How apostles fell to Pride-Devil’s trap as in Ananias and Safira tragedy.
We see in the Acts they were killed for their lying. It destroyed the early commune of the church, the best example of Christian principles at action. Would Christ have done it? Never! He had forgiven much grievous sins and never condemned like that way. God certainly could replenish what was lost by their action – money and faith. Every lie is a lie to Holy Spirit but Heavenly Father never kills for that. Still now from the early church thousands and thousands of Christian workers is doing it all over the world and living too. A few of them are obviously forgiven as they repented and atoned.
But the fact is that Satan, the pride, was lurking in the hearts of apostles as usual in whole humanity. He knew their weak points-a temptation to glorify themselves by striking terror- a most unchristian action. So he struck Ananias and Safira dead and Peter was fooled to think it as Heavenly Father ordained action- a most false and pernicious idea! Christ had cancelled revengeful brutal Jehovah whom he called devil (Jn8-44). He forgave even his killers and said that Father is better than him in love-scale. Rather Peter should have prayed to God for making them alive and forgiving them. It would have been the most appropriate Christian action. He had done it many times. But he did not now, to let Satan’s work prevail!
Apostles were people like us. They failed often and were rebuked. Certainly Christ rebuked them in private for this unforgiving attitude and other failures.
In this way Satan struck at the early church from inside. From then on countless saints and evangelists had fallen and still falling in his traps and came to harm themselves and harmed the church. Though Christ heals those harms in time, it would be better if harm was avoided in the first place.
We see in the Acts they were killed for their lying. It destroyed the early commune of the church, the best example of Christian principles at action. Would Christ have done it? Never! He had forgiven much grievous sins and never condemned like that way. God certainly could replenish what was lost by their action – money and faith. Every lie is a lie to Holy Spirit but Heavenly Father never kills for that. Still now from the early church thousands and thousands of Christian workers is doing it all over the world and living too. A few of them are obviously forgiven as they repented and atoned.
But the fact is that Satan, the pride, was lurking in the hearts of apostles as usual in whole humanity. He knew their weak points-a temptation to glorify themselves by striking terror- a most unchristian action. So he struck Ananias and Safira dead and Peter was fooled to think it as Heavenly Father ordained action- a most false and pernicious idea! Christ had cancelled revengeful brutal Jehovah whom he called devil (Jn8-44). He forgave even his killers and said that Father is better than him in love-scale. Rather Peter should have prayed to God for making them alive and forgiving them. It would have been the most appropriate Christian action. He had done it many times. But he did not now, to let Satan’s work prevail!
Apostles were people like us. They failed often and were rebuked. Certainly Christ rebuked them in private for this unforgiving attitude and other failures.
In this way Satan struck at the early church from inside. From then on countless saints and evangelists had fallen and still falling in his traps and came to harm themselves and harmed the church. Though Christ heals those harms in time, it would be better if harm was avoided in the first place.
