesus, they donate what they have so that everyone in the church has what they need (Acts 4:32–37). Ananias and Sapphira want to join the wave of altruism, but not completely. God loves generosity, but not shallow performances which attempts to make a fool of Him and His people.

The apostles continue to make hard decisions in the name of Jesus, both inside and outside the church. When Ananias and Sapphira lie to God, the Holy Spirit inspires Peter to pronounce God's judgment on them, protecting the church from the love of the world. Despite the Sanhedrin's watchful eye—and direct orders (Acts 4:17–18)—the apostles continue to preach and heal openly. The guards arrest the apostles, but the Sanhedrin settles for beating them instead of capital punishment. The apostles consider it an honor to suffer on behalf of their Savior.

In Acts 5, persecution from unbelievers begins to accelerate. The Sanhedrin has become aware the apostles teach that Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 4). Now, they start to push back in earnest, arresting and beating the apostles. Soon, a mob will kill Stephen, a deacon (Acts 7:54–60), and the Sanhedrin will empower Saul to run down and arrest any Jesus-follower he can find (Acts 8:1–3). The apostles will stay in Jerusalem. Other Jesus-followers will carry His offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with God into the Roman Empire and beyond. The apostles' faithfulness and submission to the Holy Spirit is why we have the gospel message today.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.